Transferable Skills

Time and Self Management

• Date: 12 June, 9-16:30 h with Dr Daniel Friedrich from Impulsplus
• Room: M630
• Participants: max. 14
• Registration deadline: 15 May
• Registration via ZEuS

Doctoral researchers need to advance their research while also managing many other tasks, like teaching, supervising, or doing admin work. You also work in a highly autonomous work environment. It takes good time- and self-management skills to excel in such an environment.
 
This workshop offers different methods and strategies to help you build the required skills to make optimal use of your available time and make efficient progress towards your goals. Key topics we will consider include how to focus upon important goals, how to stick to priorities in the face of conflicting demands, how to set-up routines for highly focused work and how our mindset influences our productivity. In addition, we will also reflect upon structures in our motivational system and how to use them to our advantage and learn an effective method for implementing behavioral change.

Contents in brief:
    - Time-management
    - Focusing on the right goals
    - Saying no and defending boundaries
    - Routines for highly focused work
    - Pragmatism & perfectionism
    - Self-management
    - Motivational drivers
    - Implementing behavioral change.

Counting towards the Certificate "Leadership, Management, Science Communication and Knowledge Transfer" (Module IV, 8 AE).

Scientific Writing with AI, organised in collaboration with IMPRS

- Date: 18 - 19 April, 9 - 17 h, with PD Dr Daniel Mertens from ScientistsNeedMore Schiller & Mertens
- Room: K7
- Participants: 50
- Registration deadline: 18 March
- Course registration: https://forms.gle/s5gw8pRSpXdfUgzd9

Scientists Need More! Next Level Scientific Writing with AI

Would you like to:
- Work more efficiently and effectively than ever before?
- Save time on literature search and literature assessment?
- Brainstorm more effectively with the help of AI tools?
- Produce easy to read text for cover letters, social media, for grants and for scientific papers?
- Change your scientific writing for the better?

AI-based tools have the potential to revolutionize scientific writing and enable researchers to work more efficiently and effectively. However, it is important for researchers to use these tools judiciously and with an understanding of their limitations. Examples of very useful tools are AI-powered literature search and analysis that substantially help identify relevant articles and assess their quality. Similarly, AI-based tools support brainstorming, identifying interesting research questions and even experimental setups. Finally these tools can be used to produce text that is easy-to-read e.g. for cover letters, for visibility on social media and for improved scientific texting of reports, grants and even scientific papers.

Although the range of tools is currently expanding exponentially, at the current stage we will discuss and use the following tools:

- www.perplexity.ai/ for finding papers, extracting key claims, summarizing,and brainstorming ideas,
- elicit.org/ for enhanced literature review by providing interactive summaries of key information about those papers in an interactive table,
- www.researchrabbit.ai/ for identifying manuscripts connected to your manuscripts of interests with respect to content and/or authors,
- www.jasper.ai/ for generating and summarizing text,
- chat.openai.com/chat for brainstorming and texting,
- www.deepl.com/write for optimizing text,
- openai.com/dall-e-2/ for images and
- contentatscale.ai/ai-content-detector/ for detecting AI-based writing.
However, this list is subject to constant updating.

Throughout the workshop we will use case studies and hands-on exercises to help participants apply the concepts and tools to their own scientific research communication.
Because AI-tools will take your scientific writing to the next level.

www.uni-konstanz.de/career-day-for-doctoral-researchers/

Scientific Presenting

- Date: 4 - 5 March with Sabine Lerch
Monday, 4 March     9:30 am – 12:45 pm and 1.45 pm – 5:30 pm
Tuesday, 5 March 9:00 am – 12:30 pm and 1:30 pm  – 5 pm
- Room: M630
- Participants: max. 10
- Registration deadline: 4 February
- Registration via ZEuS

Public speaking is a necessity in scientific life. Publish or perish – and some of your publications are talks in front of a more or less professional and more or less benevolent audience.

“Poets are born – speakers are made” with this quote Roman Rhetoricians used to motivate their students centuries ago. Yes, you can learn what the success factors of a good scientific presentation are. Very rarely is it the quality of the research results that cause problems. More often structure, orientation and personal performance can and should be improved to ensure that you come across as creative and credible scientist.

