1. What benefits do I get by participating in the doctoral
symposium?
The biggest benefit is to obtain, in one day, constructive and
acute comments as well as criticisms from external peers who have
had long experience of object-oriented research, thus helping you
to do better research towards your eventual
Ph. D. thesis. Although you already have a very capable thesis
advisor, it is always beneficial to obtain outside opinions, as
after a while both you and your advisor may have gotten so used to
thinking about your work that obvious technical values as well as
pitfalls may be being overlooked. The mentors will also give
helpful advice in order to improve your presentation, not only the
content but the style thereof, allowing you to perform better in
your future job interviews. That is to say, the mentors are quite
experienced about behind-the-scenes situations of thesis defenses
or job interviews, and will give advice based on their knowledge.
There are also other practical benefits:
2. What do I do besides giving a presentation?
You also will listen to the presentations by other students, and
are welcome to ask questions as well as give constructive
comments. There is also a very nice dinner the night before the
symposium to get acquainted with one another and the
mentors. You will also be served breakfast and lunch, courtesy
of OOPSLA.
3. I don't have a thesis proposal
yet. Can I still attend the symposium, but not give a
presentation?
Unfortunately, no. Wait until you have a thesis topic, and apply
then.
4. I am applying to be a student volunteer;
what happens if my schedule as a volunteer conflicts with the
symposium?
Although you could simultaneously apply to both the doctoral
symposium and the student volunteer program, you will lose your
student volunteer status should you be accepted as a doctoral
symposium participant. This is to allow as much student
participation as possible under OOPSLA sponsorship. Your
application status to the student volunteer program will not
affect your chances of selection for doctoral symposium, and
vice versa. You still receive some benefits of a student
volunteer, as noted above.
5. Can I participate in the symposium
partially (like, half a day)? I have something else to do in the
afternoon.
Again, this is not possible, as it is essential for the student
not only to give his own presentation, but also listen to the
presentation by the others, and give comments. It is such
synergetic and dedicated participatory atmosphere that has made
the past doctoral symposiums successes; you will likely not
regret having invested your whole day there.
6.. I have presented at the past OOPSLA
doctoral symposium. Can I still apply?
You can, but you will have to make a strong case for it in your application. Generally, precedence will be made to people who have not attended before.
7. What have the past students said about
the symposium?
For the past four years, I have been a mentor at the doctoral
symposium at OOPSLA. The responses by the students have been
overwhelmingly positive, that people have thoroughly enjoyed the
participation. In fact, I have never heard any negative comments
--- just some comments for improving things here and there. This
is despite that students often receive acute criticisms of their
work. Reponses generally are of the form "I have never
thought of my work from the viewpoints as had been pointed
out", "I really got some good ideas for future work
from the discussions", "Now I see how to make a point
in the presentation", etc.
8. I have a paper at a workshop or the main
conference. What good will it do for me if I participate and
present here in addition to my other presentation?
There are quite a few differences. First, a workshop or the main
conference presentation will be concerning your particular
paper, whereas at the doctoral symposium the presentation and
the discussion topic will be your whole thesis work. Secondly,
the mentors will not be just someone with an interest in your
work, but rather, have a specific mission to improve your thesis
work, and thus will ask questions and give critical comments in
order to fulfill that objective. Thus, the discussions will be
much broader as well as being much more comprehensive. Thirdly,
the mentors will give advice about your presentations, including
non-technical issues such as the slide style, tone of voice, and
what people will look for in your defense and your job
interviews. You are strongly encouraged to have a poster
presentation, which will expose your work to general peers
during the conference.
9. Who have been past mentors?
The
past doctoral symposium chairs and mentors include Toby Bloom,
Craig Chambers, Dennis Kafura, Gregor Kiczales, Gary Leavens, Mary
Loomis, Satoshi Matsuoka, John McGregor, Eliot Moss, Oscar
Nierstrasz, Allen Parrish, Mary Beth Rosson, Rebecca Worfs-Brock,
amongst others. All have been great contributors to the OO
community, not only for their academic work but also their service
to the OOPSLA / ECOOP as conference/program chairs, conference
organizers, workshop leaders, etc.
10. I am a foreign student. Could I still
participate? My English is not that good, so I am afraid of not
being able to follow the discussions.
By all means, you are very welcome. OOPSLA itself is an
international conference hosting numerous people from various
countries. In fact, the past doctoral symposiums have had quite
a number of foreign participants, quite successfully, including
people from Europe (Belgium, UK, Germany, etc.), Asia (China,
etc.), South America (Brazil, Argentine, etc.), and Africa
(South Africa). In fact, it is a great opportunity for students
from abroad, since typically there would be less opportunity at
home for presentation and intense discussions compared to those
at OOPSLA. Mentors are quite helpful in helping you most
effectively express the contributions of your work in an English
presentation. Also there will be reimbursement for your travel
and lodging, which is also a big plus for you in order to attend
OOPSLA and see the other activities going on in your research
area.