ASTR 8500 (O'Connell) Spring 2026

---

POSSIBLE OPTIONAL TOPIC LIST

a) How to give a bad talk --- MICHAELA

b) Social media: good, bad, and ugly

c) Social networking in science: value, tips

d) What good is tenure? (tenure vs term contracts, pros & cons)

e) Navigating group science

f) Responsibilities of scientists to society

g) Elements of persuasion

h) Common mistakes in graduate research projects

i) Teaching skills to cultivate --- YANBO

j) Top-10 job-getting skills in astronomy

k) Help! How do I manage my time?

l) Paper writing tips --- ANNA

m) Employment opportunities for PhD's outside astronomy --- HAO-SHENG

n) Professional meetings: strategies and etiquette

o) Mental health in academia --- SANJANA

p) Data visualization in publications and presentations --- JONATHAN

q) How to read a scientific paper --- KAIA

r) Managing your personal literature library

s) Public outreach: goals, varieties, effectiveness

t) P-hacking and other statistical malfeasance --- DILLON

u) Common mistakes in job interviews

v) Does the ``reproducibility crisis'' affect astronomy? --- SID

w) How will artificial intelligence affect astronomical discovery and careers? --- TEGAN

x) Your own idea here

---

Return to home page

---

Last modified 14 February 2026 by rwo

Text copyright © 2016-2026 Robert W. O'Connell. All rights reserved.