Schedule

  • Event
    Date
    Description
    Course Material
  • Class
    09/06/2024 09:45
    Friday
    Introduction

    Pre-class Work:

    In Class: [slides]

  • Class
    09/13/2024 09:45
    Friday
    How to skim a research paper

    Pre-class Work: (instructions on canvas)

    In Class: [slides]

  • Class
    09/20/2024 09:45
    Friday
    Fellowships

    Pre-class Work: (instructions on canvas)

    • Skim the fellowship advice from Harvard and by MIT (click on left-pane links).
    • Peruse the list of fellowships compiled by John Girash and by NC State

    In Class:

    • Discussion of effective scientific writing
    • Panel with the SEAS Graduate Writing Advisor Suzanne Smith, and with Ph.D. students (TBD)
  • Class
    09/27/2024 09:45
    Friday
    How to do a literature search

    Pre-class Work: (instructions on canvas)

    In Class: [slides]

  • Class
    10/04/2024 09:45
    Friday
    How to deep read a paper

    Pre-class Work: (instructions on canvas)

    • Review How to read a research paper
    • Spend one hour reading and trying to get as much as you can out of Randomized Approximation Schemes for Cuts and Flows in Capacitated Graphs. Note that the paper is too long to read entirely in one hour; use strategies like those from the paper-reading guide to figure out where to focus your attention and try to get as much value as you can in the hour. In particular, start with the introduction and try to understand what are the main contributions of the paper (both the high-level takeaways and the precise theorem statements), and then selectively delve into the technical sections as needed to improve your understanding and/or according to your interest.

    In Class: [slides]

  • Class
    10/11/2024 09:45
    Friday
    Faculty Panel

    Pre-class Work: (instructions on canvas)

    In Class:

    • Faculty panel about their expectations of students and experiences as students, as well as about their experiences as faculty
  • Class
    10/18/2024 09:45
    Friday
    Student-only Panel: Managing Advising Relationships

    Pre-class Work: (instructions on canvas)

    In Class: [slides]

  • Class
    10/25/2024 09:45
    Friday
    Delivering research updates + elevator pitches (verbal)

    Pre-class Work: (instructions on canvas)

    • In this class we will discuss and practice how to update your advisor(s)/collaborator(s) on recent progress. Please come to class with a topic in mind – a project (e.g. current or past research project, a hobbie, etc.) that you have worked on but haven’t yet completed. The topic should be reasonably technical (your fellow classmates should only have a partial prior understanding of the topic).
    • Reflect on your own strategies for updating collaborators on progress.

    In Class:

  • Class
    11/01/2024 09:45
    Friday
    Communication in collaborative environments (written)

    Pre-class Work: (instructions on canvas)

    • Follow this template in preparing a written “research report”, following the structure discussed here.

    In Class:

    • Workshop research reports with peers.
  • Class
    11/08/2024 09:45
    Friday
    Self-organization and time-management

    Pre-class Work: (instructions on canvas)

    • Reflect and identify a least one way that your current self-organization system is successful and one way that it can be further developed.
    • Think through and list out your commitments for this semester (or next)

    In Class:

  • Class
    11/15/2024 09:45
    Friday
    Student-only Panel: Debugging Unhealthy Self-expectations

    Pre-class Work: (instructions on canvas)

    In Class:

    • Panel on debugging unhealthy self-expectations with: Usha Bhalla, Jake Ruotolo, Simon Warchol
    • Special note: no faculty present
  • Class
    11/22/2024 09:45
    Friday
    A Systemic Perspective on Academic Culture: Feedback Cycles in Academic Culture

    Pre-class Work: (instructions on canvas)

    In Class:

    • How our societal misconceptions about science hinder us from creating an inclusive community that performs useful science
    • How can we break positive feedback cycles that reinforce these misconceptions?
  • Break
    11/28/2024 00:00
    Thursday
    Thanksgiving Break
  • Break
    12/21/2024 00:00
    Saturday
    Winter Break
  • Class
    01/31/2025 09:45
    Friday
    Communication with General Audiences, pt. 1

    Pre-class Work:

    • No pre-class work!

    In Class: [slides]

  • Class
    02/07/2025 09:45
    Friday
    Communication with General Audiences, pt. 2

    Pre-class Work: (instructions on canvas)

    • Prepare a 5-min presentation (with slides) about your current research project, or a project you’ve worked on before, or a research paper you enjoy. Assume a general CS audience (e.g. your CS 290 classmates, who come from a variety of subdisciplines within CS!).

    In Class:

    • Practice presenting to your peers
  • Class
    02/14/2025 09:45
    Friday
    Moral and Professional Responsibility in Computing (Embedded Ethics)

    Pre-class Work: (instructions on canvas)

    • TBD

    In Class:

    • Guest: Members of the Embedded EthiCS team
  • Class
    02/21/2025 09:45
    Friday
    Ethics in Action with Applied Social Media Lab

    Pre-class Work: (instructions on canvas)

    • TBD
    • Answer the reflection questions on canvas.

    In Class:

    • Guest: Members of the Applied Social Media Lab
  • Class
    02/28/2025 09:45
    Friday
    Student-only Panel: Effective Research Practices

    Pre-class Work:

    • TBD

    In Class:

    • Student panel with panelists TBD
  • Class
    03/07/2025 09:45
    Friday
    Building a Robust CS Community

    Pre-class Work: (instructions on canvas)

    • TBD

    In Class:

  • Class
    03/14/2025 09:45
    Friday
    Mental Health in Academia

    Pre-class Work: (instructions on canvas)

    In Class:

  • Break
    03/21/2025 00:00
    Friday
    Spring Break
  • Class
    03/28/2025 09:45
    Friday
    The Paper Review Process / How to Critique a Paper

    Pre-class Work: (instructions on canvas)

    In Class: [slides]

    • Discuss, what makes a “good” vs. “bad” review?
    • Simulate the reviewing process (e.g. the roles of the area chairs, meta-reviewers, etc.)
  • Class
    04/04/2025 09:45
    Friday
    The Qual + Faculty Panel
  • Class
    04/11/2025 09:45
    Friday
    Introduction to Teaching, pt. 1

    Pre-class Work: (instructions on canvas)

    • TBD

    In Class:

    • TBD
  • Class
    04/18/2025 09:45
    Friday
    Introduction to Teaching, pt. 2
  • Class
    04/25/2025 09:45
    Friday
    How to Craft a Research Agenda + Conclusion