Upcoming Events

Date: Wednesday 5th - Friday 7th June 2019

Location: BMC: N01.013

Trainer: Rick Scavetta

Description:  This workshop enables life scientists to understand the purpose and uses of classical statistics as an integral part of the scientific method. 

The workshop consists of three sections: Collecting, Describing & Inferring. Practical tools and the theoretical background to understand how they work will be introduced. Mathematical equations will be used when helpful and are provided in the reference book, but they will not be the focus of the workshop. Our goal is to enlighten via intuitive understanding, not confuse via math.

Topics Covered:

• good experimental design and sources of bias.
• systematic versus random error.
• the distinction between samples and populations.
• the most appropriate ways to describe samples.
• estimation and the principle of hypothesis testing.
• the standard error of the mean and confidence intervals.
• understanding and reporting uncertainty.
• power, type I and type II errors.
• standard parametric tests and their interpretations, including p-values, test statistics, and associated distributions.

 
Date: Tuesday 16th - Thursday 18th July 2019

Location: Large Conference Room, 1st floor, T-building, MPI of Biochemistry

Trainer: Jan Brocher

Description: This workshop aims to teach scientists from different areas how to handle and process digital images starting from image acquisition on until the incorporation into the final publication figure. This includes important theory about high-quality digital images in general as well as a broad spectrum of methods for correct image processing and specific analytical purposes according to high scientific standards. 

You will learn how to extract the most information from your images and how to quantify regions of interest. Additionally, the workshop includes a lot of hands-on sessions and demonstrates methods to ease repetitive image processing steps as well as save time while building your publication figures in a way that preserves image quality and stores processing data. You will be able to revisit the learned material using the provided exercises and script also later on. The workshop content is generally of interest for all scientists working with digital images and their analysis but has a focus on microscopic imaging. Optional topics will be adjusted to meet the participants’ needs as good as possible.

Date: Monday 22th - Wednesday 24th July 2019

Location: Small Conference Room, 1st floor, T-building, MPI of Biochemistry

Trainer: Ruth Willmott

Description:The Presenting with Confidence Workshop helps you to improve your PowerPoint presentation performance by learning how to optimally design and professionally deliver your talk. In the safety of the training environment, we will assess the content and structure of your own talk as well as your body language and overall delivery style. Together we will analyse your slides and develop strategies to optimally explain them. Special emphasis will also be placed on how to avoid or cope with common problems associated with the question and answer session. Finally, you will also learn how to enhance your delivery style and establish strong rapport, thereby ensuring professional and confident presentation of your talk and an enjoyable and informative experience for your audience.
The Presenting with Confidence Workshop is ideal for early stage research scientists with little or no presentation experience.

Date: Monday 23rd - Tuesday 24th September 2019 

Location: S45, IT training room, MPI of Biochemistry

Trainer: Andreas Binder

Description: This two-day workshop is „hands-on“, i.e. you will directly practice the course contents at the computer during the workshop. It will start from scratch and teach you the basics of vector graphics until you will be able to draw your own schematics and data figures. The trainer can flexibly adapt to your needs if you would like to have special topics covered. It can also include basics of Adobe Photoshop. By the end of the workshop, you will be able to apply your new skills to create and design advanced graphics and data representations for talks, posters, and your publications.

Date: Thursday 17th - Friday 18th October 2019

Location: Large Conference Room, 1st floor, T-building, MPI of Biochemistry

Trainer: Rick Scavetta

Description: This two-day workshop enables life scientists to effectively create figures based on quantitative data that add impact to their publications. The workshop is divided into two one-day modules: Principles and Applications.

Participants learn how to:

• use figures and tables to effectively tell the story of their research.
• decide whether text, tables, or plots are most appropriate to convey the message of each result.
• choose the most appropriate plot type for their data.
• understand the science of perception and apply design principles to communicate their message clearly.
• use aesthetics to relate sensory attributes (color, shape, etc.) to abstractions (enrichment, change-over-time).
• distinguish between graphics for publication and for data exploration. 

 
Date: Friday 8th - Saturday 9th November with follow-up on Friday 15rd or Saturday 16th November 2019

Location: Small Conference Room, 1st floor, T-building, MPI of Biochemistry

Trainer: Ruth Willmott

Description:  Do you want to get your own research fellowship but don’t know how to get started?

The Getting Funded Workshop addresses the needs of PhD students wanting to apply for funding for their first postdoctoral position. Together we will explore what makes a research idea fundable and a research proposal reviewer friendly. Strategies on how best to present your research idea and yourself will be discussed. You will also be given the tools and the vocabulary to better write your research plan as well as sections not encountered at the paper writing stage, such as justifying choice of lab, projecting your future career aims and promoting yourself as the ideal researcher for the job. Finally, grant scouting information and tips will be provided about major funding sources both in Europe and the USA.