Workshop:

Optimizing Writing Strategies for Publishing in English

Date, time:
June 17^th-18^th, 2010, 10:00a.m. - 5:00p.m. on both days

Capacity, workshop language:
Max. 12 participants, English

Summary:
Excellent scientists need excellent data, but they also need to be able to effectively communicate the results and significance of their research to their peers in the community. Writing good papers is hard work, even for many experienced researchers. Being aware of the criteria which papers must meet and using the writing process efficiently can make the task easier. In this workshop, you will learn about the structural and language norms for papers published in English. You will also be introduced to a variety of writing tools which will help you to effectively draft your own texts, pinpoint their strengths and weaknesses, and revise them effectively. Therefore, the workshop will include the following topics:

• finding a focus by identifying an appropriate research question
• managing the writing process professionally
• understanding the drafting and revision processes
• becoming familiar with structural and language norms for English publications
• examining structural relationships within and between sections of a paper
• giving, receiving, and using feedback (peer review) effectively
• examining participants’ texts with regard to structure and language
• creating precise, accurate, and correct sentences
• recognizing stylistically adequate and inadequate language

All participants will be asked to submit a text (abstract, paper, section of a thesis, etc.– will be treated confidentially, where necessary) they are currently working on, prior to the workshop. We will work on your texts during the workshop.

Trainer team:

• Jana Kaiser, BSc (Hons); Trainer for Academic Writing; Coordinator for English, Language Resource Centre, TU Darmstadt

Additional information for BioStruct Fellows:
This workshop belongs to the obligatory field 'Presentation/Communication'


Registration:
Priority registration for Fellows of the IRTG 1525 (iGRA-PRE) and the NRW Research School BioStruct is possible until May 21^st via the according coordination offices. Normal registration is open to all doctoral iGRAD members and PhD students of the associated programs. For a binding registration please send an email until May 31 ^st, 2010 via your PhD-supervisor or your PhD programme coordination office to:

iGRAD@uni-duesseldorf.de   

Workshop:

Schreibworkshop Research Paper

Datum, Uhrzeit:
15.-16. April, 2010, jeweils 09:30 - 16:30 Uhr

Kapazität, Workshopsprache:
Max. 16 Teilnehmende, deutsch (englischsprachiges Schreiben)

Zusammenfassung:
Die wissenschaftliche Veröffentlichung ist wie eine Visitenkarte: Ein erfolgreich publiziertes Research Paper stellt den Kontakt zu der Scientific Community her – und ein logisch und prägnant geschriebener Text dokumentiert, dass sein Autor wissenschaftlich und zielgerichtet arbeiten kann. Doch wie schreibt man logisch und prägnant? In diesem Kurs werden Sie erfahren, wie man den roten Faden entwickelt, einen Text klar strukturiert, prägnante Sätze formuliert und die richtigen Worte findet. Vor allem lernen Sie, wie man es „anpackt“ und seinen Schreibprozess effektiv organisiert. Der Kurs wird auf Deutsch gehalten, alle Beispieltexte sind auf Englisch – der Workshop ist also gerade für Non-Natives geeignet.

Inhalte des Workshops:

• Der Abstract: die „Blaupause“ Ihres Papers
• Das Sentence Outline – mehr als eine Gliederung
• Accuracy, Brevity, Clarity: Grundregeln des wissenschaftlichen Schreibens
• Topics, Subtopics & Transitions – wie man Absätze organisiert
• First Draft: So schreiben Sie einfach und direkt.
• Final Revision – der sprachliche und stilistische Feinschliff

Während des Workshops arbeiten wir meist mit kürzeren Beispieltexten – denn das Gehörte soll unmittelbar trainiert und das Gelernte sofort umgesetzt werden. Sie werden lediglich eine längere Schreibübung absolvieren, zu der sie nach Abschluss des Workshops ein Feedback erhalten. Eigene Texte müssen Sie nicht mitbringen.

Leitung:

• Dr. Stefan Lang, www.scientific-medical-writing.de

Ergänzende Information für BioStruct Fellows:
Dieser Workshop kann als Kurs aus dem Bereich "Präsentieren/Kommunikation/Rhetorik" oder als Kurs freier Wahl angerechnet werden.


Anmeldung:
Anmeldung mit Priorität ist für Promovierende des IRTG 1526 (iGRAD-PRE) und der NRW-Forschungsschule BioStruct bis zum 29. März^st über die jeweiligen Koordinationsstellen möglich. Alle weiteren Promovierenden der iGRAD und der angegliederten Kollegs können sich per Email bis 06. April ^st, 2010 verbindlich über Ihre/n Promotionsbetreuer/in oder Ihre zuständige Programmkoordinationsstelle anmelden via: :

iGRAD@uni-duesseldorf.de   

Workshop:

Cross-cultural communication - How to act successfully in an international environment

Date, time:
March 19^th-20^th, 2010, 09:30a.m. - 5:30p.m. on both days

Capacity, workshop language:
Max. 12 participants, English

Summary:
Communicating successfully with people from different cultures becomes increasingly important in a globalizing world. This workshop offers the opportunity to understand your cultural background and improve your intercultural competence by contrasting cultural models and developing strategies for successful communication.

