The 2008 Ruhlman Conference is scheduled for Wednesday, April 30, from 9:30 AM to 6:00 PM. Presentations will be held in the Academic Quadrangle, Collins Cinema, the Science Center, the Davis Museum, Jewett, the Clapp Library, and Alumnae Hall-Ruth Nagel Jones Theatre. The conference schedule includes five 70-minute blocks, separated by 20 minute breaks and a community-wide lunch from 12:10 - 1:30.

Please check to see when you are scheduled to present by viewing the Detailed Schedule of Events link in this website when it becomes available. This will be updated for the 2008 conference.

Approximately one week before the conference, you will be mailed a print copy of the conference program (the schedule and abstracts for all presentations).

1. Contact all of the other presenters in your session and meet to choose a presider from among the participants in the session. The presider’s responsibilities are to introduce each of the speakers, to make sure speakers do not use more than their allotted time, and to solicit questions from the audience. When it is the presider’s turn to speak, make sure that another participant is prepared to introduce her, to let her know if her time has run out, and to solicit questions. It is perfectly okay to ask each presenter – in advance of the conference – to give the presider a question or two that might prompt discussion. That way, if no one in the audience seems to want to ask the first question, the presider can get the discussion going. When you meet collectively, you should also discuss various elements of the session, such as the theme of your papers and how they may relate to one another as well as the proper pronunciation of names.
   
   
2. Begin on time, and do not exceed the 70 minutes allowed for your session. The presider plays a very important role in keeping everyone on schedule.
   
   
3. Make sure that your presentation is an appropriate length. If you are in a panel or paper session of four students, you should not speak for longer than 15 minutes; participants in panels or paper sessions of two or three can give 20-minute presentations. There is much to hear, to see, and to experience at the conference, so do not be surprised -- or offended -- if someone leaves your session early (to visit another) or arrives late (because they have been in another session). Because visitors may be moving from session to session in order to catch particular talks, it is very important for speakers to present their talks in the order given in the program and to use only 15 or 20 minutes for their presentations.
   
   
4. Leave the room at the appropriate time. We hope that all sessions will include a discussion period during which students will answer questions from the audience, but if these discussions are still going on when the session is to end, please move them into the hallway. Panelists in the next session will be anxious to get set up.

Conferences -- at least good ones -- are hectic, noisy, stimulating, interesting, and enjoyable events that run more or less on schedule. We believe that the 2008 Ruhlman Conference will be no different. Having worked closely with your materials over the past month, I regret that the best anyone can do is to sample a few of the many engaging presentations in this conference.

Public Speaking Workshops: Public Speaking Tutors from the Pforzheimer Learning and Teaching Center are available for consultation for students giving talks at the Ruhlman Conference. The tutors can help you focus on ways to organize your presentation, strategies for clear and effective speaking, strategies for reducing anxiety about public speaking, and additional resources for practicing your presentation. The tutors have drop-in hours at the PLTC on Wednesdays from 7:00 to 9:00 PM, and you can also try to schedule an individual appointment with them if you contact Barb Burck (x 2641 or e-mail bburck@wellesley.edu) sufficiently in advance. A special Public Speaking workshop for Ruhlman presenters will be held on Sunday, April 27, 2008 at 8:00pm in the PLTC large conference room.

We strongly encourage you to work closely with your advisors in preparing your talks. It is a good idea to do several practice runs of your talk prior to the conference. At least one practice session should be conducted in the presence of your advisor, so that s/he can provide you with useful feedback.

For additional assistance with preparing your presentation, please consult the following pages in this website:

For tips on making good visual presentations, see Tips for Visual Presentations.

For tips on making good oral presentations, see Tips for Oral Presentations.

For tips on making good poster displays, see Tips on Poster Design.

Poster Presentations: Poster sessions will be held in the Science Center. Each presenter will have a 4’ x 4’ space in which to display her work. Poster materials must be mounted between 1 PM and midnight on Tuesday, April 29, 2008. All posters should be left in place until after the Presidential Inauguration on Friday, May 9th, 2008. After that date, non-science posters should be removed. Posters from students whose faculty advisors work in the Science Center should remain in place until notified by the Science Center Office. Each student is responsible for removing her own poster. As always, it is important to consult with your advisor about the design and presentation of your poster.

If you have additional questions about the conference, please contact us at  ruhlman@wellesley.edu.

We look forward to seeing you and your friends on April 30, 2008.