From: brian [brian@stat.cmu.edu]
Sent: Wednesday, December 06, 2006 3:25 PM
To: 'brian'; 'Gaia Bellone'; 'Andrew Crosset'; 'Gabrielle Fijas'; 'April
Galyardt'; 'Yi Jiang'; 'Gary Klein'; 'Zhanwu Liu'; 'Aline Nshimirimana';
'Shuhei Okumura'; 'Joseph Richards'; 'Avranil Sarkar'; 'Steve Wasik';
'Rob Kass'; 'Nathaniel Anozie'; 'Elise Olson'; 'Han Liu'
Subject: Stat Practice Projects/Advice

All,

Below is the full set of stat practice project assignments.  Everyone 
was able to get a first or second choice.  After the list is some 
advice about working with your collaborators, that will be relevant 
now and throughout spring semester.

STUDENT          SCIENTIFIC COLLABORATOR/CONTACT & PROJECT
Han Liu          Andrew Connolly - Astrostat (tentative)
Joey Richards    Andrew Connolly - Astrostat (tentative)
Drew Crossett    Alison Barth    - Biochem markers of neuron growth
Steven Wasik     Alison Barth    - Biochem markers of neuron growth
Gabrielle Fijas  Bill Eddy       - Neonatal ferret visual system
Gary Klein       Bill Eddy       - Neonatal ferret visual system
Yi Jiang         Judy Cole       - Analysis and design of alumni surveys
Zhanwu Liu       Judy Cole       - Analysis and design of alumni surveys
Elise	Olson      Jack Mostow     - Project Listen in Ghana
Nathaniel Anozie Jack Mostow     - Project Listen in Ghana
April Galyardt   Jack Mostow     - Project Listen in Ghana
Bellone Gaia     Marc Sommer     - Identifying neurons by firing features
Shuhei Okumura   Marc Sommer     - Identifying neurons by firing features

Remember that you should meet as a team once with your collaborator(s) 
before leaving for break; I will ask you to give a 4-6 slide review/update 
of your project based on this meeting when classes start again in January.  
If you are worried that you don't have enough to talk about, come talk to 
me sooner (e.g. before classes start or in the first week of classes at 
the latest) rather than later.

Please note the following guidelines for working with your collaborators:

1. Plan to meet with them about once a month.  Some projects may naturally 
lead to more frequent meetings but you shouldn't meet any less than once 
a month.  Be sensitive to the schedule of your collaborators, in 
frequency of meetings (and all things).

2. Schedule meetings well in advance.  ALWAYS be up front, courteous and 
flexible about scheduling meetings, and ALWAYS be on time for meetings.

3. Be professional, polite and courteous at all times in meetings 
(with your teammates, and with your scientific collaborator).  Your 
collaborators are accustomed to and are expecting professional 
collaborators.  This doesn't mean you should be meek.  It means you 
should be socially graceful.  For example, it is possible (and necessary, 
across scientific and academic cultures) to be graceful while digging 
to get to the bottom of an intellectual, organizational or other question.

4. ALWAYS have paper and pencil (or laptop if you are good at using 
one) out during meetings, and ALWAYS be taking copious notes.  
Scientists and other professionals love to talk about their work, so 
you won't have any trouble getting them to talk.  Afterwards, study 
and organize your notes, so you know what to follow up on (or not) in 
future meetings, email, phone calls, etc.  The times your collaborators 
will get impatient if they have to give the same lecture twice or three 
times.  On the other hand, engaging an old issue with new or deeper 
questions or in new directions is an activity your collaborators will 
enjoy.

5. Find out how your collaborators like to communicate between meetings.  
Some are more tuned to email, some are more tuned to the phone.  Be 
sensitive to how often your collaborators want to be contacted between 
meetings.  Some people like questions saved up in batches that only 
come occasionally, others like to address each little question as soon 
as you think of it.  People who like one style typically don't like 
the other.  Be flexible yourself and adapt to your collaborator's style. 

Always feel free to come talk to me about any aspect of the project.  
We will set up regular meetings for you and me in the spring, but don't 
wait for our regular meeting if you are concerned or uncertain about 
anything (social, scientific, statistical, etc.).  Drop by my office
or send me email.  If I don't know the answer I'll help you find it.

Best,

-BJ