Schedule

Pre-class work: (instructions on Canvas)

• Read The Fear of Publicly Not Knowing
• Read What you should know about us (the instructors)
• Answer survey questions (Canvas)
• Create a slide to introduce yourself (details on Canvas)

In class:

• Meet each other
• Discuss shared worries and implied assumptions about expectations
• What is research? What skills are necessary to do research? What is this seminar about? What is this seminar not about?

Further reading (optional, encouraged)

• Terrance Tao, Does one have to be a genius to do maths?. (Replace “mathematics” with “statistics”—or really anything.)
• Find another scientist’s perspective on “what it takes to do research”. Share on Slack if you find it interesting and/or thought-provoking!

Pre-class work:

• Read the department webpage on the PhD Qualifying Course
• Peruse some of the faculty-listed papers

In class:

• Overview of Qualifying Course with Graduate Advisor Professor Daniel McDonald
• Q&A on QPs

After class:

• Contact a faculty member and meet with them about doing your first qualifying paper with them

Pre-class Work: (detailed instructions on Canvas)

• Read: Panning for Gold: Model-X Knockoffs for High-dimensional Controlled Variable Selection
• Summarize the paper, reflect on your strategy for reading the paper

In Class:

• Why think about self-regulated learning
• How to read a research paper
• Practice skimming papers: (don’t read before class!)
  • TBD
  • TBD

Pre-class work:

• Skim the paper that you are considering (or have decided on) for your first QP, using and answering the guiding questions from How to read a research paper

In class:

• In pairs, share what you’ve learned about your paper.
• Plan your work and timeline.

After class:

• If you haven’t yet, confirm the start of QP 1 with the supervising faculty member by September 19. Make sure you are clear on:

  • Due date
  • Expected deliverables
  • Expected check-ins (if any)
  • Parameters/expectations around communication during the QP

Pre-class work: (instructions on Canvas)

In class:

Further reading (optional)

Pre-class work:

• Read your first QP paper deeply, using and answering the guiding questions from: How to read a research paper

In class:

• In pairs, share what you’ve learned about your paper.
  • What is something you misunderstood from skimming?
• Update your work plan and timeline.

After class:

Pre-class work: (instructions on Canvas)

In class:

Further reading (optional)

Pre-class work: (instructions on Canvas)

In class:

Further reading (optional)

Pre-class work: (instructions on Canvas)

In class:

Further reading (optional)

Pre-class work: (instructions on Canvas)

In class:

Further reading (optional)

Pre-class work: (instructions on Canvas)

In class:

Further reading (optional)

Pre-class work: (instructions on Canvas)

In class:

Further reading (optional)

Pre-class work: (instructions on Canvas)

In class:

Further reading (optional)

Pre-class work: (instructions on Canvas)

In class:

Further reading (optional)

Pre-class work: (instructions on Canvas)

In class:

Further reading (optional)