Committee Responsibilities

Identify and Invite Speakers (prior semester, mid-semester)

• Request from administrative organizer a list of available dates for the coming semester

• Collect input from faculty colleagues and GMC. 

• The committee together identifies a list of suggested speakers (with alternates), to be approved by the heads of DMSE and MRL. Ultimately, the series should balance research areas, but also reflect a variety of ages, stages in career, geographic representation, etc.

• Select a group of speakers with a balance of research disciplines, gender, ethnicity, background, and other factors. Consider representing MRSECs and DMSE alums in schedule. Try to balance potential travel costs and weather issues by inviting local speakers (Harvard, BU, Northeastern). Check MIT, DMSE, and local calendars before offering dates.

Invitation letter

• Once speaker has accepted invitation with a set date, be sure to CC administrative organizer with confirmation response to speaker 
  

Host and Co-Host Responsibilities 

Each seminar has two faculty hosts: a member of the seminar committee (co-host) as well as the person who originally proposed that the speaker be invited (host). If the host is not on the seminar committee, a faculty committee member must coordinate the host/co-host duties. 

Provide for staff working on the seminar (Host and co-host):

• A list of departments and research centers to receive seminar poster/mailings, if outside usual promotional list

• A short list of faculty whom you feel might be interested in meeting with speaker

Assist admin to recruit faculty and to fill schedule as needed 

If speaker's schedule is not filled close to the time of the talk, it becomes the faculty host's responsibility to help to fill the remaining availability by:

• Encouraging relevant faculty to meet with speaker

• Meeting with speaker during one of the unfilled time slots

• Recommending postdocs/grad students so that admin may arrange a student group to meet with the speaker. Such groups are usually students of the host or a PI..

Introduce speaker prior to talk  

Host dinner and lunch groups 

• Dinners are generally a faculty group, held near campus, in the evening following the seminar (though some speakers may choose to arrive earlier, and dinner would be the previous evening)
• Lunch is usually a group of 8-10 students and post-docs, who either apply or are nominated by their advisees. Lunch can be held at the Faculty Lunch Room or in a conference room, with delivered sandwiches.