Research Preparation

Astro 307
MW 1:30-2:50 TACC 41

This course is designed to prepare you for summer research projects. Here is a semi-random outline.

Project Initiation

• Hashing out idea with advisor
• Sanity checks and order of magnitude reasoning, dimensional analysis
• Literature search, citation trail
• Try to reproduce known result to test understanding

Project Development

• Keep good notes, preferably electronic and collaboration friendly
  • CVS/SVN
  • Dropbox
  • Wiki
  • Google Docs
  • ...
• Code
  • Keep modular
  • Version control
  • Document as much as possible (especially after finishing modular portion)
  • Informative variable names even if cumbersome
• Figures - can be rough (see presentation) but label sufficiently to recall later

Project Presentation

• Figures, figures, figures!
  • Will work in class to perfect technique
  • Minimalist: less is more
  • Immediately obvious what main point is
  • Content visually distinguishable in all presentation forms (colors, line-type, line-width)
  • Text legible at journal size and projected for talks (never smaller than the journal text)
  • Line art in vector format (eps, pdf)
  • Overlay images in raster format (png, jpeg) with vector labels and text
• Write from the inside out (abstract last)
• Don't be afraid to restructure or streamline
• Construct paper as if giving a talk (not as a timeline of your work, notes)...
• And give a talk on every paper; sell your work
• Treat each talk you give before you get tenure as a job talk!

Assignments

• 4/4: Make test figure (your choice of complexity but suggest a few curves, labels) for in class critique
• 4/11: Revise figure taking into account feedback and explain choices and compromises
• 4/18: Give a short talk on the background material for your research project, use this also to practice your elevator speech (bozo, no-bozo); alternately try giving a journal club talk on the paper you will pick next...
• Pick a paper from your background research and critique it's structure (not its science)