Penn State Evolution Discussion Group

TIME:

Spring 2024—Mondays at 3pm in Mueller 510. First meeting January 29th, 2024.

LEADERS:

Dr. David Toews, Assistant Professor, Dr. Thomas Stewart, Assistant Professor, Dr. Valentina Gómez-Bahamón, Eberly Postdoctoral Fellow

DISCUSSION OVERVIEW:

This journal discussion group focuses broadly on topics in evolution. Our discussions used to focus on the applications of high-throughput sequencing to address ecological and evolutionary questions, but we have recently broadened our scope. There is no longer a strict boundary on topics, but papers should be recent (past 1-2 years) and of broad interest in evolutionary biology.  We prefer if folks are able to attend in person, but also have hybrid options available.

Email Dr. Toews  (toews@psu.edu) or Dr. Gómez-Bahamón (vmg5263@psu.edu) to be added to the email list, and receive the room number and Zoom login information.

EXPECTATIONS:

Each participant is expected to choose a relevant paper and lead the group in discussion of that paper at least once. Please send your paper to Valentina (vmg5263@psu.edu) one week before you present. Papers should meet the following requirements:

• address questions related to evolution

• any research methods are acceptable

• the topic should be of interest to a broad audience (i.e. folks from various biological disciplines)

• publication date is within the last ~3 years

• can be a methods development paper

A good presentation will consist of:

• a thorough explanation of the main question/goal of the paper, methods used to address the question/goal, main results and figures, and the important conclusions drawn from the data

• guiding the group through a stimulating discussion

• identifying any weak points of the paper and ideas for further research

Although you are expected to have thoroughly read the paper, you are not expected to be an expert in the methods the researchers used. It is okay if you don’t understand the exact ways in which the data were produced and analyzed. In fact, this may be a fruitful area of discussion. You may find it helpful to prepare visuals to guide your presentation (e.g., a few slides). However, it is important to remember that this should be a group discussion and not a lecture. Therefore, you may also want to prepare and a list of possible discussion topics and questions for your colleagues that you may use to stimulate discussion.