SSA members receive complimentary registration for these virtual events. Join or renew your membership here.
Click the events below to learn more and register.
Course ➤ Effective Scientific Presentation, Slides and Poster Design (20 January-26 March)
Webinar ➤ How to Stand Out to Recruiters and Hiring Managers (18 March)
Webinar ➤ Identifying Your Transferable Skills in the Geosciences (8 April)
Workshop ➤ Navigating Career Transitions (11, 13, 18, 20 May)
Effective Scientific Presentation, Slides and Poster Design
Register Here
A five-part interactive course from January-April 2026 leading up to the SSA Annual Meeting
Polish your presentation skills with Ross Stein, renowned communications expert and earthquake scientist. Attend every session to practice and build your skills as the course progresses! Unlimited enrollment – all members welcome.
Past participants have described a supportive environment and credit Ross with helping them make major improvements to their presentations for the SSA Annual Meeting and other scientific meetings around the world.
Returning members are encouraged to take the course again, and invite colleagues! Build on your existing knowledge, see new sample presentations and gain valuable feedback from a new cohort of peers.
#1 – Talk Titles and Openers
Part A: Tuesday, 20 January, 9-10:30 AM Pacific
Part B: Thursday, 22 January, 9-10:30 AM Pacific
Learn how to engage the audience and make your argument in the first two minutes of your talk.
#2 – Builder Slides and Opener/Closer Slides
Part A: Tuesday, 3 February, 9-10:30 AM Pacific
Part B: Thursday, 5 February from 9-10:30 AM Pacific
Learn how to convey your discoveries with impactful graphics in your oral presentation.
#3 – Data-Model-Interpretation Slide Sequences
Part A: Tuesday, 17 February, 9-10:30 AM Pacific
Part B: Thursday, 19 February, 9-10:30 AM Pacific
Learn how to give a lucid and convincing presentation of your key results.
#4 – Talk Closers
Part A: Tuesday, 10 March, 9-10:30 AM Pacific
Part B: Thursday, 12 March, 9-10:30 AM Pacific
Learn how to leave a lasting impression and effectively launch into the Q&A.
You are returning the audience to where they began, but now wiser. Talks, like novels or movies, are circles—or, better yet, helixes—that close back on themselves, with new insight or perspective.
#5 – Posters
Part A: Tuesday, 24 March, 9-10:30 AM Pacific
Part B: Thursday, 26 March, 9-10:30 AM Pacific
Learn how to display your principal findings in ways that spark conversation and engage diverse audiences.
Making your poster a beautiful canvas with a banner title that telegraphs the principal finding, not the subject matter, is key—what you found, not what you did. Posters are reader-driven, not speaker-driven, so they need to be inviting and self-explanatory. They also need a lot of breathing room, with no boxes or figure numbers. They are a graphic rather than textual experience, so make it dramatic.
Feedback from Prior Course Participants
“One of the most important things I learned is to shift my focus from what I did, to what I discovered and why it matters. That mindset alone has completely changed how I think about structuring my presentations.”
“Ross helped us all realize the fundamentals of good storytelling, which is not only possible but necessary in a scientific talk.”
“This was my first time doing the demo as an opening of the presentation, and the reactions I got from other participants were enough for me to understand its potential. So, thank you Ross for encouraging us to do the demo!”
About the Instructor, Ross Stein
- Since 2014 Stanford grad class instructor, ‘Effective Scientific Presentation & Public Speaking’
- 2022 American Geophysical Union, College of Fellows Distinguished Lecturer
- 2021 UC Berkeley Earth & Planetary Sciences Commencement Speaker
- 2020 Seismological Society of America/IRIS Distinguished Lecturer
- 2018 Geological Society of America Distinguished International Lecturer
- 2014 TEDx talk, ’Defeating Earthquakes’
How to Stand Out to Job Recruiters and Hiring Managers
Register Here
Wednesday, 18 March, 1-2 PM Pacific
One-hour webinar
Learn what job recruiters and hiring managers look for in candidates during this practical, insight-driven webinar led by career coach, recruiter and former life sciences researcher Lauren Celano.
Gain insight into what stands out to recruiters and hiring managers during the application and interview process, including:
- How they evaluate hard and soft skills on your LinkedIn, resume or cover letter.
- How to prepare for interviews, including skills-based questions (i.e. tell me more about your technical experience) as well as “soft skills” questions (i.e. tell me how you work in a team, or how you show initiative).
- Why organizations use behavioral interviewing and the important role of culture fit and personality fit in an interview…and how you can leverage this to stand out and make a lasting impression.
About the Instructor
Lauren spent 10 years in life sciences before founding Propel Careers in 2009. Since then, Lauren has coached thousands of scientists on how to advance their careers and has served as a recruiter for more than 60 organizations.
Identifying Your Transferable Skills in the Geosciences
Register Here
Wednesday, 8 April, 2-3:30 PM Pacific
One-hour webinar followed by 30 minute Q&A
Join Career Coach and Geoscientist Sarah Pietraszek-Mattner, PhD, as she discusses practical approaches to identifying and building your own transferable skills.
What do we mean when we say “transferable skills” in the geosciences? Project management experience? A Professional Geologist license? Data science certifications? Leadership? The answer is: all of these — and more. But the real question isn’t just WHAT they are. It’s HOW: how we identify them, how we develop them intentionally, and how we use them to market ourselves when we’re ready for a pivot (within or outside of our current sector).
Whether you’re considering a career transition or feeling solid in your current path, Sarah will use her 25+ years as a geoscientist and leader in industry to help you improve how you identify and develop your transferable skills!
#1 – What do I want to do, and where do I want to do it?
Monday, 11 May, 9-10:30 AM
Identify your distinguishing strengths and attributes, which are the bedrock of your career path.
#2 – Developing materials to appeal to my target employers
Wednesday, 13 May, 9-10:30 AM
Evaluate your LinkedIn profile and CV, and learn the power of informational interviews to build your network.
#3 – Refining my job interview skills
Monday, 18 May, 9-10:30 AM
Role play with standard questions that you need to have concise answers prepared for, and spontaneous questions that will require you to improvise.
#4 – Refining my job talk opener
Wednesday, 20 May, 9-10:30 AM