I will take the Ring to Mordor, though, I do not know the way. Frodo这句话使他从此背负了太多的责任，虽然勇气可嘉，然而我们不要忘了他事实上只是一个没有战斗力的小人物~~，这是一种带有讽刺的坚定，一种不计后果的信仰，也是一种’壮士一去不复还’的决心……，而事实上，frodo前方的道路充满了敌人，诱惑，背叛，以及难以自拔的自我困惑，几次险些被夺取生命和灵魂。所幸的是，frodo的坚持和众多朋友的帮助使他最终完成了艰巨的任务……

我目前的境地又何尝不是这样呢？感觉自己在不知能否完成任务的情况下就先立下了军令状……前程上必然是危险重重，而自己的思想，技能，和眼光似乎还远不足以克服这些未知的艰险......那么，我又应该以什么样的坚持去面对呢？Maybe，like fordo, for duty’s sake, for glory’s sake, I have no other choice to make……

还好，40分钟的跑步使我终于恢复了一点元气，Tomorrow, I’ll face the sunshine again。

Yeah, still a long way ahead, just keep on running……

当然，思路在延伸，实验也在进行；新的问题不断出现，又不断解决，接着又是新的问题……

昼夜思索导致新的idea层出不穷，经常一大早起来很激动地写下新的思路，但是往往在几天后又被充分的证据证明其不可行，不过每次这种情况都伴随着知识的扩充和更多的思考，有时一些better idea 也通过这种方式筛选了出来，感觉也不坏。Maybe, that’s the way it is.

在此记录近段时间的几件重要事情如下：

1、 一个我们组里讨论了好几次的实验设计刚上马，却从最近结束的国际会议上看到了类似的摘要结果，使得我们非常被动。

2、 本领域头号大牛到实验室来做了访问和报告，我也有幸亲自将自己的几个思路给他报告和交流。交流中真正感受到了大师的魅力和自己一些想法的浅薄，同时也发现了我们正在进行的一个认为非常有意义的实验他也已经想过，只是还没有来得及做，还好通过交流，大牛说不和我们抢，支持我赶快做，真的好险。

3、 关于going abroad 的计划也有了彻底改变，引用这次我给大牛说的一句话“With the better funding situation in China, we think we are now having the opportunity to make some difference. And moreover, my current supervisor gives me a chance to create a paradise of our own, and that’s an offer I cannot refuse. So I choose to stay.”这句话确实反映了我目前最真实的想法，不过至于结果如何，只有通过时间和奋斗去证实了。

4、 老板支持GF通过申请客座到我们实验室来做论文，这样既结束两地的麻烦，又有助于大家的实验进展，算是好事一件吧！

5、 年初写的三个面上基金现得知中了两个，也算功夫没有白费，不过关键还是做实验、发paper……

估计任何做实验的人都一样，一旦有了idea都希望在最短时间内将其实现......最近开始了预实验的第一步，需要对一个以前的常规技术作一个小的改进，本来打算1-2天完成，结果一上手才知道每一步都有预想不到障碍，几次都是当天出现的问题无法解决，拖几天才想到解决办法，而且新方法的尝试过程中又反复出错......结果10天才解决了操作上的问题，预期结果还要等到明天才能检测，忐忑中～～

看来实验确实要比思路来得慢得多，感觉自己还是太急躁，得沉下心来慢慢适应这种节奏。不过话又说回来，这种不断遇到问题又不断解决问题的过程还是可以接受的，至少在这个过程中体验了解决问题的快乐，不过心里整天担心的是自己的整体实验进展和竞争对手的publication list......

BTW，最近打听到我今年初写的一个国家自然科学基金在一审中获得了两个“优先资助”，估计二审应该问题不大了，也算一件好事吧，虽然实验室现在不缺这30万......实验室现在缺的是大paper呀！不知道自己究竟能否给实验室带来一些积极的影响......

So, just keep trying......

做这个PPT，我重新回顾整理了进入该领域后读过的文献，500多篇paper，让我自己小小地吃了一惊，原本没想到有这么多。后来和师兄谈了谈才知道这只是属于入门级的，师兄的一句：“one day, one paper”让我感触颇深。确实，做为一个真正做science的人来说阅读文献是必不可少的，从这点讲，“one day, one paper”是对一个科研工作者的最低要求；然而，环顾四周，这似乎成了最高要求。按照这个标准，我近两年来的表现算个“基本合格”吧。

当然，读完文献还得思考，一天时间就所剩无几了，也许这就是“昼夜思索”的真谛吧。这也映证了爱因斯坦先生的那句老话：The whole of science is nothing more than a refinement of everyday thinking.

