3.8  Learning Activities

Now that you have put your knowledge of writing correspondence to the test, try your hand at these learning activities.  

A1 — You have just graduated from college or university with your bachelor's degree. You would like to continue studying toward a Ph.D., but you are not sure whether the professor you would like to study with is currently taking new students. Write a series of e-mails in which you initially contact the professor, explain your interest in the lab, and list your qualifications, and then follow up on his or her response to you.

A2 — Write a memo to your supervisor stating the results of an experiment or other research you have just completed. Ask yourself the following questions: What will my supervisor need or want to know about this experiment? What parts of this experiment were successful, and why are the results important? What parts were unsuccessful, and how will I fix that in my next experiment? Will I still be able to finish my project on time? Use the answers to these questions to write your memo.

A3 — You are a postdoctoral researcher in a university laboratory. Upon checking your e-mail, you find the following message from a professor at a different university asking whether you would share some of your work. Write a response to this professor in which you thank her for her interest and send her the paper she has requested.

To: Friedrich Elter

From: Jeanne-Marie Beauchamp

Dear Dr. Elter,

We met last week at the European Nuclear Conference in Barcelona, where I attended your talk on reverse field pinch plasmas. In your talk, you referred to a research paper that you recently submitted to the Journal of Fusion Energy. Would you be willing to send me a pre-print of this paper at your earliest convenience?

Thank you for your time,

Marie

A4 — One of the key functions of a good résumé or CV is to identify and describe the qualifications you have that are unique. Consider your own academic career or work experience, and make a list of specific jobs you have held and courses you have taken that could be attractive to an employer in your field. Once you have made the list, add in two to three phrases that describe each item in more detail. Then group the items on your list by putting your work experiences together and your coursework or academic research together. Finally, within each group, organize your experiences chronologically by placing more recent experience at the top of each group and older experience at the bottom.

A5 — Find a job announcement for a position in your field. Using what you have learned, write a letter in which you apply for the position, explain your qualifications, and express interest in hearing from the organization. Pay special attention to your tone; be confident in your credentials, but do not be arrogant.