Journal Club

Most CfA predocs do not have much exposure to giving talks while at CfA, especially to an audience not knowledgeable about their area of research. Yet giving such talks well is a key job requirement for being an astrophysicist.

To address this gap, the SAO Predoc Journal Club was started so that all predocs are sure to give presentations twice a year so that they can practice:

  1. learning an unfamiliar topic in astrophysics quickly;
  2. preparing a slide show (Powerpoint, Keynote or other) that others can follow;
  3. presenting a talk audibly, clearly, and logically so that the audience can follow the argument;
  4. critiquing a paper's results and methodology objectively and publicly;
  5. answering scientific questions (from a friendly audience).

Attendance is mandatory because as audience members they will practice:

  1. asking questions fearlessly, but in a friendly, encouraging way;
  2. introducing speakers and chairing a meeting.

Several SAO scientists from various divisions will also be present in the audience.

Journal Club will have 2 talks per 1 hour session.
Each talk will be no longer than 20 minutes to allow good time for questions and transitions to the next speaker.

Christine Crowley will choose each week's 2 speakers, making sure that no-one escapes, but also that no-one is picked on excessively. Speakers will be assigned a journal article 1 week in advance by a group of SAO scientists. The topic will be chosen to NOT be one that the predoc is working on and not one with CfA scientists are co-authors.

Typically the chosen papers will be recent ones from Nature or Science. This will make the papers of potentially great significance, but with a non-zero probability of being wrong. Hence there is likely quite a lot to critique in each paper.

Predoc speakers are encouraged to practice their talk with their supervisor at least a day before Journal Club, so that they can fix the presentation according to their supervisor's wise advice.

As quick guidelines:

  • A 20 minute talk should have <=15 slides.
  • Use no words, or very few words, on each slide.
  • Try not to use a laser pointer - it rarely helps the audience.
  • Make axis labels VERY BIG.
  • Keep the important content of a slide near the top. (So people's heads don't obscure the good stuff from the back of the room.)
  • Try to include a joke.

Predocs may want to go to lunch in a group after Journal Club.