tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506135718533366764.post3479712250516673716..comments2024-03-23T14:27:28.386-04:00Comments on RajLab: Theorists give great talksARhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13811773097412828786noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506135718533366764.post-62953432843113848812015-04-06T21:15:58.846-04:002015-04-06T21:15:58.846-04:00Not sure, since I haven't really seen a lot of...Not sure, since I haven't really seen a lot of EEB talks. I certainly think that cell and molecular biology talks could improve in general, but that is probably true in other fields as well. Based on my experience between fields, I would say that variance within a field dominates variance between fields. I'm not sure how a talk like this would be received in general, but I think fairly well, though perhaps some folks might want more data.ARhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13811773097412828786noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506135718533366764.post-50911626397180948232015-04-06T11:35:50.567-04:002015-04-06T11:35:50.567-04:00As an ecologist, I've always had the impressio...As an ecologist, I've always had the impression that ecologists and evolutionary biologists give better talks on average than folks who do cell biology, molecular biology, or biochemistry. EEB types (theoretical or otherwise) all have it drummed into them to put the big picture, interesting questions, and general concepts front-and-center. But I'd always been worried that that impression might just represent parochialism on my part. Interesting to hear the same impression from someone in the field. <br /><br />I'm curious--is your impression here widely shared? Or would most people in your field see Rob and Jane's talks as poor because they were light on data or whatever?<br /><br />And if your impression is widely shared, is it a symptom of a deeper or more widespread problem? (So, not the sort of thing that would be fixed by just giving trainees more training in how to give a good talk.) A symptom of trainees not being given enough intellectual freedom to develop and pursue their own ideas (something most EEB students are expected to do, at least at PhD level)? A symptom of the field as a whole over-valuing data and under-valuing concepts and theory? Dr. Foxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02948439373673427525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506135718533366764.post-23311838899889880852015-04-04T13:24:47.146-04:002015-04-04T13:24:47.146-04:00Oh yes, good point, they also both give *excellent...Oh yes, good point, they also both give *excellent* talks. In fact, when I was first at MIT, I saw Bill Bialek give a physics colloquium talk in a huge (and packed) lecture hall, armed only with chalk and a board. It was absolutely amazing! I hope to do that myself someday.ARhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13811773097412828786noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506135718533366764.post-72524600058098995502015-04-04T12:11:20.248-04:002015-04-04T12:11:20.248-04:00Hi Arjun,
I think that your observations and anal...Hi Arjun,<br /><br />I think that your observations and analysis generalize quite well to other colleagues, e.g., Ned Wingreen and Bill Bialek. Giving a chalk talk is also quite helpful for emphasizing the conceptual aspects of a talk. That is quite clear from the theory lunch at harvard that Jeremy organizes, and I would love to see such chalk talks spread more broadly. I agree we can benefit much from moving more in that direction. Nikolai Slavovhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07745570167192733048noreply@blogger.com