This presentation contains annotation. The annotation slides will have a red background with yellow writing. Presentations are always a team effort. Therefore the title slide should have all the necessary information, including all the team members. Its usually good form to list the team members in alphabetical order, unless there is a good reason not to do so. All the information shown on the next slide should be shown for every presentation. It allows us to insure that the proper people get credit for their work, and also to return a lost presentation to the proper reviewer for grading. Keep in mind that a presentation is much different than a lab report. A written report is usually read carefully, possibly several times, and it’s not unusual for the reader to reflect for a few minutes about what’s being said. A presentation is much different. In this case you’re giving a quick briefing to the audience, capturing the essence of what was in the report, but only hitting the highlights. A good presentation is brief and to the point.
Lab 1701: Faster-than-light Travel EG1003 Section A2 Date of Experiment: October 26, 2006 Date due: November 2, 2006 Beverly Crusher and William Riker
The next slide is common to all lab presentations. It’s basically an agenda showing what you’re going to cover. You can use this slide “as is”. As you get used to the presentation format, however, you can be more imaginative with the categories if you want by using more imaginative names. However, make sure you cover all the material. One note: lab presentations go quickly and are technical briefings. You should not use animations such as slide transitions, things hopping around on the slide, etc. This style is perfectly acceptable for a marketing presentation, and PowerPoint is an extremely effective tool for doing marketing. However, for a technical presentation, especially one with a serious time constraint, avoid any kind of distraction.
Overview Experimental Objective Experimental Objective Introduction Introduction Background Information Background Information Materials Materials Procedure Procedure Data/Observations Data/Observations Results Results Conclusion Conclusion
The objective should be short and clear. It’s how you define success in the lab. For this lab, success is defined as successfully building and flying the starship faster than the speed of light. Note the throughout the presentation we use short phrases rather than complete sentences. We don’t want to bore the audiences with slides that contain solid text. Also, if you have sentences, you’ll tend to just read the slides, adding to the boredom factor. Most the people in the audience can read as well as you can, so you have no “value added” in doing the presentation.
Experimental Objective Build a model faster-than-light spacecraft and fly it down Jay Street Build a model faster-than-light spacecraft and fly it down Jay Street
The next slide explains why this lab/technology is important. It should emphasize why this technology is good – it’s benefits to humanity or the planet. A good question to ask yourself after you’re done with this slide is “So What?” You should have answered this question of why this stuff is important. If you don’t pass the “So What?” test you’ve done something wrong. Do not confuse this slide with the “Background Information” that comes next. This slide is at a high level. You’ll be able to provide more detail in the rest of the presentation.
Introduction Traveling faster than light allows us to visit other planets and star systems Traveling faster than light allows us to visit other planets and star systems More access to resources we need to survive More access to resources we need to survive Better understanding of other cultures so that we can improve ours Better understanding of other cultures so that we can improve ours Improved skills to work with other life forms Improved skills to work with other life forms Faster progress for all through exploration and diplomacy Faster progress for all through exploration and diplomacy
Background Information typically has several slides. Keep in mind that you only have five minutes for your presentation, so don’t include too much background or you’ll overrun your time budget. Just include what you need to prove your point. A good model to consider is a lawyer making a case at trial. The first thing you have to do is establish your “foundation”, the basic principles that apply here. This might include some history of how this technology was invented or discovered, basic principles that will be used later, formulas you use for calculations in the “Results” section, and terms you use later that are not part of everyday English. A key thing to remember here is relevance. The online manual typically has much more material about the lab that you need to include in your report or presentation. The manual is designed to get you interested in a field, or have more of appreciation for it. Here, we only include what we need.
Background Information Space warp discovered by Poly Prof. Zefram Cochrane Space warp discovered by Poly Prof. Zefram Cochrane Usually large ships that go long distances Usually large ships that go long distances Fast acceleration to trans-light speed using matter/antimatter reaction Fast acceleration to trans-light speed using matter/antimatter reaction At approximately light speed space warp kicks in At approximately light speed space warp kicks in Exceed light speed Exceed light speed
Background Information Demonstrate speed greater than light by flying down Jay Street Demonstrate speed greater than light by flying down Jay Street Strobe light flashed on launch Strobe light flashed on launch If model arrived at destination before flash, it traveled faster than light If model arrived at destination before flash, it traveled faster than light Timing was too tight to measure speed accurately Timing was too tight to measure speed accurately
Background Information Model slowed to sublight speed by barrier and falls into East River Model slowed to sublight speed by barrier and falls into East River
Background Information Applications of faster-than-light travel Applications of faster-than-light travel Cargo vessels carrying dilithium crystals for power plants on Earth Cargo vessels carrying dilithium crystals for power plants on Earth Space tourism to Proxima Centuri Space tourism to Proxima Centuri Markets in other star systems for goods we make Markets in other star systems for goods we make Straw hats for inhabitants of Bilius-3, where local star radiation is high Straw hats for inhabitants of Bilius-3, where local star radiation is high
The “Materials” section of the presentation is a separate section, not part of the procedure. Also, given the brevity of the presentation, the materials should be a “grocery list” rather than items in a sentence. Never use sentences in a presentation unless absolutely necessary! Remember to only show the materials you used, not all the materials that were provided. Some labs allow multiple designs where you won’t use everything.
