Schedule at the CfA

The host arranges a local schedule for the speaker - including appointments with CfA staff, students, etc. - and helps the speaker find her/his way through the CfA!

The host is responsible for office space as needed. Most speakers do not stay long enough to worry about computer accounts, but the host should arrange it if the speaker requests one. Most speakers have been able to plug into a wall outlet with their personal laptop without problem, but talk to the IT staff if there are questions.

Arrange a lunch or dinner in honor of the speaker, normally on the day of the colloquium. Ask the speaker if there are any special guests he/she wants for the Colloquium Dinner. Try to get a good mix of scientific staff, postdocs, and students. Please invite one or more of the student facilitators, who are all volunteers. They are listed on the colloquium contact page.

Please pay for the meal: you will be reimbursed up to $250. Please bring the receipt and a list of the attendees to the Harvard Business Office within 30 days of the event. It is customary that the meals for the speaker and students are subsidized fully and partially subsidized for postdocs (usually 50%). Collect as needed from the more senior attendees.

If the speaker has a car and needs a temporary parking permit please check with the Harvard Business Office.

At the Talk

Coordinate with the student facilitator for audio/video needs. It is wise to schedule a checkout at 3:00 PM for powerpoint or video presentations. Make sure there is a microphone for the speaker to use.

Have the speaker complete and sign the release form which gives permission for a video file of the presentation to be posted on the CfA web pages (or requests that it not be posted). The form is a screen-fillable PDF, but copies are also available in the projection booth. The form must be returned to the student facilitator before the talk, so that the presentation can be webcast.

Get the speaker to Phillips Auditorium in time for tea at 3:30 PM. Introduce the speaker at the beginning of the colloquium at 4:00 PM. Please use the podium microphone so that your introduction can be heard on the webcast and video archive file.

Assist with the taking of questions. The actual presentation should end by 5:00 PM; questions should be cut off by 5:10 PM at the latest. Call for thanks to the speaker again at the end of the question period.

Student Interaction

We like to provide an additional opportunity for the students to familiarize themselves with the speaker's research and to talk with the speaker. Peggy Herlihy (Astronomy Department, pherlihy@cfa) usually arranges a Friday pizza lunch, but the host should make sure that the speaker gets there.