S.I.E.S.T.A. Graduate Seminars
As a graduate student you will be required to give two talks during the course of your studies. These talks are given at the graduate seminar forum, also known as The Lunchtime S.I.E.S.T.A. series (Lunchtime Student Informatives on Experimental Science, Theory and Applications). The S.I.E.S.T.A. series provides an unique opportunity to be trained in physics outreach and gives excellent preparation for giving scientific talks outside the department.
Outreach and public engagement are now an essential part of writing grant applications, as well as being useful skills, in general, for academic career development. For example, these skills can be used in lecturing (where it is required to explain difficult physics concepts to students) and discussing your research with non-specialists (useful in cross-disciplinary collaborations, communicating with the media, and in job interviews). Preparing this style of presentation also helps you to order your own thoughts ‐ it is often said that the first time you really understand something is when you explain it to someone else! The outreach given through the S.I.E.S.T.A. series is aimed at undergraduates, graduates and staff, at a level that an undergraduate physicist can understand.
You will be encouraged to attend as many S.I.E.S.T.A.s as possible, including those which you do not perceive as being immediately relevant to your own interests and research. Doing a PhD is about more than just becoming a narrow specialist ‐ it is important to also keep abreast of developments in other fields so that you can become a "well-rounded physicist". The S.I.E.S.T.A. presentations are good at stimulating discussion between groups & individuals and generating enthusiasm for physics in a fun and informal setting, with participants helping and learning from each other. There are also regular guest-slots at S.I.E.S.T.A. where experienced outreach specialists give presentations and demonstrations for you to observe and enjoy.
As part of the Department’s commitment to outreach, we have also recently formed the Departmental Outreach Champion Group, which is a spin-off from the S.I.E.S.T.A. series, offering further outreach training and the opportunity to be part of exciting outreach events (such as physics pantomimes and the portable cosmodome planetarium) that are regularly performed to school students and to the general public.
The S.I.E.S.T.A. sessions take place on Wednesay lunch-time with light refreshments served. You will be given guidance and feedback from the Academic S.I.E.S.T.A. Co-ordinator, Dr Yvette Hancock, to ensure participating in S.I.E.S.T.A. is a rewarding and constructive experience.
SIESTA 15 July 2010 (PDF 
, 171kb)
Ellie the Electron and the Quantum Circus