4.1.19 Practicing Presentations

Rationale: It was found to be necessary to pause the independent research projects to practice our URSA presentations as a class. Therefore, the time was dedicated to reviewing important information about our poster and highlighting key parts of the presentations that should and should not be emphasized.

Tools/Procedure: Each duo of presenters went up to either give a full or abbreviated presentation, with feedback and live situations simulated by the entire class.

Results: As the presentations were practiced and refined, they were found to get better and be more cohesive. The feedback from our presentation guided me in my practicing for my time slot during URSA week.

Conclusions: Group practicing of presentations was very helpful, as some interesting and potentially problematic situations were encountered and worked through. As I was hearing others present the sections I was going to present, I was able to learn different phrases and techniques for presenting the topics that were more cohesive or easier to comprehend for someone without full experience in bacteriophages. Therefore, this additional time to practice and prepare as a class was helpful and I believe that it will drastically improve the quality of presentations given by those at the research poster at a given moment.

Next Steps: Each pair will go to their assigned 15 minute time slot and present the rehearsed and polished information!