Some interview tips

Thought you might find these of interest:  How to nail an interview.

Some interesting career news

An informative post on how careers are changing in the U.S.  I think it supports our discussions about the important of communication skills, and the need to be a life-long learner.

The data do not break out medical and science fields in particular.  I think if they did, the job outlook for the biology graduate would look even better.

Forgotten Plan B

I forgot to mention that you can choose to produce a short (2-3 minute) video as a joint project instead of doing an individual Powerpoint presentation.  The Southern Fried Scientist had his Invert Zoology students make videos based on science papers.

Videos are an excellent way to convey science.  Want to learn about barnacles?:

The power of Powerpoint

We have spent much of the semester practicing how to present science in writing through your blog posts.  For your last assignment of the semester you will work on another vehicle for conveying science - through voice and slides.  Powerpoint has become ubiquitous and often parodied, but we can't escape the reality that it is a dominant medium for conveying information.  Even if you do not go into a career that requires the standard science Powerpoint presentation, Powerpoint skills will likely be important in your future career.

So your assignment is to develop and deliver a 5-minute Powerpoint presentation on any topic you would like in Biology.  This can be something that you know well and want to teach other people about.  Or it can be something that you don't know well, but want to know more about.

5-minutes is short - perhaps time for about 5 slides.  But this is enough time to give a basic introduction and then push the envelope a bit.  Don't just present the basics - give some deeper information as well.  And of course, it should be interesting.

As I mentioned on Wednesday, write a post to your blog with a brief description of what you plan to present by next week's class.  First come first served on the topics.  And think about whether you would like to present on April 22nd or 29th.  We will split the class between those two days.