[PRL] PRL Roundtable on Wed

[Matthias Felleisen]

Thanks to Sam for organizing this. As most of you know, I consider it  
essential that every PhD student has a 30-second "spiel" and a 5- 
minute description of his research project.

A typical encounter at a conference proceeds like this:

Other, Famous guy & Advisor discuss highly important gossip outside  
the meeting/presentation room. You know the Other Famous guy's name  
from four or five papers from the early 90s that you read in seminars  
and course and you know that this guy's name already decorates a  
proof method or a theorem.

You, the quiet PhD student, sneak around your advisor because you  
feel to insecure to start conversations with the omniscient, post-PhD  
miracles of science, also know as "old people." [*] The only thing  
worse is that you hang out with other graduate students from places  
wasting any chances to make connections that may help you get a job  
eventually.

Eventually your advisor notices you and introduces you, hopefully  
using your correct name. Depending on your age (and your advisor's  
age), the advisor will intentionally not say what you're working on.

Other Famous guys is embarrassed. It's like he is a politician from  
Brookline (no names, but it starts with J and K.) and was handed a  
baby from the crowd to 'bless' it. So he brings himself to saying the  
standard phrase to bridge the gap: "What do you do for your research."

THIS IS YOUR FIRST BIG CHANCE. GRAB IT!

You have some two or three sentences to say "Oh, I am working on the  
most exciting thing since sliced bread. But it is so hyper-secret,  
and financed by a triple-letter agency in Moscow, so I can't tell you  
what it's about." With that you either caught the Other Famous guy's  
attention OR NOT. But in all likelihood he will turn to your advisor  
and continue some incomprehensible conversation with your Advisor  
about Yet Another Famous guy. If you're lucky, you got him interested  
with your sentence and he asks for a couple more sentences. If you're  
good, your advisor doesn't have to intervene and explain the idea in  
detail.

THAT IS YOUR REAL CHANCE.

Now you can actually explain what you're doing. Do it well so that if  
you end up at the same lunch and/or dinner table, you can spend even  
more time showing your brilliance. The alternative is that the Other,  
Famous guy sees you approaching a lunch table and turns around to  
look for an alternative. Not Good.

You might get a second small chance IF the Other Famous guy sees you  
and has nobody else to turn to and is too meek to just walk away from  
you. Or better still, he's locked into the same elevator and can't  
avoid your presence for 20 seconds. But don't count on that.

And do stay professional all the time.

[*] Of course, you realize that we old people, if we act as good  
advisors, have the vision and you, young people, do the actual  
research, with occasional "bumps" from your advisor or better yet  
"pruning actions."

Hth -- Matthias




On Mar 9, 2007, at 6:56 PM, Sam TH wrote:

> PRL -
>
> This Wednesday, during the PL Seminar slot, we will instead have a PRL
> round table.  For those people who were here when Bob Constable
> visited, we will follow the same pattern.  For those who weren't,
> everyone will have about 5 minutes to say a brief bit about what they
> are working on at the moment, and what research they've done recently.
>
> The idea is to help all of us get a better idea about what our
> colleagues are working on, and potentially point to possible
> collaborations.
>
> Matthias can perhaps say more about the benefits for students of
> practicing a 5 minute description of your research.
>
> There's no need for elaborate presentations.  Just bring yourself, and
> maybe a good idea.
>
> -- 
> sam th
> samth at ccs.neu.edu
>
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