Target group:
Doctoral Fellows from abroad and german PhD students who work or plan to work in international contexts.

Prerequisites:
None – participants are expected to complete a short questionnaire beforehand regarding their main interests.

Topics:

• Cultural diversity and stereotypes
• Systematization of culture (high context/low context, linear/multi-active/reactive)
• Cultural values in Germany in contrast to other countries
• My own cultural scripts and their impact on other cultures (differences in e.g. relation to power, hierarchy, gender, making friends, relationships at the workplace, role of family)
• Successful communication strategies in professional and everyday life at university
• Doing business in Germany: customs and etiquette
• Living in Germany

Methodology:

• Theoretical input on national culture differences
• Practical exercises for building up multicultural competences
• Plenary discussion

Trainer:

• Dipl.-Ing. Marita Baaske, PG Dipl. Development Management

Additional information for BioStruct Fellows:
This workshop belongs to the obligatory field 'Presentation/Communication'

Registration:
Priority registration for Fellows of the NRW Research School BioStruct is possible until February 26th^st via the BioStruct-coordination office. Normal registration is open to all doctoral iGRAD members and PhD students of the associated programs. For a binding registration please send an email until March 4th, 2010 ^st, 2010 via your PhD-supervisor or your PhD programme coordination office to:

iGRAD@uni-duesseldorf.de   

Workshop:

Fundamentals of Project management for PhD students

Date, time:
December 11^th-12^th, 2009, 9:30am - 5:30pm

Capacity, workshop language:
8-12 participants, English

Summary:
What does this workshop aim to achieve?

• The workshop shall introduce project management at an individual and team level and shall provide tools, techniques and tips regarding personal time management, decision making, and communication to sponsors/stakeholders/bosses in order to manage projects effectively.
• The seminar promotes personal effectiveness through the use of project management thinking models.

What benefits can be expected from this workshop?

• An understanding of Project Management.
• Gain practical decision making ability.
• Become aware of, and use tools and methods for setting priorities, stopping a project or changing direction.
• An improvement in the ability to comunicate about projects to sponsors.
• An increase in personal skill with managing project frameworks.

Who should attend this workshop?

• PhD students in years 1-3.
• Students who will work in industry.
• Anyone wishing to increase personal effectiveness in projects.

Who should not attend this workshop?

• Those that think project management is a software tool.
• Students who have no interest in become more effective.

What content will be imparted in the workshop?

• The basis of project management.
• The importance of soft factors and strategies for change in projects.
• Prioritisation models, decision making tools.
• Time management.
• The art of stress-free productivity.

Trainer:
A. Porteous, owner of a communication and training company, IIK trainer (IIK e.V.)

Registration:
Priority registration for Fellows of the NRW Research School BioStruct until November 26^th. Normal registration is open to all doctoral iGRAD members and PhD students of the associated programs. For a binding registration please send an email until December 2^nd, 2009 via your PhD-supervisor or your PhD programme coordination office to:

iGRAD@uni-duesseldorf.de   

Workshop:

Presenting Science - comprehensive, competent and convincing

Summary:
Many factors influence the success of a scientific presentation. Besides excellent scientific work and knowledge of the field, other important factors are:

• confident and authentic appearance
• clear structure and convincing argumentation
• more diversified style and dramaturgy
• motivation and activation of the audience
• adequate time management
• adequate use of media and comprehensive figure design
• intentional use of voice, body language and requisites

Therefore, the workshop will include the following topics:

• Preparation and planning of scientific presentations
• Analysis of aims – What do I want to achieve?
• Analysis of audience – To whom will I talk?
• Attractive presentations – methods and media
• Do's and Don’ts when using PowerPoint
• Dealing with nervousness
• Appearance and presence
• Breathing and voice
• Self vs. External perception
• Rhetoric exercises
• Winning the audience over
• Comprehensive design of figures and graphs
• Goofs, mishaps and ‘disasters’ – How to deal with?
• Questions of the audience – How to handle them competently?

The workshop will include many practical phases in order to apply the theory presented. As we would like to work on concrete topics, each participant is asked to bring with them a (e.g. power point) presentation of her/his scientific project. It is also possible to bring other presentations, like posters, if they are in English. We will be exercising short presentations on this basis in the workshop, and will connect them with a video-feedback and a reflection on the structure, media design, etc. of each presentation.

Trainer team:

• Dr. Christian Dumpitak, Dipl.-Biol. and Trainer for University Teaching
• Knut Hannemann, M.A.

