Power Point: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

No, I don't mean a production by Sergio Leone but actual presentations that either you or I have witnessed or possibly have even given. For the sake of entertainment, let's look at the ugly for starters.

Isn't this slide fun to look at! Small font size, lots of text, did I mention too much text? It seems all the really bad slides have too much text, too small a font size, too many pictures, poor quality pictures, garish colors, and colored fonts that clash with the garish colored background. What did I miss? Hey, I'm not an expert but that slide was ugly! The only thing that could have made it worse is if they uses some nice clip art and a busy background.

Now let's look at a better one, or at least not as ugly as the first.

Well, this slide has a nice larger font, BUT I find it hard to read because of the background with its black and white static going on. Maybe it's supposed to be crushed Oreo cookies? Hard to say if this is actually uglier than the first or not.

Now it's time for a GOOD PowerPoint slide.

Why is this a good slide? It's clear, concise, easy to read (at least when in presentation mode) and the speaker doesn't just stand there reading everything like probably happened with the first ugly example. The rest of the slides in this particular presentation aren't as clear and concise as this example but for the audience (students in a classroom setting) it's just fine.
For a non-classroom setting, you want to capture your audiences attention and give them something to focus on while you deliver the presentation. Note that I said YOU deliver the presentation. If the PowerPoint does all the presentation, why are you there talking? A person could just look at your slides when they have a more convenient time.
The take-home message is this: Avoid "Death by PowerPoint"
There are a host of helps available online. Sift through them and see what they offer. What one person thinks is good, another may think is bad. Try to gauge what your audience will react to and make it appropriate for them. Remember, the presentation is for them, not you!

Spreading the Good Word... Of Science That Is!

How do you spread science to a crowd of people? Not the scientific crowd, although some may be inclined that way. Ordinary people. People who had a science class in high school or college and hasn't though much about it since.

Here is the deal, science at the basic level is generally interesting to a good crowd of folks. Once you dive in deep, you tend to loose all but the most advanced. Take for example, electricity. When I was a kid, I was really interested (or at least I thought I was) in all things electric. I would go to Salt Lake City to the Hansen Planetarium to see the "Zap Show" where they had giant Tesla coils, Van de Graaff  generators, a Faraday cage and lots of ozone in the air. Pretty cool stuff! Fast forward to physics 2120 or equivalent and the coolness factor starts to wear off rather quickly.

That brings me to an important point:
Not all science is interesting, and the deeper you get, the less interesting it tends to be to the average citizen. For example, I tell someone, "I'm in the soil science program at USU!" and they want to know a little bit more. They think that it's interesting! But if I tell someone, "hey, I just fit some soil moisture data to the van Genuchten parametric model!" Their eyes glaze over and they want to run away.

People want to relate, they want to know, "how does it affect me?" or probably more like, "what's in it for me?" If you can present that, and hold their attention, you're set. So keep it simple! Make it fun, give people the resources if they want to go deeper but don't bore them with the details before they're ready.

My other science interest is rockets. That can be as basic or as in-depth as you want to make it. Here are some websites I've spent some time looking at. They do a great job of presenting the information to a general audience and if you want to dig deeper, the resources are generally available. My favorite site is probably SpaceX. They have a users guide to their space craft, price lists for sending your payload into space, and merchandise for sale!

SpaceX Click on the Falcon 9 button for an overview, users guide, and pricing
SpaceX Facebook Page
Gravity Probe B
Gravity Probe B Facebook Page
Utah Rocket Club
USU Experimental Rocket Club Facebook Page

What's the common theme? They show the fun, interesting, exciting points of what's going on in their world that allow you to relate.

So You Want to Grow Giant Pumpkins?

Seriously, you think you want to grow giant pumpkins? Well, pack your bags 'cause you're in the wrong state let alone the wrong county! But in all reality, even though you may not be heading for world records in Cache Valley, you CAN grow a pumpkin bigger than your neighbors' and if you take it to the county fair, you just might win a little cash to boot! Make no mistake about it, it's not, "Oh I'll toss some seeds in the garden and see what happens". It's a commitment and depending on what you put in to it, (and a good deal of "luck" and pumpkin genetics) will largely determine what you get out of it.

Here are some books from my personal library I've found helpful in my pumpkin/squash growing endeavors:

World Record Tomatoes, Charles H. Wilbur

Producing Vegetable Crops, Swiader & Ware

How to Grow World Class Giant Pumpkins II, Don Langevin

How to Grow World Class Giant Pumpkins, Don Langevin

The Compleat Squash, Amy Goldman

(And yes, the giant tomato plants share similar principles as giant pumpkins and their respective plants.)

But if you're already a giant pumpkin grower, you probably don't need any extra advise.

There are several things I feel compelled to mention at this point.

1.  There is lots of good information and lots of bad information out there. Putting the end of your vines in a cup of milk WILL NOT help your pumpkin grow any bigger. But, if you won last time, hey, whatever makes you feel good inside! If you don't know what you are doing, find GOOD information. Also there are quite a few state extension sites that have solid information about pumpkin growing
2.  Please don't starve your plant. Giant pumpkins grow really fast, use lots of nutrients, and use even more water! Oh yeah, they require lots of sun. Remember that whole photosynthesis thing? Don't plant it in the shade.When was the last time you tried to ration the gas in your car while you were on a cross country road trip or tried to get a nice tan under a tree? Exactly. Don't do it.
3. The other reason these pumpkins grow big is genetics. Yes sir. Genes! Don't plant Jack-Be-Little or Small Sugar and expect large sizes. Whoever grew last year's world record pumpkin probably sold lots of seeds for lots of money! That being said, if everyone in a pumpkin growing contest starts with the same seeds, it could be interesting. A giant little pumpkin contest??? Want a big pumpkin? Plant seeds from big pumpkins.

 Be forewarned "real" giant pumpkin growers can be quite secretive about their growing information, certain "black arts", and other superstitions/science/pseudoscience they may employ.
Now, who's ready to grow a pumpkin bigger than mine?

PSC 5740 Senior Capstone Class 2013

This blog will serve to document my progress in PSC 5740, spring semester, 2013.

Assignment #1: Create a one page Power Point presentation about blogging. Pros/cons and generally what I think would be most effective.