Find out what your strengths are and develop your individual presentation profile. Take steps to learn how to lead the audience from your first appearance on stage until the last question in the discussion. Be authentic, enthusiastic and convincing!

Topics

The Preparation
…what to collect and how to arrange
•    The target group and their expectations
•    Message, structure and the red line

Face, Voice and Body
… the importance of non-verbal communication
•    The magic of eye contact and smiles
•    Vocal power and variety
•    Gestures and posture

Powerful Presentation Language
…supporting your message
•    Helpful sentences for intro, main part and ending
•    Chunking and other “friends”
    Platform Skills
…for clear visualisation and high creativity
•    Powerpoint, flipchart et. al.
•    Mindmaps and brainstorming

Being aware what’s happening out there
…”reading” and leading the audience
•    Sharpen the sensory perception
•    Voice, body and more

The ”Show” must go on
…state control or how to deal with difficulties
•    Nervousness and stage fright
•    Using the inner resources

Question and Answer Session
…what to say if …
•    Clarifying questions
•    Paraphrasing

Methods

The training is conducted over 2 full days. It consists of short theory lessons and special exercises to focus, for example, on body language, the rest of the time is spent presenting presenting presenting. Each participant gives a prepared talk which is video-taped and analyzed and structured feedback is given by the peer group and the trainer.  

gmp-kurs.de/en/gmp-online-course/

Many companies expect knowledge of Good Manufacturing Practice from "life science" students. Especially in the pharmaceutical industry it is a relevant requirement.
If you are interested attending a GMP course please contact: gbchs-courses@uni-konstanz.de

Writing Research Articles

• 9 - 10 November, 9-17 h with Dr Philipp Mayer
• Room: V837
• Participants: max. 12
• ADILT Credits: 2 ECTS
• Registration deadline: 12 October
•  Registration via ZEuS

The writing of well-argued and clearly-structured research articles is a key competence for doctoral researchers in the life sciences and natural sciences. In this workshop you investigate the writing process from first ideas to finished text, explore your individual strengths and development areas in the context of scientific writing and analyse the section and paragraph structure of research articles. Further, you understand attributes of clear research articles, practice effective techniques for improvements of text quality, know how to improve the cooperation with co-authors and supervisors and develop time and self-management strategies for productive writing.

Getting Organized: Modern Knowledge Management for Researchers, organized in collaboration with IMPRS

- 26 October, 9 - 17 h, with Dr Daniel Friedrich 
- Room: online
- Participants: max 15
- Registration deadline: 28 September
- Registration to the course: https://forms.gle/zpqqa8udDxjGaTNL7

Articles, videos, podcasts, conversations - everywhere, you can find potentially relevant ideas, information, and insights for your own research. This hands-on workshop teaches techniques, tools, and workflows to manage this abundance of information productively. In the first part, we explore methods to enhance time management when searching for new information and creating notes. The second part offers a practical introduction to tools and workflows that assist us in efficiently storing various content and retrieving it quickly when needed. The focus is on the open-source literature management program Zotero and the free knowledge management software Obsidian. We will explain basic functions and relevant terminology, but also cover extensions, advanced settings, and workflows. By the end of the workshop, all participants will have a functioning knowledge management system and will be able to adapt and expand it according to their subject-specific needs.

Contents in brief:
- Knowledge management: Fundamental methods
- Tools for efficiently saving different media content
- Zotero: Basic functions, plugins, advanced settings and workflows
- Obsidian: Basic functions, plugins, advanced settings and workflows.

Methods:
- Theoretical input
- Trainer-led computer tasks
- Partner and group activities
- Full-group discussion.

No technical background knowledge is assumed. However, participants should be able / have the rights to install new software on their system.

Presenting Your Science CANCELLED

- 5 - 6 October, 10:30–18 h with Prof. Dr Miriam Unterlass
- Room: M630
- Participants: max. 20
- ADILT Credits: 1 ECTS
- Registration deadline:  7 September
- Registration via ZEuS

Scientists spend a significant portion of their time presenting. We present basic or more advanced concepts and how to apply them when we teach. We present our results, insights, and our opinions on which steps to take next when we talk to collaborators. We present the beauty and value of science to the public when we participate in outreach. We present our work and argue its importance when we give talks at conferences.

