Course Description
PHY 365 (Undergraduate) & PHY 665/765 (Graduate)
Seminal and current publications in general relativity, field theory, particle physics, and astrophysics will be studied. Each week, a member of the class will make an oral presentation on a chosen publication and will lead the ensuing discussion. May be repeated for credit. (PHY 365: P/F only. PHY 665: S/U only; does not fulfill minimum course requirements for Master’s and PhD degrees.)
Objectives
This course aims to give students practical experience in delivering scientific oral presentations, critically reading literature, and evaluating technical talks. Participants will explore current research topics, gain familiarity with essential computational and theoretical tools, and build an appreciation for the research conducted in our department.
Weekly Session Format
Meetings are 60 minutes long and structured as follows:
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3:30 PM – 3:45 PM (15 mins) | Tool or Research Talk: A short presentation on a student’s ongoing research or a tutorial on a practical computational/theoretical tool.
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3:45 PM – 4:15 PM (30 mins) | Paper Presentation & Discussion: A student-led presentation and critique of a seminal or modern publication.
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4:15 PM – 4:30 PM (15 mins) | Literature & Planning: Discussion of recent preprints and planning for subsequent sessions.
Session Chair
For each meeting, a student will be assigned as the “Session Chair” responsible for introducing the speakers, keeping time strictly, and moderating questions.
Expectations & Grading Criteria
Grading is Pass/Fail (PHY 365) or S/U (PHY 665). To pass the course, students must meet the following three requirements:
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Attendance (≥ 80% Required): Regular participation is mandatory. Attendance at 80% or more of scheduled sessions is required to pass.
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Two Oral Presentations per Semester:
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Talk 1 (Paper Presentation – 30 mins): A detailed talk on a seminal, classic, or exemplary research paper. Papers are chosen at the start of the semester as examples of outstanding scientific writing or pivotal breakthroughs in the field.
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Talk 2 (Tool or Research Talk – 15 mins): A talk focused on either your current research project or a practical tool/method useful to the community.
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Visiting Speaker Feedback: When we host visiting speakers, students will evaluate the talk using our Talk Feedback Form to gain insight into effective presentation methods and audience engagement (inspired by similar scientific communication modules like Northwestern’s Physics Communication Course).
Essential Readings & Resources
Mandatory Science Communication Guides
Before preparing your presentations, you are required to read the following classic guides on scientific presentation and writing:
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Kip Thorne’s 1987 Notes on Technical Writing — Timeless rules on clear physics writing, structure, and citation etiquette.
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Cole Miller’s The Ten Commandments of Presentations (with commentary) — Practical rules for slide design and audience engagement.
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David Tong’s How to Make Sure Your Talk Doesn’t Suck — A straightforward guide on delivering clear, engaging physics presentations.
Recommended Paper Lists for Presentations
When selecting a paper to present, choose articles that serve as examples of great scientific writing or landmark field developments. You can select from the following curated lists:
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Emanuele Berti’s Must-Read Paper List (Johns Hopkins University)
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Montana State Gravity Group Reading List (Montana State University)
Suggested Tool & Method Topics for Short Talks
Students choosing a “Tool Talk” can present tutorials on topics such as:
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Basics of using high-performance computing (HPC) clusters and job schedulers
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Introduction to Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods
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Applied Machine Learning in physics/astrophysics data analysis
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Introduction to Perturbation Theory techniques
Semester Schedule & Sign-Up Table
(This schedule will be populated during Week 1 based on class interests).
Additional Presentation & Science Communication Resources
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For further guidance on scientific talks and presentations, check out our Science Communication Course Resources Page.
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When guest speakers visit our seminar, students will complete a peer critique using the [Talk Feedback Form (PDF)](https://murchikova.physics.northwestern.edu/teaching
- You are welcome to use AI programs to help you generate and brainstorm ideas. However, please note that the material generated by these programs may be inaccurate, incomplete, informed by the biases of its sources, or otherwise problematic. Overreliance on AI can stifle your own independent thinking and creativity. You may not submit any work generated by an AI program as your own. For example, students should not use AI tools to generate entire essays or research papers. AI tools can be used to generate ideas and insights, but students should still do their own research and writing.