tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post4496189218400456752..comments2024-03-25T02:33:41.590-05:00Comments on FemaleScienceProfessor: You're InvitedFemale Science Professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15288567883197987690noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-16399898945559861492011-11-03T21:14:45.426-05:002011-11-03T21:14:45.426-05:00I saw a talk like that a few months ago, given by ...I saw a talk like that a few months ago, given by someone in one of those 5?-year research scientist positions (not sure of official name) at a European university. I was surprised, too, because he's a great scientist in my opinion, but he's nearing the end of his contract and wants to find another good position. Why did he give such a lame talk? I was really mystified.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-42645606672599998312011-11-03T15:49:11.684-05:002011-11-03T15:49:11.684-05:00I'm confused about what kind of early career s...I'm confused about what kind of early career scientist who doesn't yet have a tenure-track job has work that is 4-5 years old that is substantial enough to give an invited lecture about. In my field, before I had a tenure track job, that timeframe would have put me back to my early graduate work. If I had been given the opportunity to speak on that work at a major conference, (which would have been unlikely, since the organizers would have more likely invited my famous graduate advisor to speak instead), I would not have been able to include "more recent" work, since the recent work would have meant my postdoc work, which was in a very different field.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-26433127675802889022011-11-03T13:30:17.635-05:002011-11-03T13:30:17.635-05:00What about a combination of reason 5 (which sounds...What about a combination of reason 5 (which sounds very plausible to me) with other reasons? For example, maybe the work reviewed was from this person's PhD and in the meantime they have done awesome postdoctoral work, but in a totally different (sub-) field, so it wouldn't have fit in the session at all? Or maybe their newer work that would have fit into the session is still under wraps because they don't want to give away what they are working on now before it is published?<br /><br />It is also possible that external pressures on this person might have present that made it difficult to find time to prepare a new talk, so they recycled an old one. You have no idea -- maybe their mother died and their spouse announced they wanted a divorce, both in the two weeks before the conference.<br /><br />*** Anyway: Let's turn it around and ask a different question: If you knew you would for some reason only be able to give a recycled talk, should you decline an invitation to speak? Is it better to give a recycled talk or not to give a talk at all? ***GradStudentAbroadnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-54684813821527228602011-11-03T10:53:33.375-05:002011-11-03T10:53:33.375-05:00Occam's Razor says that if a junior person emu...Occam's Razor says that if a junior person emulates successful, respected senior people when giving talks, it's because this person has been given concrete evidence that this is the way to succeed.Alexnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-27261375064212350132011-11-03T09:57:30.614-05:002011-11-03T09:57:30.614-05:00Yeah I wouldn't harsh on this guy too much if ...Yeah I wouldn't harsh on this guy too much if the conference is pretty general. I suspected #5 from the start - he probably was told they wanted to hear about his dissertation work... Most of the people in the audience who want to hire him will probably not be THAT familiar with his work anyway.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-67100829988337936242011-11-03T09:12:14.153-05:002011-11-03T09:12:14.153-05:00This is complicated. If the speaker is in a highly...This is complicated. If the speaker is in a highly competitive field, it may be risky to publicly present new material that is not close to being published - others could be working on the same thing or would be "inspired" to work on the same thing and thereby blow this person's chances of solidifying their own niche in the field. It's another possibility that wasn't on your list.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-42327544507422715062011-11-03T09:02:34.760-05:002011-11-03T09:02:34.760-05:00Last summer I attended a workshop where all the re...Last summer I attended a workshop where all the review/invited talks were given by postdocs (truly a lovely idea by organizing committee). I enjoyed them all but it was clear from conversations I overheard that there were differences in opinions of what these talks should have covered. For example, one speaker was criticized by some later career scientists for speaking too much about his own work and another, who I thought spent about an equal time discussing his own work, was criticized by other scientists for speaking too little about his work. <br /><br />It sounds like the talk you heard would have pleased no one, but perhaps the early career scientist was attempting to follow some bad advice they received.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-63738413709350401892011-11-03T06:32:37.086-05:002011-11-03T06:32:37.086-05:00I agree. As a chemist, I love going into elementar...I agree. As a chemist, I love going into elementary school classrooms and doing neat demos for the kids.nickhttp://getnickt.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-74670238310573965642011-11-03T03:24:43.107-05:002011-11-03T03:24:43.107-05:00Maybe you have different expectations about what a...Maybe you have different expectations about what an invited talk should be.<br /><br />In my field, if you obtained a big result and you are invited to give a talk, you are expected to give a review talk of your big result (insightful perspective optional).<br /><br />I've heard people complain when ISes do otherwise. I remember a particularly colorful critique at the end of one such talk: "we invited him because we like the stuff he did three years ago, not because we believe everything he does smells like roses".Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-89686810021605600272011-11-03T03:10:57.191-05:002011-11-03T03:10:57.191-05:00Several times I've been to a conference and he...Several times I've been to a conference and heard a talk from a 'rising star' which turns out to be 90% work from the last few years that I know. And then I am disappointed & bored. But maybe I'm being harsh on the rising stars because their early work is good & influential so I'm very familiar with it. Whereas if I hear a talk from a junior unknown, I don't mind if he presents work that is a few years old because it is new to me.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com