Materials Model rocket Model rocket Tube of Super Glue ® Tube of Super Glue ® “Matter” cartridge “Matter” cartridge “Antimatter” vessel “Antimatter” vessel Supplied by EG1003 for all teams: Launch stand Launch stand Barrier Barrier Atomic clocks Atomic clocks
The Procedure section should only be one or two slides. Again, keep in mind that this is only a five minute presentation, so you don’t have time for much detail. You should review the procedure in the online manual and briefly summarize it. Note that it can be difficult to take a lengthy lab and reduce it down to one or two slides. It’s a skill you will acquire with practice.
Procedure Obtain model rocket and assemble Obtain model rocket and assemble Activate model with red power switch, note time Activate model with red power switch, note time Run “Level 1 Diagnostic” by pressing yellow button, check for green light Run “Level 1 Diagnostic” by pressing yellow button, check for green light Take model to launch area on Jay Street Take model to launch area on Jay Street Snap in “matter” cartridge Snap in “matter” cartridge
Procedure (continued) Pour in “antimatter” from containment vessel and put stopper in hole Pour in “antimatter” from containment vessel and put stopper in hole Give to “Roaming TA” for launch Give to “Roaming TA” for launch One team member takes shuttle to barrier One team member takes shuttle to barrier Fly rocket, see if it hits barrier before strobe light flash is recorded Fly rocket, see if it hits barrier before strobe light flash is recorded
The “Data/Observations”, like the section in your lab report, only describes what you saw and measured, i.e. raw data. It does not include calculations – the calculations go in the Results section. If you measured things, it should be presented as a table, and possibly a graph as well if it’s important to get an overall view of what happened. If you built something, a sketch or picture of what you built would go here. The overall intent is just to present the facts as they are, and not to interpret them. This allows the audience to keep an open mind, and increases your credibility. Note that sometimes things don’t go right or unexpected things happen. You should include these things in your Data/Observations. They could become critically important later, even though they seemed unimportant at the time. It is not unusual for this section to be several slides, possibly more. The important thing to remember is that you’re giving the audience the facts they need to understand your results and conclusion.
Data/Observations Model was assembled with no problem Model was assembled with no problem Yellow button was pressed, green light came on Yellow button was pressed, green light came on Time was recorded Time was recorded Filling problems with antimatter caused hole to appear in sidewalk for a few seconds, allowing us to see F train tracks Filling problems with antimatter caused hole to appear in sidewalk for a few seconds, allowing us to see F train tracks … and some scared riders waiting for the train … and some scared riders waiting for the train When rocket launched, left trail of white and then red as it flew down Jay Street When rocket launched, left trail of white and then red as it flew down Jay Street
Data/Observations (continued) Very loud explosion, some windows cracked Very loud explosion, some windows cracked Barrier was destroyed by impact Barrier was destroyed by impact Remains of rocket, glowing red, flew into East River Remains of rocket, glowing red, flew into East River Huge geyser of water caused by impact and heat Huge geyser of water caused by impact and heat Atomic clocks showed that rocket arrived before flash of strobe at launch point Atomic clocks showed that rocket arrived before flash of strobe at launch point
Data/Observations (continued) NYPD arrived and detained everybody at 84 th Precinct NYPD arrived and detained everybody at 84 th Precinct After much discussion, authorities determined that this lab was not authorized because of lack of “Parade permit” After much discussion, authorities determined that this lab was not authorized because of lack of “Parade permit” Prof. Doucette paid the fine Prof. Doucette paid the fine Prof. Georgi will serve time if necessary Prof. Georgi will serve time if necessary
We’re now heading for the point of the lab. We’ll now apply the principles and formulas in the Background Information to the data and observations shown in the preceding section to give our results. If the lab includes cost as a consideration, you should have one slide showing cost information. This table has the same format as a lab report: five columns showing the item, unit cost, unit of measure (each, set, dozen, etc.), quantity, and total cost for the item, calculated by multiplying the unit cost by the quantity. At last line shows the grand total in the bottom right corner. Note that everything in the Results section has been explained earlier in the presentation. There should not be any new information here other than the application of the stuff you already presented. It’s not unusual for the Results to be one or two slides.
Results Since rocket arrived before strobe light flash, rocket traveled faster than light Since rocket arrived before strobe light flash, rocket traveled faster than light Much more light and noise than anticipated Much more light and noise than anticipated
The Conclusion is, in many ways, your most important slide. It will provide the audience with the impression that they’re most likely to remember about your presentation, so it should be strong. First, you want to show you were successful, or at least partially successful. Emphasize what went right, and note briefly what went wrong. One thing you should do is look at your “Objectives” slide and make sure the Conclusion shows how you met the objective. Be specific. Don’t say “We were successful” or “The lab was a success”. What lab? What were you successful at. For example, in this lab we successfully built the model and flew it down Jay Street faster than the speed of light. No matter how things went, it’s always a good idea to show your commitment to quality by discussing how things could be better. One or two bullets of suggested improvements are always welcome.
Conclusion Successfully built and flew a craft that flew faster than the speed of light Successfully built and flew a craft that flew faster than the speed of light Possible improvements: Possible improvements: Make sure NYPD and Fire Department are aware of this next time Make sure NYPD and Fire Department are aware of this next time Put a silencer on the rocket exhaust to avoid breaking windows Put a silencer on the rocket exhaust to avoid breaking windows