2020 Faculty Committee Responsibilities

Note: Whenever the host is not on the seminar committee, it is the co-host's duty to speak directly to the host to a) get clear confirmation from him/her that he/she is hosting and b) inform him/her of the duties of a hostEach seminar has two faculty hosts: a member of the seminar committee (co-host) as well as the person who originally proposed that the speaker be invited (host).

Identify and Invite Speakers (prior semester, mid-semester)

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• Please assume that this will be scheduled for 6 PM after the talk. 
  Sometimes it will be scheduled the evening before if the speaker plans to depart after the talk. Refer to the administrative organizer who will inform you if the speaker needs to make alternative decisions.

• Share with admin your restaurant preferences. Catalyst is a default for most guests. Evoo is the default restaurant for vegetarian guests. Ideally choose a location close to campus.

• Specify the number of people in your dinner party. By default, reservations will be made for four. Inform admin if you plan to have a dinner party of a different number of attendees.

Identify and Invite Speakers

Collect input from faculty colleagues and GMC. Select a balance of disciplines. Consider representing MRSECs and DMSE alums in schedule. Try to balance potential travel costs by inviting local speakers (Harvard, BU, Northeastern). Check MIT, DMSE, MRL, and local calendars before offering dates.

Avoid MRS (week after Thanksgiving), Head of the Charles (October), Hosting (end of February or beginning of March), and Spring Break (March).

Escorting the speaker to campus (only as a last resort, unlikely):

 If the administrative organizer cannot find a grad student or staff member to escort the speaker to campus and he/she is not able to escort the speaker his/herself, it is the host’s responsibility to find a student or to personally escort the speaker from the hotel to to the speaker’s first meeting on campus

Whenever the host is not on the seminar committee:

It is the co-host's duty to speak directly to the host to a) get clear confirmation from him/her that he/she is hosting and b) inform him/her of the duties of a host. 

 The committee together identifies a list of suggested speakers (with alternates), to be approved by the heads of DMSE, MPC, and CMSE. Seminar staff send the actual invitations, by means of an email from the DMSE or CMSE head, to the speakers individually, waiting for a reply before contacting the next name on the list. Ultimately, the series should balance research areas, but also reflect a variety of ages, stages in career, geographic representation, etc.