I. Key Elements 

• Begin Fall 2007
• Open to all EE graduate and undergraduate students
• Selected Friday during academic year, 11:30 am - 1 pm
• Located generally in SSL 150 (next to Seaver Science Library). 
• Free pizza graciously provided by the EE Department
• Typically led by 2 EE faculty members
• Faculty will combine formal slides, informal discussion, and/or Q&A
• Faculty will have discretion on topics and approaches

II. Prospective Topics (initial themes in no particular order)

• Every Student Should be a Mentor
• Thinking "Interdisciplinary"
• How to Pursue an Academic Career
• Finding an Advisor: Avoiding the Pitfalls
• Wrong Ways to Perform a Literature Search
• Things a Ph.D. Enables in Your Career
• Challenges of an Experimentalist / Theoretician
• Importance and Basics of Patents
• Preparing and Giving a Technical Presentation
• Switching Fields can be a Positive
• Navigating Conferences and Exhibit Halls
• Reading a Journal Article with a Discerning Eye
• The Start-up Company Experience
• Best Practices for a Job Search
• The Resume Should Distinguish Your Value
• Publications: Dealing with Co-authors & Reviews
• Insights for a Successful Career in Research
• Elements of Successful Proposals
• Defining Milestones and Quantitative Metrics
• When to Persevere and When to Quit a Project
• Picking a Research Topic
• Breaking Cultural Barriers
• When Things Get "Sticky" with your Advisor
• Perspective on Screening, Quals, Defense
• Future in a Big Company vs. a Small Company
• Budgets are Important in Research Groups