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The CS290 IS BACK

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Today

  • Introduce new faculty joining CS290
  • Logistics
  • What to expect this spring
  • Hand it over to our guests: Sade & Margaret

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Martin Wattenberg

Fact about me:

I am still pretty new to Harvard!

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Why it’s important:

Don’t expect me to tell you how everything works! Expect something more like, “Let’s figure this out together.”

“Feed the ostrich,” they said. “It won’t bite your hand,” they said.

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Flavio Calmon

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Fact about me:

I have a 2-year-old son!

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Why it’s important:

If I'm ever a few minutes late to class, it's because I'm dropping him off at daycare next door

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Logistics

  • Join the CS290B slack – all course announcements will be there
  • Breakfast is courtesy of Madhu – please send him your appreciation
  • New “once-per-semester” assignments:
    • Solicit feedback from your advisor(s) about your progress (using our template)
    • Attend an InTouch social
    • Meet with a G3+ and to ask questions (using our template)
    • Attend an office hours

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What to expect from the spring?

In the fall, we focused on:

  • Skill building
    • How to read a paper
    • How to communicate
    • How to conduct a literature search
    • How to manage advising relationships
    • How to navigate fellowships
  • Setting healthy expectations & normalizing struggle
    • What’s healthy/realistic to expect?
    • What do advisors expect of you?
  • Community building
    • Getting to know your peers
    • Isolation and imposter phenomenon in Ph.D. programs

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What to expect from the spring?

In the fall, we focused on:

  • Skill building
    • How to read a paper
    • How to communicate
    • How to conduct a literature search
    • How to manage advising relationships
    • How to navigate fellowships
  • Setting healthy expectations & normalizing struggle
    • What’s healthy/realistic to expect?
    • What do advisors expect of you?
  • Community building
    • Getting to know your peers
    • Isolation and imposter phenomenon in Ph.D. programs

Fall: Focus on the needs of students, individually

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Spring: Focus on the needs of the community & peers

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Step 1: Societal misconceptions about research/science/Ph.D.

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"Good science is done by lone geniuses."

Step 5: Poor performance, reinforcing initial misconceptions

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"I can’t succeed without support. Since no one else seems to be struggling, I'm the one not cut out for the program." In other words, the myth of the lone genius must be true.

Step 2: Unrealistic expectations & ineffective research practices

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"If I deserve to be here, I should be able to figure everything out alone."

Step 4: Imposter phenomenon & isolation

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"Everyone else deserves to be here -- I'm the only one who does not have the inborn skills necessary to succeed. I don't want to be discovered as the only person undeserving to be here -- I won't ask for help / attend office hours."

Step 3: Failure to meet expectations

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"I'm working really hard but not making meaningful progress on research or acquiring new skills.”

A cycle of isolation

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What to expect from the spring?

Topics:

  • Skill building:
    • Self-organization (today!)
    • Communicating with general audiences (next week)
    • How to critique a paper / the review process
  • Power dynamics in scientific communities
    • What determines what we consider “interesting” / “important”
    • What research gets funded?
    • Who gets credit for research?
  • Diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI)
    • Including a faculty panel
  • Mental health in academia

Lots of exciting guests

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We take your feedback seriously!

What we changed:

  • Logistics:
    • Class moved from 9am to 9:45am
    • Asked for more chia pudding
    • Kept the 2hr length
  • Topics (we already planned to cover)
    • More emphasis on DEI & perspectives of researchers from minoritized backgrounds
    • Mental health
    • Time management / self-organization
    • Communication to general audiences / elevator pitches
  • Topics we added:
    • An additional faculty panel
    • Additional student panel about effective research practices

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We take your feedback seriously!

What we didn’t change (and why):

  • Topics:
    • How to come up with research projects?
    • What to do in a conference?
    • Life after Ph.D.?
    • How to start collaborations?
    • The review/rebuttal process?
    • How to do research for social good?
    • Program expectations, e.g. qualifying exam
  • Repetition about imposter phenomenon

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We take your feedback seriously!

What we didn’t change (and why):

  • Topics:
    • How to come up with research projects?
    • What to do in a conference?
    • Life after Ph.D.?
    • How to start collaborations?
    • The review/rebuttal process?
    • How to do research for social good?
    • Program expectations, e.g. qualifying exam
  • Repetition about imposter phenomenon

Too area/lab/advisor specific.

Instead: once-per-semester assignment

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We take your feedback seriously!

What we didn’t change (and why):

  • Topics:
    • How to come up with research projects?
    • What to do in a conference?
    • Life after Ph.D.?
    • How to start collaborations?
    • The review/rebuttal process?
    • How to do research for social good?
    • Program expectations, e.g. qualifying exam
  • Repetition about imposter phenomenon

Too area/lab/advisor specific.

Instead: once-per-semester assignment

By design