Memorial University of Newfoundland

Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science

Engineering 9100: Engineering Graduate Seminar

Fall Semester 2012

Purpose: To provide an important skill set e.g. presentation, use of library, conducting research, IP, etc that is required to be a successful graduate student and to make all graduate students aware of all important regulations and policies that pertain to them.

Course schedule: Once per week for one hour. Mondays at 12 noon in EN 2043, starting September 10, 2012. Attendance is mandatory. Attendance will be taken.

Facilitator: Dr. Leonard Lye, Associate Dean (Graduate Studies)

, 864-8900, Room EN 4036

Course Outline and Schedule:

Week / Topic / Facilitator
1
Sept 10 / Course orientation: Important SGS policies and regulations covering all aspects of graduate studies. Highlight key issues: e.g. Roles and responsibilities, code of conduct, academic misconduct, appeals, IP, contact info, TA training, etc. Where do you get help? Important deadlines. / Lye/Moya/TAUMUN rep
2
Sept 17 / Use of the library and librarians: What resources and tools are available at the library? How do we make the best use of the library? What can be taken out and what cannot? Reserving books, interlibrary loans, etc. / Ian Gibson, Diane Taylor-Harding
3
Sept 24 / Doing Literature Searches: What are the sources of information? How do you do searches at the library? How do you use the internet effectively to do searches? / Ian Gibson, Diane Taylor Harding
4
Oct 1 / How can librarians help in your research? How do you keep track of your literature searches? What reference management software to use? How about Excel? Use of RefWorks. / Ian Gibson, Diane Taylor-Harding
5
Oct 10 (Wed) / Effective Presentation skills: What to do and what not to do. Tips on effective presentations. Speeches, lectures, presentations – what’s the difference? What to look out for? Audience analysis, organizing content, visuals, handouts, etc. How do we improve our presentation skills? Resources. / Lye
6
Oct 15 / Effective use of PowerPoint: Power point design, Basic and advanced tools. Where to find help, dos and don’ts, tips, etc. / Allyson Hajek (IDO)
7
Oct 22 / Practice presentation # 1: Introducing yourself + one interesting point about yourself that few people know of. E.g hidden talent or skill, funny anecdote, anything not obvious. 1 min max. (-5 to 0) / Lye
8
Oct 29 / Practice presentation #2: Your choice of any technical topic. 4 min maximum per student. Concurrent sessions. Max 5 visuals including title page. Will be graded and feedback will be provided. (-10 to 0). First ½ of class / Lye+ others
9
Nov 5 / Practice presentation #2: Your choice of any technical topic. 4 min maximum per student. Concurrent sessions. Max 5 visuals including title page. Will be graded and feedback will be provided. (-10 to 0). Second ½ of class / Lye + others
10
Nov 16
(Fri) / Issue of plagiarism: What is it? What is allowed and what is not? How do you and profs detect it? What is SGS policy on it? Why is there no tolerance to it in the academic world? Where to find help? / Writing Centre
11
Nov 19 / Intellectual property (IP): What is IP? SGS Regulations on IP. Why is IP important to the graduate student and to your future career? Patents, copyrights, trademarks, etc. what are they? / TBD
12
Nov
26 / Panel Discussion: Useful things to know about doing research. Q and A session with experienced supervisors. / Khan + Dobre + others
13
Dec 1
(Sat) / Grand Finale: Graduate Student Symposium. 15 min each on a technical topic related to your research (if possible) + 5 min Q/A. Concurrent session in a conference style. Proceedings of Abstracts will be printed. (-20 to 0). / Seminar committee

Course website: www.engr.mun.ca/~llye/Seminar

The course website contains numerous useful links and materials that would be useful for your research, thesis preparation, presentations, etc. It also contains links to SGS policies and regulations and all important deadlines. Please check it regularly.

Evaluation:

The final evaluation of the course will be Pass/Fail. But you will need 65% to pass. Each student will start with 100 marks. For every class missed without a good excuse, 15 marks will be deducted. If you miss more than 2 classes, you automatically fail the course. Grades will be given for each assigned task. Students are expected to bring excellence, enthusiasm, engagement, and ethical behavior (4Es) to the course.

Reference texts:

Martha Davis (1997): Scientific Papers and Presentations, Academic Press Inc.

Robert A. Day (1998): How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper, 5th Edition, Oryx Press.

Shery A. Sorby and William M. Bulleit (2006): An Engineer’s Guide to Technical Communication, Prentice-Hall.