Jun 30, 2009

Technical Presentations

Who says technical presentations cant be engaging?

I am a big fan of Garr Reynolds, who i think is an extremely creative human being and i love the tips at his famous website www.presentationzen.com

His latest post on “Technical Presentations” is quite useful to many of us. He uses the TED talk by Dr. Bonnie Bassler to throw light on the techniques which are crucial for any technical presentation. In the video, Dr. Bassler gets the message across, using her special techniques in communication. Come, lets learn “ How bacteria communicate?” and how the knowledge of bacterial communication can help in the development of new therapeutic antibiotic medicines.

Here is a summary of the techniques which Dr. Bassler uses in her presentation, according to Garr Reynolds

1 There is a great clarity in her narrative and she speaks in a conversational manner. For example, For example, she often says "The question is then _______" or "So the question is this: _______."

2 she also answers the two questions we often have as listeners but that too often go unanswered: "So what? and "Why does it matter (to me/us)?"

3 She references the screen often but only to illustrate her point. She uses her hands a great deal to explain processes, just as you would in ordinary, natural conversation.

4 Dr. Bassler's visuals are quite simple and for the most part they were a good companion to her talk, yet the attention was on her and her descriptions. At times when she was not speaking about something on screen behind her, TED put up her video which gets all the attention back on her. You can do something similar in a classroom or at smaller conferences by placing black slides in between sections or using the B key on your notebook to make the screen black (don't worry: the room will not go dark because you still have the lights on, right?).

Voila !!!! Now lets try and put them into practice.

Jun 29, 2009

GE Edison Challenge – 2009

GE-JFWTC Edison Challenge 2009 is here again ! A wonderful opportunity for all the college students to showcase their technical and business acumen.

Beyond the recognition and  fame, a prize money of  Rs. 5 Lac, is definitely not a small amount. More over, all the 20 finalists get a seed funding of Rs 20,000 to test their idea. WoW!. How many times were you looking for such funding? Here is the chance !

So, Spread the word. Tomorrow’s innovators could be you or from your campus or from your Alma-mater.

GE

For details visit the following link

http://www.ge.com/jfwtc/edisonchallenge/index.html

P.S:   Students, don’t miss the opportunity. Believe me, It’s worth a great deal (I am one of the winners of the contest, previously called GE –Imagination Breakthrough Intercampus Challenge conducted in 2006, and it has definitely added a lot of value to my resume)

Jun 23, 2009

BITS-Pilani Wins Bronze Medal @ Robogames 2k9

The news has been around for quite some time. I know i am posting it a little late, but i couldn’t prevent myself from talking about this awesome stuff. 

Acyut, India’s first indigenously developed humanoid (I am really proud that it’s development happened at  my graduate university) won the Bronze Medal at Robogames 2k9, held at San Fransisco, between June 12 & June 14.

image

Two more students Uttam Grandhi & Ravi Shankar from BITS won a Silver and Bronze Medal at the same event under the category “Art Bots”

BITS-Pilani Rocks !!!

It continues to admit students who can sing its song of pride, all over the world.

P.S: Read about Acyut and the other two students in their corresponding hyper- links. I am sure you will be inspired.