CHEM 515A Analytical Seminar
Syllabus (click here for printable pdf version)
Fall 2003
Meeting place: Faraday West 300
Office hours: Official - Tuesday 8:00-9:00, Wednesday 16:00-17:00, however, for the purpose of this course, see me whenever you need me.
Fridays (see here for schedule) 14:00-15:00
The purpose of the seminar is to give the
student the opportunity to: (1) organize a talk on a subject which is of general interest;
(2) do a library search on this subject, (to find what others have done in this field);
(3) present the material in a way which will hold the attention of the attending group;
(4) participate in each seminar by asking questions; (5) answer questions to the best of
one's ability during the presentation; and (6) prepare the student for future
presentations at scientific meetings and job interviews.
The
seminar can also be used for research presentations that are required for the degree
(e.g., research update, candidacy, thesis defense.).
The
following requirements must be met before presenting a seminar:
(1)
The date for the presentation is tentatively chosen by the student before the first
seminar meeting. The final assignment is done by the instructor at the first (orientation)
meeting of the semester, with attempt to accommodate all requests.
(2)
Each student in 2nd-6th semester presents in one academic year two
seminars; one on a literature topic, the other on a thesis/dissertation research. Students
in the 7th-8th semester present one seminar; the first semester
students participate only by observation. The literature topic must be an original; you
cannot reuse material which you presented elsewhere. For the fall semester the student can
choose one of the two; in the spring, the complement must be presented. The length of the
literature topic presentation should not exceed 20-30 minutes, as sometimes we schedule 2
speakers for one day. This time must also
allow for discussion. It is good to do a "dry run", to practice the presentation
at home and get the correct timing. Candidacy and thesis presentation will typically
require more time and enough time should be allocated after consulting with the research
advisor (for candidacy and defense, make sure the seminar room is reserved for you at
least for another additional hour). If your presentation requires attendance of your
committee members, make sure as a courtesy, that they are apprised of the date ahead of
time.
(3)
The literature subject of the seminar is chosen by the student from the 2000-present
analytical literature (Analytical Chemistry, Analyst, Talanta, Journal of
Electroanalytical Chemistry, Journal of Applied Spectroscopy, Analytica Chimica Acta,
Electrochimica Acta, etc.). The seminar cannot be based on a review article (e.g., the
"A" pages in Analytical Chemistry), but it must be based on a recent original
article. At least three additional references must be consulted in the seminar preparation
(some of these may have been published before 2000, but should not be review articles).
These references must be studied and understood by the student. These references have to
be quoted in the abstract prepared for the presentation and should be available upon
request, during the presentation. The literature subject of the seminar may NOT be the
research which the student is doing or has done. More will be gained by studying a new
field.
(4)
The research subject will be typically prepared in consultation with the research advisor.
However, the deadlines for the topic and abstract posting and inclusion of at least three
relevant references still apply.
(5)
The student shall consult with the instructor for the seminar the suitability of the topic
and the chosen article for the literature presentation. At least two weeks before the
seminar, the student must give the seminar instructor an outline of the subject. The
source paper, as well as other references, should be made available to the instructor as
well. It is the best if the outline is
already written in such a way that it can be also used as the seminar abstract. An
abstract from the original paper IS NOT an acceptable outline.
(6)
One week before the seminar, the student must distribute an abstract (see the attached
example) to the other students who attend the seminar and to the participating faculty.
The best way would be to e-mail the announcement to everybody. Make only one paper copy
and post it on the bulletin board.
(7)
Suitable visual aids must be used throughout – transparencies, overhead foils or
PowerPoint. PowerPoint is becoming the most popular, but it has its drawbacks and should
not be used just for the sake of its capabilities.
(8)
Good instructions for presenting a talk and preparing visual aids (size of lettering,
format, style, etc.) can be found in the book "The Art of Scientific Writing" by
H. F. Ebel, C. Bliefert and W. E. Russey, pages 339-349 (VCH Publishers, New York 1987).
You should own the book. It will be helpful beyond the seminar in writing your thesis and
manuscripts. Order it from the bookstore.
Introduction - discussion leader. (10% grade)
Aside
from the presentation, the students will also serve in this role, which is a component in
any scientific presentation. The student who is giving a presentation will be introduced
by the student who gave the previous presentation, and will be introducing the following
presentation. Please, obtain the biographical information for the student whom you will be
introducing. Be also able to lead the discussion (have questions ready from the abstract.)
If there is no available person to be the leader, I will designate one.
Grading: The seminar carries a letter grade evaluation. Some of the points
considered will be clarity of the presentation (20%), understanding of the presented
subject (15%), quality of visual aids (15 %), ability to answer questions (10%), demeanor
and appearance (10%). Discussion participation in presentations by others throughout the
semester is also important component that counts toward the grade (20%). Each item will be graded on the scale A-F, i.e.,
superior, good, average, passing and failure. Since
the participation is essential to the seminar, presence of all is required. I will
consider an excuse for an absence, but it must be substantial and believable.
The form of the abstract is:
________________________________________
Analytical Seminar
Your NAME
Date
TITLE
Abstract (15 - 25 lines)
BIBLIOGRAPHY
________________________________________
Write the abstract in your own words; do not copy the one
from the journal.
Examples of Periodical Citations (as per Applied
Spectroscopy):
1. T. H. Siddall, III. and R. N. Wilhite,
Appl. Spectrosc. 20, 41 (1966).
2. W. A. Rosenblith, Phys. Today 19, No.
1, 23 (1966).
3. A. Baidedaev and A. A. Senkevich,
"Vibrational Relaxation in Gases," Akust. Zh. 9, 279 (1963) [English
transl.: Sov. Phys.-Acoust. 9, 229 (1964)].
(Remember to have copies of these references available for
questions during your presentation.)
Periodicals - the ordering is as follows:
(1) Initials and name(s) of author(s) followed by
a comma. In a multi author entry the name of the last author is preceded by 'and' without
previous comma; other authors are separated by a comma.
(2) Periodical name with no comma following.
Periodical abbreviations are those published in Chemical Abstracts List of Abbreviations
1961 (and annual supplements). Most of the common journals have their abbreviations listed
in the Ebel et al. book. If you do not know the proper abbreviation and are unable to
locate it in the Chemical Abstracts List (a special occasional volume of Chem. Abstracts),
spell out completely the name of the periodical. Do not underline.
(3) Volume number. This is boldfaced, i.e., 19.
(4) Issue number, only if pages are not numbered
consecutively from one issue to the next (volume pagination as opposed to issue
pagination).
(5) Beginning page number(s). These should be
included even when, as in some monographs and supplements, the article cited may be the
whole issue. Increasingly and to the benefit of the reader, many journals now require both
the first and last page of the article (e.g., 41-55). If you adopt this format, be
consistent and use it in all your references.
(6) Year of publication, enclosed in parentheses,
followed by a period.
(7) In most publications the references do not
include the title of the journal article. However, it might be helpful for the reader to
see the title. In such case, follow example 3.
Inception: 20 August 2003
Last revised: 27 February 2008 16:41
© Petr Vanýsek
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