The goal of this course is to equip the participants with the tools and training on how to deliver effective presentations. We will discuss and train how to reach different audiences effectively, i.e., to inform, convince, inspire, and engage the audience. This course covers, for instance, body language, voice, different media and forms of delivery, talks in front of a seated audience, chalk talks, talks with slide support, talks as a function of audience size, talks with a microphone, pre-recorded talks, talks for different audiences (scientist, public, industry, investors, etc.).

Neither in-depth knowledge of the topic nor experience in presenting is required.

First Aid Course in English

- 22 November, 8:15 - 17 h, Malteser Hilfsdienst
- Venue: Malteser Hilfsdienst, Friedrichstraße 23, 78464 Konstanz, room on the 1st floor
- Participants: max 12
- Registration deadline: 31 October

- Registration for the course: www.chembiol.uni-konstanz.de/training/transferable-skills/registration-first-aid-course/

The First Aid basic training focuses on the teaching of simple life-saving measures as well as on basic strategies for action. These topics and applications are included:
- Self-protection and securing the accident site
- Providing help in the event of accidents
- Wound care
- Handling joint injuries and bone fractures
- Burns
- Heat / cold damage
- Poisoning
- Life-saving emergency measures such as recovery position and resuscitation.
You will also be familiarized with the handling of accidents and emergencies at our university.

After successful participation, all participants who are employed at the University of Konstanz will be included in the internal directory of First Responders. By registering you agree to this.

Preparing Conference Posters

- 7 July, 9-17 h with Dr Philipp Mayer
- Room: F429
- Participants: max. 14
- Registration deadline: 9 June
- Registration via ZEuS

Conference posters are on display in competitive environments: They have to stand out in order to gain recognition. This workshop shows how to prepare posters that attract attention, communicate information quickly, and demonstrate scientific competence.

Programme
- selecting topics and tools: messages, titles, conference abstracts, poster templates, software tools
- improving clarity: figures, texts, flow of reading
- attracting attention: colours, layout, illustrative material
- presenting your work: succeeding in poster sessions, giving poster talks.

Description
The workshop is composed of lectures, discussions, and exercises. Participants evaluate existing posters, draft own posters on their computers and present their drafts to the group. It is a workshop for PhD-candidates with no experience in poster preparation.

Preparation
Every participant brings a notebook equipped with PowerPoint (or with another software for poster preparation) to the workshop. In addition, participants draft a preliminary title for their next poster before the workshop. Participants are invited to bring examples of conference posters (in digital or print form).

Scientific Graphic Design

• 15 -16 June, 10-18 h with Prof. Dr. Miriam Unterlass 
• Room: K503 on 15 June and M628 on 16 June
• Participants: max. 50
• Registrationdeadline: 18 May
• Registration via ZEuS

Please note, the course can be credited to the ADILT block 2 (1 ECTS).

This course provides the theory and hand-on basics of graphic design. The participants first receive a theoretical introduction into graphic design: communication, scientific and graphical storytelling, design theory, design principles, visual elements, formstorming, layouting, graphic design in the context of CI and DEI. Subsequently, we design and produce different graphics hands-on using Adobe creative suite programs. It is intended, too, to go for a walk through town to analyze and discuss design examples (buildings, ads, graffiti).  No previous knowledge is required.

Participants with previous knowledge – no matter the extent – shall not be bored either, as the course provides a unique angle of application to scientific contexts.   

Scientific Presenting

- 5 - 6 April, 9–17 h with Millie Baker
- Room: M630
- Participants: max. 10
- Registration: 21 February - 8 March
- Registration via ZEuS

Do you want more confidence and impact in your presentations? Do you want to engage your audience more naturally and communicate your research with clarity?

The aim of this workshop is to help you become more aware of your personal presentation style, your strategies, strengths and weaknesses, and support you to try out new ways of communicating that can help you get your message across more effectively.

The workshop is highly interactive. We use a mix of practical exercises, discussion and feedback, and presentations can be filmed for you to study at home.

