Materials
Disclaimer: these guidelines are not strict, depending on the topic you may not be able to fill all of them and that is fine. If you are unsure, remember that you can always ask us for help.
The presentations should cover the following:
- The basic principles of the topic: define keywords, explain the theoretical background.
- Practical use and applications: what is it used for? What is the current state of the art or hot research topic?
- Detailed description of one application.
A good place to start are review articles, the newer the better. Try to find something less than 5 years old.
Many of the topics have an extensive Wikipedia article. While Wikipedia can be an excellent source for general knowledge and the big picture, detailed information, recent advances and applications should be from peer reviewed sources. This does not mean that non-peer reviewed sources are forbidden, but be critical about what kind of information you are citing from which source.
Always cite the source, no matter how “bad” it is. If you feel like you do not want to include the source to your presentation or essay, then you most likely should also leave out the information you got from that source.
For those with more practical topics, a good place to get an idea of the current leading edge are device manufacturers. Find device brochures and see which properties they emphasize.
The content/level of the presentation should more or less reflect what you needed to study to from your knowledge (mid-Master) to the level required to understand a review article.