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Dear Physics Graduate Students, I notice that attendance at the departmental colloquia has dwindled recently, particularly among graduate students. If you are one of the students who regularly attend, thank you. This message is not for you. Please press “Delete”. If you have not been attending regularly, I would strongly urge you to start. These talks are an important part of your physics education, exposing you to topics and ways of thinking about physical problems that you are unlikely to encounter
otherwise. They are also part of your professional education, since making scientific or technical presentations and asking and answering questions are critical skills, regardless of what sort of career you choose to pursue. Don’t go by the title – the best
talks may be ones you thought you wouldn’t be interested in, and a talk with a great title can turn out to be incomprehensible or boring. But you can learn from even the bad talks: What makes it bad? What can you learn to do or not to do in your own talks? I hope to see you all on Friday afternoons in Robinson 253. It’s an hour a week well spent – and worth the walk from Colby St.
RT Roger Tobin Professor and Chair Department of Physics and Astronomy Tufts University 617-627-5461 |