Student Hosted Colloquia Guidelines

The goal of the Student Hosted Colloquia (SHC) series is to provide ten seminars (one sponsored by Rohm & Haas) to Stanford University chemistry graduate students and the chemistry community that appeal to a broad audience. We aim to select speakers who are engaging, enthusiastic, and interested in interacting with students. The Student Affairs Committee (SAC) requests assistance from all students in the department, according to the guidelines outlined below, in order to make this series a success.

Selection Process

1. Each graduate student has the opportunity to nominate SHC speakers through their research group Senator. Groups are encouraged to nominate speakers they believe will appeal to a broad chemistry student audience and who are especially interested in meeting and speaking with students. Nominations for speakers who have visited the Department within the past four years will not be accepted. A list of recent speakers will be provided to the Senators.
2. Each group is alloted seven nominees, two of which are Rohm & Haas nominees. A graduate student must be willing and committed to host each nominee for the nomination to be accepted by the SAC. Nominations should include the following information: speaker's name, affiliation, sub-discipline, brief research description, the name of a potential graduate student host. Nominations without a student host will not be accepted.
3. The Senator will submit his/her group's nominees to the SAC/SHC Coordinator by the stated deadline. Late nominations will not be accepted.
4. The SAC/SHC Coordinator compiles the list of nominees.
5. The list of nominees will be distributed to the Senators to be discussed among the research groups. Each group is given 15 votes for SHC speakers and 5 votes for Rohm & Haas speakers. The 20 votes will be submitted to the SAC/SHC Coordinator by the specified deadline. Late votes will not be accepted.
6. The SAC/SHC Coordinator will compile an abbreviated list of nominees, which will be presented at the SHC Voting Meeting. The SAC/SHC Coordinator will run the Voting Meeting. At the Voting Meeting, Senators will have an opportunity to discuss the different nominees and relate relevant background information on the nominees. Finally, a vote will be conducted and speakers for the seminar series will be selected. The Senators will endeavor to select a diverse group of speakers who represent the interests of the entire department.
7. The SAC will present the final speakers list to the Seminar Committee (consisting of faculty and staff) for review. The Seminar Committee has the power to veto speakers and provide alternative suggestions for speakers.
8. The SAC/SHC Coordinator selects hosts for each speaker from the list provided with the nominee lists. Priority is given to those who have not hosted in the past, to more senior graduate students, to former students of the speaker, and to those whose group has not yet hosted. If a committed host cannot be found, the speaker will be excluded and an alternate will be invited in her/his place.

Arrangement of Speaker's Schedule and Dinner Invitation

1. Two weeks prior to the seminar date, the host contacts the Senators, graduate students, post-docs, and faculty via email. Each Senator will determine if their group is interested in meeting with the speaker. Students are responsible for indicating their interest to their Senator. Senators will be given ample time to determine if his/her group is interested and will alert the host.
   • All Senators who respond by the deadline will be given equal priority for accommodation in the speaker's schedule (i.e., time slots are not arranged on a first-come-first-served basis).
   • If a Senator responds after the deadline set by the host, the host will make a best attempt to accommodate the group. This may mean sharing a time slot with another group. Groups who submit their requests late will be granted a lab visit only at the discretion of the host.
   • Faculty may request individual meeting times, but priority will be given to graduate students for time slots. Faculty meetings will only be arranged if the speaker's schedule permits.
2. As part of the sign-up procedure, graduate students are also invited to go to dinner with the speaker. The same deadline for signing up for group visits applies to dinner. Six people total go to dinner, including the speaker and the host. The dinner selection guidelines are as follows:
   • All interested graduate students who respond by the deadline will be given equal priority to attend dinner (i.e., dinner slots are not arranged on a first-come-first-served basis.).
   • The host will attempt to create a diverse group of graduate students from several research groups but with research interests similar to those of the speaker. Preference will be given to graduate students of different research groups.
   • Priority will be given to interested students not selected as hosts, students who have not already attended a dinner in the current academic year, and more senior graduate students. A list of people who have attended past dinners is available from the SAC/SHC Coordinator.
3. A hosting packet detailing the responsibilities of the hosts is available from the SAC/SHC Coordinator and the Manager of External Relations.