FIRE Talks

FIRE Talks

The FIRE Talks series in UBC Library Research Commons provides space for graduate students to present their research and connect with other graduate students around common research interests.

Students present for a maximum of 5 minutes on their topic, and then the interdisciplinary panel discusses the topic from their disciplinary perspectives, sharing their thoughts and insights. 

What to Expect

In case you haven’t been to a FIRE Talk (Facilitated Interdisciplinary Research Exchange) yet, you’re in for a treat. The first part of the session will consist of you and the other presenters sharing your research with everyone, ideally making the relationship to the topic clear. Each person will conclude by posing a few questions to the audience to stimulate thought and discussion on the topic. The second portion of the talk will be centered around a discussion involving all presenters and audience members, trying to build connections between research ideas and share strategies.

Why should you present at the FIRE Talk? 

FIRE Talks offer you an opportunity to: 

• Present your research to and with grad student peers in a low-stakes environment 
• Share and/or test your research and research ideas 
• Meet and connect with others who share your interests 

What to Prepare

As a presenter, your job is to create a presentation that focuses on any aspect of or perspective on the main topic. This can be connected with your own research or could simply be something that is of interest to you. You don’t need to make everyone an expert, just present your ideas/concepts/research and why it is important. You will have a maximum of 5 PowerPoint slides to prepare (including one the title page), using the template that was emailed to you or can be downloaded from our webpage.

Timing

You will have 5 minutes (strictly enforced!) to get through your slides, before the next presenter. When the timer on your slides run out, the next presenter will take over – there is no option for an extra 30 seconds, so please practice your timing! This is a perfect avenue to practice your ‘3 Minute Thesis’ talk! 

Interdisciplinary Audiences

Please keep in mind that it is likely that few participants will be from your discipline, so be sure to avoid the use of overly discipline-specific language or methodological jargon. Remember that you are presenting to a general audience, so make your talk accessible to everyone.

Notes on Your Presentation

As we have already mentioned, your presentation should be accessible to audiences from any discipline. We also ask that you are respectful of other disciplinary approaches in both your presentation and the subsequent discussion. 
Please be aware of the copyright guidelines for presentations of this nature. This is particularly important for anybody wishing to include a video clip in their presentations. Any handouts you choose to distribute must also only include information for which you have the appropriate permissions. You are responsible for all materials included in your presentation!