Course Coordinator: Chrysanne Di Marco
Fall 2015 Wednesdays 12:00-1:20 DC2568
DC2568 is on the second floor of the Davis Centre in the south
wing. Go up the stairs by the Tim Horton's Express in the atrium
on the ground floor of the Davis Centre.
At the top of the stairs, turn right
and walk forward through the double doors. DC2568 is in the third
hallway down on the left.
CS697 is a credit/no-credit course. (You should enrol officially in the course to have it recorded in your transcripts.) CS697 covers research and life skills that can be helpful to both beginning and advanced graduate students. The course features lectures by the course coordinator, presentations by guest speakers, and panel discussions, as well as in-class exercises by students.
We begin with a panel on what graduate studies is really all about, a session nicknamed the "Graduate UnHandbook". We then move on to cover some of the academic and life skills involved in graduate studies. We will consider how scientific impact is measured, and metrics for assessing both researchers and publishing venues. Investigating these metrics ties in with hands-on tutorials about some important library research skills both to learn a new area, as well as various tools and tips for making publishing decisions.
We will cover the important topics of academic integrity and research ethics, the latter topic of essential importance for anyone planning to work with human subjects during their research. We follow with sessions on various types of academic communication skills, both written and oral, with applications to paper and thesis-writing, conference presentations, and various other academic situations.
We will cover some useful tips on stress management skills needed to sustain a long-term successful career. An informal panel session with senior students will provide practical advice from their experiences in managing time for both personal life and graduate school. A session with Computer Science Computing Facility staff will provide helpful information about their many available computing resources and support that can assist you in your graduate studies.
We close the series with a panel session of experts comparing academic and industrial career paths, and how to best prepare for each type of career. Also, an informative (and very entertaining) session on "How-to-Finish-That-$!@$?-PhD!!".
Inside view of graduate studies: "The Graduate UnHandbook"
Panel of Computer Science faculty members and graduate students:
Xiao-Bo Li (President, CS Graduate Student Association);
Prof. Richard Trefler (CS Graduate Advocate);
Prof. Naomi Nishimura (Computer Science)
The Publishing Process: Where to Publish, How to Assess the Research Impact of Publishing Venues and Researchers
Library Research Skills 1: Hands-On Session
Guest speaker: Rebecca Hutchinson, CS Liaison Librarian,
Davis Centre Library
Library Research Skills 2: Hands-On Session
Guest speaker: Rebecca Hutchinson, Davis Centre Library
Note: DC Library location for this week: ***ROOM DC1568***
Academic Integrity and Research Ethics
Guest speakers: Amanda McKenzie (Office of Academic Integrity),
Sacha Geer (Office of Research Ethics)
What CSCF (Computer Science Computing Facility) Can Do
For You
Guest speaker:
Lawrence Folland, CSCF Technical Manager, Research Support
Academic Life Survival Skills: Stress Management
Guest speaker: Brenda Julian, Counselling Services
Academic Writing Skills: Scientific Writing
Speaker: Chrysanne Di Marco
Academic Speaking Skills
Speaker: Chrysanne Di Marco
***NO SESSION November 11***
How to Finish That $!@$? PhD!!
Guest speaker: Prof. Dan Berry, Computer Science
Academic Life Survival Skills: Practical Time Management
Panel of Computer Science faculty and senior graduate students
What Comes After Graduate School?:
Panel of academic and industry representatives (TBA)
My Contact Information:
cdimarco AT uwaterloo.ca, DC1308, x34443
Chrysanne Di Marco
University of Waterloo, DC 1308
200 University Avenue West
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1
519 888 4567 x34443
email: cdimarco AT uwaterloo.ca