- Connect more easily and authentically with your audience
- Strengthen your professional voice
- Explore the subtleties of verbal and non-verbal communication
- Develop a critical awareness of effective presentation style to give and receive constructive feedback
- Practice the English language of presentation
- Learn strategies for dealing with unexpected or difficult questions
- Design and use PowerPoint slides more effectively
- Build confidence and enjoyment in public speaking

Getting it Done! How to complete your dissertation – methods and motivation

- 1 March 9-17 h, and 2 March 9–13 h with Dr. Daniel Friedrich 
- Room: online
- Participants: max. 10
- Registration deadline: 1 February
- Registration via ZEuS

The contents of your work are largely outlined, the composition and structure are taking shape, and you have a specific deadline in mind. The central question now is: "How can I achieve the best possible result in the timeframe I have set myself?" In this workshop, you will learn a set of tools and reflect upon your mindset to help you manage the final stage of your dissertation as productively and stress-free as possible: you will develop a project plan for the completion phase. You will learn about productivity strategies and think specifically about which of them suit you and how you want to make meaningful use of them in your situation. We discuss how you can quickly overcome possible blockages and continue to work efficiently. We will discuss how to deal with the stress of the final months and how to stay motivated. In all cases, we will focus as much as possible on the specific challenges of the participants.   
The course is intended for PhD candidates in the final year of their dissertation.

Contents in brief:
- Project management
- Efficient time management and self-motivation
    - Setting priorities and defending your boundaries
    - A pragmatic mindset
    - Structuring your workday and week
    - Overcoming writer’s block 
    - Staying motivated
- Dealing with stress

Good Scientific Practice courses are offered regulary in German and English by the Academic Staff Development of the University of Konstanz

https://asd-veranstaltungen.uni-konstanz.de/promotion/index.php

Improved Reading Science

• 13-14 December, 9-17 h with Stephan Zimmermann
• Room: online
• Participants: max. 15
• Registration deadline: 16 November
• Registration via ZEuS

Scientific work requires a significant amount of reading. What if you could increase your reading speed by 30 to 100% (depending on the difficulty of your texts and your English proficiency) without compromising comprehension? Wouldn’t that motivate you to read more?

Benefits
- Save time when you read and focus on the most relevant points without missing out on any of the details.
- Better concentration and higher motivation
- Increase comfort and reduce effort when reading from screens
- Most of our participants double their reading speed while comprehension levels remain the   same or increase. They can thus process important texts more rapidly.

Project Management for Doctoral Researchers

• 1., 2., 8., 9. December, 9-13 h with Nicola Findeis
• Room: online
• Participants: max. 15
• Registration deadline: 3 November
• Registration via ZEuS

Many scientific projects and specifically PhD projects suffer from an insufficient planning, unclear goal definitions, unclear role allocation and a bad time management. This leads to project delays, inefficient use of resources and often to frustration on the side of the scientists working on the bench.
This workshop is designed to improve this situation by supporting  PhD students in the acquisition of the necessary skills for an effective management of their research project and their personal and private time. It is based on the classical and agile project management and time management tools which are adapted to the need of exploratory scientific projects.
The course includes many interactive hands-on exercises in which participants directly apply the learned tools to their every-day situation. They will thus leave the course with first results that can directly be transferred to their work and life situation.

Contents: 

Introduction of different agile and classic project management methods and tools in combination with practical exercises on your own project and in practical case studies.
- Differences between agile and classic project management
- Project conception: vision & objectives, stakeholder analysis, risk management,
 project specification
- Classic & agile project planning: charts, roles & responsibility, milestones &
  deliverables
- Project execution: Meeting structure, delegation, documentation & information,
  visualization
- Working in teams: Team size & dynamics, communication
- Self-management: Prioritization, stress-management, Self-reflection

Writing Research Articles

• Datum: 28 -29 September, 9-17 h - with Dr. Philipp Mayer
• Room: M 630
• Participants: max. 12
• Registration deadline: 14 September
•  Registration via ZEuS

The writing of well-argued and clearly-structured research articles is a key competence for doctoral researchers in the life sciences and natural sciences. In this workshop you investigate the writing process from first ideas to finished text, explore your individual strengths and development areas in the context of scientific writing and analyse the section and paragraph structure of research articles. Further, you understand attributes of clear research articles, practice effective techniques for improvements of text quality, know how to improve the cooperation with co-authors and supervisors and develop time and self-management strategies for productive writing.

