Faculty of Medicine / University of Toronto  

The primary goal of the MBP Student Seminar Series is to provide practical experience and guidance in the clear, concise oral communication of research results to an audience of educated, though not specialist peers. This is an essential skill for anyone intending to seek a career in scientific research. The emphasis is different from a group-meeting or conference style talk to a specialist audience, but rather on the skills that are important ultimately for job talks or teaching situations. In this year's format all speakers should expect a much broader audience as we intend to pull all physics and biology students and faculty in for all seminar sessions. 
Both auditorium are available from 3:30 pm to provide ample time to test computer equipment and material prior to going live.

A secondary, important goal of the series is to give each student a broad knowledge of all aspects of research undertaken at the OCI, other downtown laboratories and Sunnybrook Science Centre. At any oral examination  and committee meetings, a student can be asked to demonstrate some familiarity with research in the Department not related to their own area. Attendance at the Student Seminars is the principal means of acquiring this familiarity.

A good, interactive audience is essential to the success of this series, hence ask questions. Students should attend regularly and anyone showing attendance at less than 18 seminars per academic year are considered as non participating (seminars at both sites count). Hence, we will take attendance at both sides.  Non participating students can face 1/2 point deductions at the end of the academic year 

Post-docs and technicians are welcome to take part. However it is extremely rude and disruptive for any number of people to enter late and/or leave early. Please remain for the entire session (two to three speakers). This particularly holds for this year as we will have mix of biology and  physics presentations at each seminar in both locations. 

It is very important to get regular attendance from a significant number of faculty members in order to get consistent, fair evaluations. Please make it a point to attend and interact with colleagues whenever possible. The Downtown and Uptown Seminar series have currently evidence that the mark a student receives in this course correlated with the attendance record of the supervisor.  

First year MSc students will give a practice seminar and the schedule will be posted early next year at which time also a training session will be announced. 

Following the seminars, the faculty members remain in the seminar room for a brief evaluation period and to provide direct feedback to the presenters. 2nd year MSc and PhD students will receive a mark providing the base for the grade on their transcript. Hence, good faculty participation, comprising in and out of stream members, is important.

The course coordinators (Drs. Lothar Lilge and Greg Stanisz) or designate will meet with each student to discuss the feedback from the faculty, and the peer evaluations, if desired. Arrangements for this meeting should be made within 4 weeks after the talk. 

For information on the preparation of seminars please consult the guidelines posted on the MBP website: http://medbio.utoronto.ca/students/semguide.html

Downtown students: On the week following your presentation, please pick up the cookies from the MBP Dept Office and bring them to the seminar room by 3:45 p.m.

Seminar Guidelines

Abstract Submission:
Concise abstracts (~ 250 words) should be provided similar to an abstract for a poster at a scientific conference. The names of the supervisor and supervisory committee should be included on the abstract. All speakers should Email their abstracts to Daphne Sears (dsears@uhnres.utoronto.ca) on the Friday before your seminar. All students are asked to use the templates below when preparing their abstracts. Abstracts should not be over 1 page long.

***Please note that abstracts received after the deadline will NOT be circulated***

Abstract Template - Sunnybrook

Abstract Template - Downtown

Student Seminar Series Schedule (2011-2012)