Oral Preliminary Exam
Workshop
Thursday, November 19th, 2015
What is the OPE?
The principal goal of the oral preliminary exam
(OPE) is to determine if the candidate has the
competence and capability to carry out and
complete a Ph.D. thesis in Chemistry.
Graduate Student Handbook 2014-2015 (pg. 19)
General Format
• Dissertation Research and Coursework (RC)
– 25 minute research presentation
– Questions on presentation
– Questions on graduate coursework
• Independent Proposal (IP)
– 25 minute presentation of proposed research
– Questions on presentation
– Additional questions on topics deemed
relevant/appropriate
What to Include?
• RC Format
–
–
–
–
Objective of, motivation for, and potential impact of work
Scientific background
Thesis research plan
Research progress made to date
• IP Format (criteria evaluated on)
– Significance: subject matter timely and important; completion of proposed
work extend current knowledge
– Scientific Background: literature search adequate?
– Experimental Approach: appropriate techniques/methods employed? Weak
points identified with alternative options presented? Approach creative?
– Presentation: goals clearly stated? Organized, logical and convincing?
– Defense: questions satisfactorily addressed? Candidate well versed in this
field to carry out proposed research?
Possible Outcomes
First Attempt




Pass
Pass with Reservation
Fail with 1 retake*
Fail with no retake
Retake
 Pass
 Pass with Reservation
 Fail
* 10 weeks have to pass before the retake can take place
*IP Format: brief abstract
due at least 4 weeks before
scheduled exam date*
Timeline
11/19/15 OPE Workshop
01/19/16 Classes Begin
02/01/16 – STRONGLY encouraged
to take OPE before this date to
allow CHEM 8888 credits during
Spring
04/01/16 – Last day for first
attempt (in order to allow 10
weeks for potential retake)
06/10/16 – Last day to pass in
good standing
*2 weeks before exam – OPE must be officially scheduled
with Graduate School by submitting form*
What Makes a Good Figure?
Effective Scientific Illustrations
http://www.labtimes.org/labtimes/issues/lt2008/lt05/lt_2008_05_52_53.pdf
Summarize Your Work in 100 Milliseconds or Less…
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/nn203713e
Graphs, Tables, and Figures in Scientific Publications: The Good,
the Bad, and How Not to Be the Latter
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0363502311016534
A Brief Guide to Designing Effective Figures for the Scientific
Paper
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adma.201102518/abstract
Advice from OPE Survivors




Do:
Practice, Practice,
Practice….
Ask senior grad students for
feedback
Meet with students from
your committee’s research
groups
Try to predict potential
questions, and practice
answers
Don’t:
 Procrastinate
 Put something on a slide
you can’t fully explain
Questions?
www.chem.umn.edu/grad/Workshop
 Slides presented today
 OPE section of graduate student handbook
Contact us at:
chemgswc@umn.edu
Small Groups
Windows
Smith 117/119
Analytical
Materials
Chem. Bio.
Organic
Inorganic
Physical
Back
*Faculty members represented in this area*
Analytical
Materials
*Distefano, Arriaga, Veglia,
Bowser, Tretyakova,
Haynes, Tim Griffin,
Buhlmann*
*Buhlmann, Stein, Massari, Drissen, Bill
Smyrl, Lodge, Tonks, Hillmyer, Lorraine
Francis, Reineke, Raj Suryanarayanan,
Taton, Haynes, Panyam*
Chem. Bio.
Organic
*Pomerantz, Harned, Veglia, Dan
Harki, Distefano, Arriaga, Reineke,
Cramer*
*Douglas, Harned, Georg,
Tretyakova, Hoye, Barany,
Noland, Holmes*
Inorganic
Physical
*Pierre, Lu, Mann, Rick Wagner,
Tolman, Que, Tonks, Lipscomb,
Stein, Gladfelter, Eray Aydil*
*Gagliardi, Truhlar, Doreen Leopold,
James Johns, Renata Wentzcovitch,
Cramer, Gladfelter, Santosa*