Informal Presentation (15%): Make an informal presentation that introduces your research topic and justifies its importance. The presentation will last no more than 5 minutes and will contain no more than three presentation slides: a title slide; a slide that either provides background or shows the importance of your research; and a third slide that memorably maps the main topics covered by your research. Submitted with your presentation will be a paper copy of your three presentation slides. For example slides, please look at the following presentation: Slides for Informal Presentation.

Workshop Submission of Presentation Slides (15%): From the formal presentation on which you are working this semester, submit a copy of the presentation slides (no more than 12 allowed). Sample slides for a presentation can be found at following sites: Virginia Tech and University of Texas. Submit one copy for each person in the workshop.

Formal Presentation (45%): Make an informative presentation about some aspect of the topic for your major document. The presentation will follow a typical conference symposium format. You will speak for 15-17 minutes. Following that will be 3-5 minutes for questions. Submitted with your presentation will be a copy of your presentation slides. Note that the following site gives some tips for combating nervousness.

Poster (15%): Create the PowerPoint or PageMaker file of a poster that presents an aspect of your research. Sample posters can be found at following sites: Virginia Tech and University of California at Davis. Also see pages 216-217 in the textbook.

In-Class Exercises and Workshop Critiques (10%): In the course, you will be asked to perform in-class exercises and prepare critiques of presentations given by others in the class.

Alley, Michael, The Craft of Scientific Presentations (New York: Springer-Verlag, 2002), 242 pages. (required)

Writing Guidelines for Engineering and Science Students, edited by M. Alley, L. Crowley, J. Donnell, and C. Moore (Blacksburg: Virginia Tech, 2002).