Generic Skills Courses for Later Years Postgraduates in the Mathematical Sciences, Spring 2006/7
Mar 14, 2007
Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh
The aim of the courses (organised by the Edinburgh Mathematical Society and the International Centre for Mathematical Sciences) is to provide generic skills training for postgraduate mathematicians in Scotland.
Arrangements
Participants are being offered a choice of either:
- a half day workshop with sessions on PhD Orals and Career Possibilities
OR
- a full day Public Speaking Workshop (maximum of 20 participants)
Both workshops will take place at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh. The campus is on the western edge of the city with excellent public transport to and from Edinburgh city centre.
The university's website has a map showing the location of the university and instructions on how to reach it by various forms of transport, http://www.hw.ac.uk/home/dir/40/edinburgh-campus then choose ‘Edinburgh Campus Maps and Directions’.
The half day workshop will be held in the afternoon of Wednesday 14 March in Room CM G.01 (ground floor seminar room, Colin MacLaurin Building) at Heriot-Watt University. Drinks will be available at the end of the workshop for those wishing to continue informal discussions.
The full day workshop will be held on Wednesday 14 March 2007 in Room CM S.01 (second floor seminar room, Colin Maclaurin Building) at Heriot-Watt University.
Please note that the full day workshop will be restricted to a maximum of 20 participants with priority being given to third and fourth year students.
Further information on Full Day Course
Elspeth MacGregor is a trained teacher and has taught English and Communication Skills in Britain, Sweden Austria and Germany. Her last job was Head of the English Department in the German Foreign Service Diplomatic Academy for over twenty years, where she developed courses in Public Diplomacy including Public Speaking and Presentation Skills. She is now semi-retired and lives in Edinburgh.
For this course, participants are asked to prepare a short presentation of not longer than four minutes on a subject of their choice. They will have time to perfect it during the session before presenting it to the other members of the group. Everybody will be videoed and have the chance to see themselves in action. This is a very effective and rewarding experience as you have the chance to see yourself and others 'on the podium' and you have the chance to discuss and evaluate different approaches.
A light sandwich lunch will be provided. Drinks will be available at the end of the workshop for those wishing to continue informal discussions.
Applications
Applications for both workshops are now being accepted. As places are restricted for the full day Public Speaking workshop, you are urged to apply promptly.
Please indicate your preference for the half day or full day workshop and your year of study in the box marked "any other questions" at the foot of the application form.
The outcome of applications for the full day workshop will be announced a week prior the workshops. If your application is unsuccessful, you will be invited to attend the half day event.
Programme
Programmes for the half day and full day workshops are as follows:
Half Day Programme – Wednesday 14 March 2007
| 14.00-14.30 | Arrival and tea/coffee |
| 14.30-15.15 | Peter Kropholler (University of Glasgow) What happens in a PhD oral |
| 15.15-15.45 | Tea/coffee |
| 15.45-17.30 | Alan Smith (Heriot-Watt University) What can you do with a Mathematics PhD? Presentation and discussion about career possibilities |
| 17.30-18.20 | Drinks |
Full Day Programme – Wednesday 14 March 2007
| 10.00-10.30 | Arrival and tea/coffee |
| 10.30-11.15 | Elspeth MacGregor Introductory lecture: aspects of communication - who is talking, to whom and why? |
| 11.15-11.45 | Preparation for presentations |
| 11.45-13.00 | Presentations and evaluation: Group 1 |
| 13.00-14.00 | Lunch |
| 14.00-15.30 | Presentations and evaluation: Groups 2 and 3 |
| 15.30-16.00 | Tea/coffee |
| 16.00-17.30 | Presentations and evaluation: Groups 4 and 5 |
| 17.30-18.20 | Drinks |
Participants
| Name | Institution |
|---|---|
| Afara, Bassima | Heriot-Watt University |
| Al-Salti, Nasser | University of St. Andrews |
| Alzahrani, Ebraheem | University of Dundee |
| Bell, Sally | Heriot-Watt University |
| Bello, Iyabo | Heriot-Watt University |
| Bettayeb, Abdellatif | Dundee University |
| Bustamante, Roger | University of Glasgow |
| Colombo, Marco | University of Edinburgh |
| Coutts, Emma | Heriot-Watt University |
| Covarrubias, Enrique | University of Edinburgh |
| Cove, Henry | Heriot-Watt University |
| D'Avanzo, Antonella | University of Edinburgh |
| Devlin, David | University of St Andrews |
| Gould, Miles | University of Glasgow |
| Hilmar, Jan | University of Edinburgh |
| Hogg, Jonathan | University of Edinburgh |
| Hutton, Gail | University of Strathclyde |
| Kosta, Dimitra | University of Edinburgh |
| Kowalski, Michael | University of Edinburgh |
| McCosh, Kimberley | University of Strathclyde |
| Miao, Jun Jie | University of St Andrews |
| Murray, Jonathan | University of Strathclyde |
| Noorizadeh, Emad | University of Edinburgh |
| Ovcharov, Evgeni | University of Edinburgh |
| Palomo, Alberto | University of Edinburgh |
| Papageorgiou, Georgios | Heriot-Watt University |
| Rankin, Richard | University of Strathclyde |
| Rassias, Matina J | University of Strathclyde |
| Sooman, Craig | University of Glasgow |
| Sorrell, Mark | Heriot-Watt University |
| Taylor, Alan | University of Strathclyde |
| Valentino, Alessandro | Heriot-Watt University |
| Vaughan, Gareth | University of Glasgow |
| Walker, John | University of Glasgow |
| Williams, Rosie | University of Glasgow |
| Wilson, Andrew | University of Edinburgh |
| Xi, Yang | University of Edinburgh |
| Yu, Fei | Heriot-Watt University |
| Yu, Yu | University of Edinburgh |