CERN Interviewing-and-Poster Project
CISC Switzerland Study Abroad Summer 2007

Overview of Project

In a small group (of 2-3 members), students will prepare and conduct a set of interviews with leaders of a particular CERN project to gather adequate information to prepare a poster that accurately and elegantly represents the assigned CERN project to others. The final posters will be printed and displayed in the hallways at CERN, with credit given to the students from University of Delaware.

Objectives

Upon completion of this project, each student should have (1) gained a solid understanding of a particular computing-related project at a well established, well respected institution, CERN, providing the student with personal exposure to a real world computing-based project, (2) gained experience in developing communication skills for both conversing in a technical way with technical experts and scientists and creating a high-quality poster on a technical project, (3) established some valuable personal contacts with technical professionals at a major research institution, and (4) developed group collaborative working skills for a project-based computing career.

Specification of the Project

  1. Establish the match of students to project, through providing preferences and making matches.
  2. Create a set of initial interview questions, to learn the basic overview of the project.
  3. Set up and conduct the first interview with the CERN project leaders.
  4. Examine examples of posters at CERN and discuss the salient features of a good poster in terms of content, organization and presentation design with the class.
  5. Conduct some reading about the project, as directed by the CERN project leaders.
  6. Create an outline of a first draft of a poster representing the information gathered so far about the project.
  7. Set up and conduct a meeting with the CERN project leaders to discuss the first draft, missing information, revisions to be made.
  8. Gather the missing information through reading and conversations with CERN project members.
  9. Create a second draft and set up another meeting with CERN project leaders to review the second draft and discuss fine tuning.
  10. Create a third, and final draft, discuss with CERN leaders, and set up for printing of the poster, as well as including the poster on the course website.

Evaluation and Grading of the Project

Students will work in groups on this project. A group grade will be assigned by assessing the poster deliverable in terms of content, organization, and presentation design (see the feedback form on the course website), and feedback about the project process from the CERN project leaders and group members. The assignment of individual student grades will follow the policy on grading in the course syllabus. Students will also get feedback on the poster itself from other students in the course, but this feedback will not be used in the assignment of grades.

Instructions for providing high quality feedback: This feedback should provide constructive, succinct feedback of the demo. During or immediately after the demo, please complete this form and include comments that justify your rankings for each aspect and will help the demo presenter their presentation skills.