On Friday March 2, 2018, the Illinois MRSEC organized its first Practice Talk Symposium, in which 13 MRSEC students or students of MRSEC faculty presented talks that they had prepared for the March Meeting of the American Physical Society.

The goals were two-fold: showcasing some of the exciting research results of MRSEC researchers and improving science communication of researchers. Three MRSEC faculty, Illinois MRSEC Director Prof. Nadya Mason (Physics), Prof. André Schleife (MatSE), and Illinois MRSEC Deputy Director Prof. Catherine Murphy (Chemistry), carefully moderated the three sessions to provide an experience to closely mimic the real conference, including enforcing time limits and fielding questions from the audience. After each presentation finished, the audience filled out evaluation forms to provide the speaker with feedback on the content, organization, and style of their talk. Each speaker presented before a vibrant and engaged audience that consisted of MRSEC faculty and students, who were attending in support of those presenting, in addition to the other presenters in each session.

This project helps fulfill one of the Illinois MRSEC education goals, which is to improve scientific communication skills of participants. The feedback provided by the audience was designed to help the speaker identify ways of helping communicate their research more clearly when they present at the conference. The audience also benefits from the evaluation process by considering these aspects in their own presentations.

To build on the success of this first practice symposium, a second practice session ahead of the Spring Materials Research Society Meeting is planned for March 29, 2018 to provide a similar educational experience to students who will be presenting at that meeting.