SUNY Geneseo, Department of Physics and Astronomy

PHYS 341: Seminar in Physics

Syllabus, Spring 2022, Section 1
Prof. James McLean Office: ISC 228G (old Greene) Phone: 245-5897
Website: http://www.geneseo.edu/~mclean/ E-mail: [email protected]
Course Websites: http://www.geneseo.edu/~mclean/Seminar/ and in Canvas
Learning Outcomes
This course is designed to train students in oral presentations. Presenting your work needs
almost as much care and preparation as the work itself. Oral presentation skills can be fine-tuned
with practice. We will also discuss best techniques when presenting to different audiences. At
the end of this course, you should be more confident when speaking in front of your peers, you
should have developed prioritization and time management skills for presentations, you should
be more aware of the strengths and weaknesses of technological aids used in presentations
(PowerPoint, video, etc.) and you should be more capable of critiquing and assisting your peers
with these same skills.
Times and places
Class Meetings: ISC 229, Fri 2:30–3:20PM
Office hours: Mon 3:00–4:30PM, Wed 1:00–3:00PM, Thu 2:00–3:30PM
I am also available at other times; see the schedule on my web site. Just stop by my
office, or to ensure that I’ll be there, contact me by phone or email.
Required materials
Access to a computer
Required coursework (with fraction of final course grade)
6% Your critique of two colloquium presentations (see instructor in case of time conflict)
16% Your critique of your peers’ presentations
Grading of critiques based on thoughtfulness, helpfulness, and degree to which explicit
evidence is given to support the evaluation. Extra credit for the critique score can be
earned by asking quality questions immediately following the presentations.
12% First presentations: 10 minutes + 2 minutes for questions; from category 1 or 2
17% Second presentations: 12 minutes, recorded video; from category 1, 2, or 3
22% Third presentations: 12 minutes + 3 minutes for questions; from category 1, 2, or 3
27% Fourth presentations: 15 minutes + 5 minutes for questions; from category 4 or 5
For each presentation, your grade will be based on:
43% Instructor’s evaluation of your presentation, based on clarity of scientific content,
appropriateness of visual aids, time management, ability to answer questions, and poise
43% Your peers’ evaluation of your presentation, on the same basis
14% Your self-evaluation (both written, and in a post-interview), based on honesty, relevance
to improving your presentation skills, and responsiveness to constructive criticism
Participation: Being absent from the audience for all or part of a presentation not only
disqualifies you from critiquing it, but also robs from your classmate’s chance to
present to a group. Unexcused absences will result in an additional 1% deduction from
your total course grade, per presentation, in addition to a score of zero for that critique.
 Similarly, it is crucial that you submit your critiques on time, so that the presentation is fresh in
your mind and so that the speaker can most benefit from it. The critique late penalty
will be 2% per hour for the first 24 hours, 1% per hour after that.
Presentation Categories
The following are the categories for presentation topics. No presentation may be on a topic that
you have orally presented in the past, nor on a topic that another student in this section has
already presented. All presentations topics must be approved by the instructor in advance.
(1) A simple experiment that you design and perform this semester. At a minimum, you must
create at least one relevant plot (e.g., y vs x) with at least 8 data points.
(2) An experiment from Optics & Modern Physics Lab. You need not repeat the experiment, but
for approval you must show and explain your data to the instructor. Failure to review and re-
familiarize oneself with the lab is a frequent and serious error. You may not use this
category twice.
(3) A journal article from Physics Today or a similar journal (American Journal of Physics, The
Physics Teacher, Scientific American, etc.) This talk must focus on the information in the
article alone, which must therefore be at least one full page long. Your job is not to research
the topic, but instead to present that article.
(4) An experiment that you performed in Intermediate Lab. Same restrictions as category 2.
(5) A summer REU project, PHYS 372 (Undergraduate Research) project, or similar. You may
have presented a poster on the work, but not an oral presentation.
All presentations should be targeted for an audience of competent junior physics majors.
Presentations should include visual aids such as PowerPoint presentations — each student is
responsible for providing their own technology and making it function.
Procedures
Request topics on the Google Request Sheet linked on Canvas.
Presenters must submit their visual aids to the appropriate Canvas drop box before their
presentation.
During class, critique sheets will be available for all listeners to take notes for themselves. These
sheets will not be collected. Except in special circumstances, laptops will not be allowed for this
purpose. Presentations will be video recorded.
After class, everyone will enter critiques of the presentations from that day via an online survey.
Critiques of others are due by the midnight that ends the day of the presentation.
Videos and critiques, compiled to ensure anonymity of the evaluators, will be provided to the
presenters only, shortly after class. After reviewing these, presenters will submit self-critiques,
due by the midnight ending the day following the day when the videos and critique summaries
are delivered. During the following week, presenters will review this feedback, and then meet
one-on-one with the instructor to discuss it.
 Expected Schedule
Date Class Due
Jan. 28 Orientation
Feb. 4 Discussion: What makes a good talk? First topics
11 First presentations
18 First presentations Second topics
25 Discussion: What went well?
Mar. 4 Second presentations Third topics
11 Review of Colloquia Videos for next class
Review of 1 colloquium
18 SPRING BREAK
25 Second presentations
Apr. 1 Third presentations
8 Third presentations Fourth topics
15 Discussion
22 Fourth presentations
29 Fourth presentations Review of 2 colloquia
May 6 Fourth presentations

SUNY Geneseo is dedicated to providing an equitable and inclusive educational experience for
all students. The Office of Accessibility will coordinate reasonable accommodations for persons
with physical, emotional, or cognitive disabilities to ensure equal access to academic programs,
activities, and services at Geneseo. Students with letters of accommodation should submit a
letter to each faculty member and discuss their needs at the beginning of each semester. Please
contact the Office of Accessibility Services for questions related to access and accommodations
(Erwin 22, 585-245-5112, [email protected], https://www.geneseo.edu/accessibility-office).