Good Manufacturing Practice 

• 14 - 15 September, 9 - 17 h with Dr. Bernd Renger
• Room: K 503
• Participants: max. 30
• Registration deadline: 10 August
• Registration via ZEuS

The manufacture and distribution of pharmaceuticals (medicinal products) and their active pharmaceutical ingredients (drug substances) is highly regulated worldwide and supervised by national or international regulatory authorities. The European Union (EU) has implemented a complex framework called EudraLex, a collection of rules and regulations governing medicinal products, to ensure a harmonized pharmaceutical legislation in the member states. The centerpiece of these regulations are the Good Manufacturing Practice guidelines (GMP). This guidance aims to ensure that during production, processing, testing, packaging, and holding of medicinal products stringent quality standards are strictly followed.

The two-day course will provide an overview about the EU GMP guidelines, its basic elements, and its application to different types of pharmaceutical dosage forms. The course will be conducted via presentations summarizing important aspects and connections between the individual parts and chapters of the guidelines plus interactive communication with the participants. In addition, there will be quizzes as introduction to the presentations, and questions & answer sessions. Before the start of the course, from 29 to 31 August, participants will receive some links to familiarize themselves with the subject matter.

First Aid Course in English

- 27 July, 8:15 - 17 h, Malteser Hilfsdienst
- Room D 434
- Participants: max 16
- Registration deadline: 12 July
- Registration to the course via ZEuS

The First Aid basic training focuses on the teaching of simple life-saving measures as well as on basic strategies for action. These topics and applications are included:
- Self-protection and securing the accident site
- Providing help in the event of accidents
- Wound care
- Handling joint injuries and bone fractures
- Burns
- Heat/cold damage
- Poisoning
- Life-saving emergency measures such as recovery position and resuscitation.
You will also be familiarized with the handling of accidents and emergencies at our university.

After successful participation in the internal First-Aid course, all participants who are employed at the University of Konstanz will be included in the Internal Directory of First Responder. By participating in our internal course, all participants agree to this.

- 25 Juli, 8:15 - 17 h, Malteser Hilfsdienst
- Raum D 434
- Teilnehmerzahl: max 16
- Anmeldeschluss: 10 Juli
- Anmeldung zum Kurs via ZEuS

Die Erste Hilfe-Grundkurs fokussiert auf die Vermittlung von lebensrettenden Maßnahmen und einfachen Erste-Hilfe-Maßnahmen sowie auf grundsätzliche Handlungsstrategien. Diese Themen und Anwendungen stehen im Vordergrund:
- Eigenschutz und Absichern von Unfällen
- Helfen bei Unfällen
- Wundversorgung
- Umgang mit Gelenkverletzungen und Knochenbrüchen
- Verbrennungen
- Hitze-/Kälteschäden
- Verätzungen
- Vergiftungen
- lebensrettende Sofortmaßnahmen wie stabile Seitenlage und Wiederbelebung.
Zudem werden Sie mit der Abwicklung von Unfällen und Notfällen an unserer Universität vertraut gemacht.

Nach der erfolgreichen Teilnahme an dem Kurs werden alle Teilnehmer*innen, die an der Uni Konstanz angestellt sind, in das interne Ersthelfer*innen-Verzeichnis aufgenommen. Durch die Teilnahme an unserem internen Kurs erklären sich alle Teilnehmenden damit einverstanden.

Scientific Graphic Design

• New date: 13-14 June, 10-18 h with Prof. Dr. Miriam Unterlass 
• Room: K0503
• Participants: max. 50
• Registration deadline: 31 May
• Registration via ZEuS

This course provides the theory and hand-on basics of graphic design. The participants first receive a theoretical introduction into graphic design: communication, scientific and graphical storytelling, design theory, design principles, visual elements, formstorming, layouting, graphic design in the context of CI and DEI. Subsequently, we design and produce different graphics hands-on using Adobe creative suite programs. It is intended, too, to go for a walk through town to analyze and discuss design examples (buildings, ads, graffiti).  No previous knowledge is required.