最近感觉漫漫黑夜中闪过了一道亮光，不过还真假难辩......

只愿我的idea早日实现，为中国科学家在该领域争得一席之地。

这一切还是从我的课题思路开始，近一年多来读了不少，思考也不少，自认为找到了一个比较有前途的方向。但是思路进行一定阶段，发现目前的实验室很难继续做下去，一方面是由于资源的限制，另一方面还是和整体的科研气氛有关。于是想到退学申请出国，不过这可犯了科学院的大忌……起初想偷偷拿offer然后硬闯红灯，但是实在下不了手，深感这样做对不起老板的厚望。于是选择谈判，结果自然激怒了老板……◎＃￥％……

还好，最终经过诚恳的交流，终于和老板达成协议，允许我不转博，中途拿硕士学位再走。这个结果也是双方互相理解后的一种权衡吧，这样做我也能够坦然地面对自己的良心，终于卸下了沉重的心理负担。至于其间涉及的时间成本和波折我也想开了，无非就几年吧，做science是一辈子的事，只要多注意一点身体，多活几年，早一年晚一年出去其实也没关系。况且在这里也没闲着。

不过这个决定将带来一些后续效应，其中最头疼的事情是本科考的GRE保质期不够了，得重考。考这玩意儿，按老俞当年的话说，是all consuming！ 唉，想到重新抱起厚厚得红宝书心中不由得泛起一阵恐惧……另外，还有4天就要开始期末考试了，这学期基本没怎么上课，心里又是一阵发毛……现在真的害怕考试～～

总的来说，今年一直不顺，难道本命年真的就这样难过？真搞不懂～～也许正如某些人所说，不如意才是人生吧。毕竟生活需要故事，也许不如意往往是传奇故事的开始吧，愿这段故事演的精彩！

Anyway，生活定将继续，梦想依旧召唤，千里之行才刚刚起步，又怎能退缩呢？如此看来，区区小G，岂能拦我？只不过是从头再来罢了！

]]> 6236623@http://cqfoxvictor.bokee.com/ 生活感悟 2007-04-22T04:25:09Z http://cqfoxvictor.bokee.com/5996050.html
大家如果有兴趣在google里面输一个Epigenetics就会有大量相关信息，估计今后会有大量的牛paper出在这个领域上，相信国内有不少实验室也在关注这一问题。

在表观遗传学中，我觉得可遗传的DNA甲基化又是其中最有意思的话题之一，这一观点的凸现使得过去被否认的拉马克理论“用进废退”的观点似乎又在主流学术界找到了一席之地。可遗传的DNA甲基化的发现为后天性状的可遗传性找到了更好的解释途径！

《Preparing a Scientific Presentation》by Robert R H Anholt, © 1994 by W H Freeman and Company

希望能对一些要做报告的朋友有帮助！

http://www.physics.ohio-state.edu/~wilkins/writing/Supp/dazzle.html（原网页）

Robert R H Anholt, © 1994 by W H Freeman and Company

Preparing a Scientific Presentation

Identify your audience

• Look upon the presentation as a dialogue with audience not a monologue.
  
• Acceptance of the speaker by the audience is key.
  
• Try to find out beforehand who might be in attendance.
  

Structure your material

• Don't exceed the allotted time; as a rule of thumb keep presentation to 80% of allotted time.
  
• Be able to summarize content of presentation in two or three well-constructed sentences
  
• Tell 'em what you're gonna tell 'em, then tell 'em, then tell 'em what you've told 'em.
  
• In 45 minute talk: 15 minutes for introduction, 25 minutes for presentation, 5 minutes to summarize and conclude.
  
• A well-prepared abstract, an organized set of well-chosen viewgraphs, a concise `cheat-sheet,' and an outline (perhaps displayed in the corner of every viewgraph) should all help to keep you on track during your seminar.

Kno your stuff

• The decision not to speak is sometimes more beneficial to a person's reputation than a lecture devoid of data.
  
• Accurate, complete, well-phrased descriptions of scientific information portray speaker as a knowledgeable, reliable source of information.
  
• In contrast, glib, inaccurate statements that appear open to multiple interpretations gradually elicit skepticism and distrust.
  
• Critical examination of the information is indispensable.
  

Rehearse

• Always rehearse a presentation.
  
• Prepare for each seminar for every individual occasion de novo, always with the specific audience in mind.
  
  Prepare-- then relax

  • To give a good presentation it is essential to be relaxed.
    