Additional information for BioStruct Fellows:
This workshop belongs to the obligatory field 'Presentation/Communication'

Workshop:

Shaping up teaching – designing academic lessons according to learner’s needs

Summary:
To design an academic course in a way that students can learn in an optimal way requires more than to choose the ‘contents’ and assign them to the sessions during term.
Replacing the customary focus on the ‘contents’ with a planning strategy concentrating on the students learning processes and achievements offers the chance to motivate students, enhance the learning outcome and last but not least facilitate teaching and planning exams. In the workshop we will learn about the different aspects to be considered when planning a course focused on learning rather than on teaching. These aspects range from the self-definition as a teacher over the learning and teaching goals and the situation and habits of the students, the frame conditions under which we teach and learn up to the choose of subjects, course and lesson design and finally teaching and learning methods.

Therefore, the workshop will include the following topics:

• Basic elements of didactic planning: teacher, goals, learner, conditions, topics/subject, design, methods
• What kind of teacher am I?
• Teaching goals and learning goals
• My students are…
• Planning courses within the frame
• Choosing the subject
• Designing a lecture/a course
• The right method
• Summarize learning results
• Rhetoric exercises

Methods of working and learning:
Individual work, Work in pairs and groups, Plenary discussions and Inputs

Goals of the workshop are:

• definition of the own teaching philosophy,
• deliberate use of planning strategies,
• verbalisation of learning and teaching goals
• assignment of contents according to these goals,
• deliberate choice of teaching and learning methods fitting to all aspects of the planning process
• development/revision of an actual course concept.

The workshop will also on concrete topics, therefore each participant is asked to bring with them an actual concept a participants course, lecture, training session, etc..

Trainer:

• Dagmar Schulte, Dipl.-Päd. and Trainer for University Teaching

Additional information for BioStruct Fellows:
This workshop belongs to the obligatory field 'Professional Basics of Teaching and Learning (didactics)'

In cooperation with the university didactics of the Heinrich-Heine-University, this workshop workshops is approvable within the certified and further qualifying training program  "professional teaching competence for universities" offered within the  University Didactics Network of North-Rhine Westphalia.

Workshop:

Self Management

Summary:
This seminar is designed for graduates of biology and other natural sciences. Within 2 days participants will receive skills which lead to a facilitation, improvement and acceleration of their daily working processes.
Participants will gain insight into their own personality and will also obtain subject-related knowledge of skills dealing with their work, as well as its organizational and creative aspects.
All in all, this seminar has two targets. First of all it is meant to be a “personality management course” which is finetuned to the specific needs of scientists. Secondly, it aims at helping scientists to become more effective and efficient in their work.
Specific working processes of biologists (e.g. writing a laboratory diary) as well as comprehensive aspects of self-management (competence test and analysis of motivation) will be treated in this course.

The workshop will include the following topics:

• How to analyse one’s personality, individual stress management and methods in developing one’s personality.
• Acceleration and facilitation of working processes by means of acquisition and training of skills
• Effective systematic planning and efficient self organization in order to structure complex and/or simultaneous working processes.
• Getting to know one’s learning style, acquisition of appropriate learning and memorizing skills
• Enlargement of competence in planning and creativity as well as in problem solving.
• How to organize abundant scientific information.

Form of the seminar:
Discussions, exercises in pairs or small groups, simulations.

Trainer:

• Dr. Edwin W. Lüer, IIK Düsseldorf e.V.

Additional information for BioStruct Fellows:
This workshop belongs to the obligatory field 'Work/Project/Self organization and management'

Workshop:

Presenting Science - comprehensive, competent and convincing

Summary:
Many factors influence the success of a scientific presentation. Besides excellent scientific work and knowledge of the field, other important factors are:

• confident and authentic appearance
• clear structure and convincing argumentation
• more diversified style and dramaturgy
• motivation and activation of the audience
• adequate time management
• adequate use of media and comprehensive figure design
• intentional use of voice, body language and requisites

Therefore, the workshop will include the following topics:

• Preparation and planning of scientific presentations
• Analysis of aims – What do I want to achieve?
• Analysis of audience – To whom will I talk?
• Attractive presentations – methods and media
• Do's and Don’ts when using PowerPoint
• Dealing with nervousness
• Appearance and presence
• Breathing and voice
• Self vs. External perception
• Rhetoric exercises
• Winning the audience over
• Comprehensive design of figures and graphs
• Goofs, mishaps and ‘disasters’ – How to deal with?
• Questions of the audience – How to handle them competently?

The workshop will include many practical phases in order to apply the theory presented. As we would like to work on concrete topics, each participant is asked to bring with them a (e.g. power point) presentation of her/his scientific project. It is also possible to bring other presentations, like posters, if they are in English. We will be exercising short presentations on this basis in the workshop, and will connect them with a video-feedback and a reflection on the structure, media design, etc. of each presentation.

Trainer team:

• Dr. Christian Dumpitak, Dipl.-Biol. and Trainer for University Teaching
• Knut Hannemann, M.A.

Additional information for BioStruct Fellows:
This workshop belongs to the obligatory field 'Presentation/Communication'