  • To ease into the presentation, a nervous speaker should write down a few opening sentences on a sheet of paper and read them out in verbatim in as natural and controlled a voice as possible at the beginning of the presentation up to the first viewgraph, making sure not to speak too fast.
    
  Dress for success

  • Dressing up for a scientific presentation conveys two important messages: respect for your audience and willingness to conform.
    

The Structure of a Scientific Presentation

The title: information in a nutshell

Context and perspective: Zooming in

• Zooming in is the only effective method to put a presentation in perspective.
  
• The presentation must start with the description of an important general principle, then gradually focus in from there onto the experimental (or theoretical) model that the speaker wishes to describe.
  
• Advantages of zooming in: (1) it emphasizes to the audience that the work to be described bears a relevance to an important scientific principle rather than being an insignificant, isolated contribution; (2) zooming in defines the intellectual borders of the presentation.
  
• When putting a presentation in a historical perspective, always give appropriate credit to contribution of others in the field.
  

Telling a story

• There is a distinct difference between summarizing a collection of facts and telling an exciting and interesting story.
  
• A clear thinker separates the central, relevant issues from merely supportive peripheral information and will not allow the direct line of thought to be interrupted by sidetracks.
  
• A story should have one focus and convey a single major message.
  
• To construct the plot for a scientific story, it is often useful to phrase the basic idea underlying the talk as a question.
  

Mainstream and Sidetracks.

• There are three simple rules for preventing the loss of momentum as results of sidetracks.
  
  1. Keep the number of sidetracks to a minimum and use only those that are absolutely essential.
  2. Keep the excursion from the mainstream as brief as possible, providing the minimal amount of ancillary information that is absolutely crucial for a full appreciation of the presentation's mainstream.
     
  3. Always make clear where the sidetrack starts and when it is complete, return to the same point of the mainstream.

Formulation and Argumentation

• The lecture must proceed as a logical unfolding of information.
  
• During the presentation facts must be enumerated in sequential steps, each step firmly founded on the previous one.
  
• Remember that your labyrinth of knowledge, with its familiar shortcuts, alternate routes and interconnections is unfamiliar to the audience listening to your story for the first time.
  
• To communicate effectively, avoid the use of hyperbole and jargon whenever possible!
  
• Speech reflects our thought processes, and an imprecise speaker is often an unfocused thinker.
  
• You should carefully analyze the often fu borders that separate experimental evidence from speculation. The care with which this intellectual process is performed is reflected in the manner in which you formulate your sentences.
  
• By recognizing the limits of your experiment (or theory or explanation) and clearly defining the conditions under which your conclusions are valid, you gain the respect and credibility of your audience.
  

The conclusion: brief and to the point

• Zooming out can be a valuable tool near the end of a presentation, when you remind the audience once again that the data relates back to major scientific principle with which you begin.
  
• The conclusion should be firm and decisive.
  
• The conclusion of the presentation is its most important moment. It provides the take-home message, often the only thing that will be remembered. It determines the final impression and impact that you will make on your audience. The conclusion should always be reduced to a concise statement, preferably shown as text or a simple diagram on the overhead.
  
• The conclusion should consist of a simple major statement, with not more than two or three connotations, if these are absolutely essential.
  
• The conclusion should very clearly demarcate the end of the lecture.
  
• The most important rule for a scientific presentation is to finish on time and on a clear and resonant note.
  

Overhead Transparencies

The three most important points for transparencies (and slides):

1. Clean
2. Simple
3. Necessary to the story line

• Transparencies should illustrate a single point and, like the presentation itself, have only one focus.
  
• Complex data delivered during a seminar cannot be fully appreciated unless the speaker separates them into a series of simplified constituents.
  
• Try to avoid showing tables.
  

Most audiences find equations intimidating and are likely to "tune out" as soon as one appears on the screen. [jww: If you must use an equation, define the science of all symbols before the equation.]

Some general rules

• Lettering on viewgraphs and slides can never be too big.
  
• Uniformity of style throughout the presentation accentuates and underscores the flow and coherence of the talk.
  

Rules for figures

• Graphs should contain clearly labelled axes.
  
• The less busy a figure appears, the more justice it does to the information it attempts to communicate.
  
• Delete all information from the figures that is irrelevant to the presentation.
  
• A figure can be enhanced by a line or two concisely describing the conclusions to be drawn from the figure.
  
• If the same figure has to be used more than once, use a duplicate rather than disrupt the momentum of the presentation by having to hunt for the early viewgraph.
  

Poster presentation: the young scientist's debut performance

• Consider a poster primarily as an opportunity for exchange of ideas and dialogue, rather than merely a forum for data presentation.
  
• The poster should be aesthetic and clean. Simplicity above all.
  
• The poster should tell a story. Include only material relevant to the story line.
  
  1. Choose brief and informative title.
  2. In upper left hand corner, provide concise introduction that indicates why work presented is important within context of a major scientific principle.
  3. Describe approach in an engaging, condensed style without excessive detail.
  4. Organize presentation of data in a logical, coherent sequence.
  5. In lowe right hand corner, state small number of well-phrased conclusions and a major, concise summary statement.
• Remember that it is not the number of people who come to view your poster, but the quality of interactions with them that determines its success.
  

Last points

• Carefully double-check sequence and orientation before presentation; even more important if you are using slides.
  
• Anything out of the ordinary usually gives a presentation that special memorable touch, setting it apart from others.
  

Delivery

Voice Control and Eye Contact

Effective use of the voice, eye contact, posture, gestures, and enthusiasm distinguish a routine presentation from a memorable one.

• The characteristics of delivery in terms of voice control can be separated into several interrelated properties: sound, volume, speed, and rhythm.
  
• Articulation and eye contact are the two most important components of voice presentation. Take the time to articulate every work of each sentence clearly, while maintaining eye contact with your audience.
  
• As with written text, the end of the sentence designates the "stress" position. It is here the audience expects to be provided with the most important information.
  
• Nervous, hurried speech often leads to inaccurate articulation. Take your time and do not speak faster than your normal conversational speed.
  
• Monotony is the greatest enemy of a scientific presentation.
  
• Plain silence is preferable to mere noise.
  
• Slowing down is a remedy for 90 percent of most speakers' problems.
  
• Looking straight at members of the audience establishes the notion that you are talking to them, not just in front of them.
  

Foreign speakers who have severe language problems giving a scientific presentation should:

• Rehearse and practice the presentation often, preferably with a friend who is a native English speaker, and almost learn it by heart.
  
• Structure your viewgraphs in such a way that the images are able to convey most of the story by themselves, even if you are hard to understand.
  

Posture and gestures.

• Stand straight up.
  
• Do not be stationary--change positions occasionally and move around the podium/platform.
  
• Avoid distracting mannerisms like swinging the pointer aimlessly around.
  
• Speaking with a hand in your pocket looks sloppy and unattractive.
  
• Gestures can underscore spoken language.
  

Enthusiasm: the indispensable ingredient.

• Genuine enthusiasm accounts for 90 percent of a speaker's success.
  

Answering questions.

• The speaker should attempt to control the crowd, permitting question as the speaker's convenience.
  
• By making it politely clear that the audience should not interrupt, the speaker will discourage impulsive ad hoc questions and can focus on the presentations. In doing so, you will also establish control and authority. [jww. This is tricky than it seems since an inexperienced speaker may have omitted an essential piece of information the audience need to understand the talk. A clarifying question promptly answered may save such a situation.]
  
• Always answer questions briefly and to the point.
  
• It is in many cases advantageous to repeat the question before answering it. In addition, repeating the question gives you the chance to rephrase the question.
  
• It is always a good idea to be polite and gracious.
  

The most important advice to remember is,

• communicate with your audience and
  
• convey enthusiasm about your work.
  

Summary

1. Three devices can put a presentation in the desired perspective.
   
   
   1. Indicate the scope of the presentation by an informative title.
      
      
   2. "Zoom in" to the topic during the introductory segment of the presentation and "zoom out" near its end.
      
      
   3. Decide on the underlying question that the presentation seeks to address; then divide that question into a hierarchically organized array of subquestions, and develop the presentations as a series of answers to these questions.
      
      
2. The mainstream of the presentation should address a single focus issue, tuned to the interests of the audience. Sidetracks from this mainstream should be brief and should always return to the same point in the mainstream where they started. Omit information not directly relevant to the focus of the presentation, and avoid backtracking.
   
   
3. The statements constituting the mainstream of the presentation should delineate a clear, logical line of thought. Formulate explanations of scientific concepts and experimental (or theoretical) methodology unambiguously, without professional jargon.
   
   
4. The presentation should end with a clearly formulated, concise conclusion. When the take-home message has been delivered, stop.

Note: The book "Dazzle 'em with Style: The Art of Oral Scientific Presentation" is a required text in Physics 596; all students must buy and read it. This summary is intended only for students in that course to re-emphasize central points in the book. Any other use is unauthorized and violates the copyright law.