An Operating Manual for Graduate Students and Post-Docs in the

M.C. Gill Composites Center

Dept. of Chemical Engineering and Materials ScienceUniversity of Southern California

Updated: June, 2017

Table of Contents

I. Purpose..............................................................................................................2

II. Upon joining the lab...........................................................................................2

III. Research projects...............................................................................................2

IV. Funding sources..................................................................................................3

V. Research.............................................................................................................4

VI. Related publications...........................................................................................5

VII. Group Meetings..................................................................................................5

VIII. Progress reports.................................................................................................6

IX. Experimental Protocols.......................................................................................7

X. Equipment..........................................................................................................8

XI. Purchasing and Reimbursement.........................................................................9

XII. Laboratory software.........................................................................................11

XIII. Experimental design.........................................................................................12

XIV. Manuscript preparation....................................................................................12

XV. Scientific meetings............................................................................................16

XVI. Graduation Requirements................................................................................17

XVII. Vacation/Sick Days...........................................................................................18

XVIII. Specific to Lab...................................................................................................19

XIX. Other................................................................................................................20

XX. Appendix 1: Presentation Guidelines: Conference.............................................21

XXI. Appendix 2 - Super-User List:............................................................................23

XXII. Appendix 3 – Subscriptions and Technical Societies:..........................................23

XXIII. Appendix 4: Gill Composites Center Websites.....................................................0

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I. PurposeThis document is intended to facilitate newcomers' integration into the Composites Center at the University of Southern California, and to serve as a resource for policies, guidelines, expectations, and protocols. The document presents an abundance of information, but the most important “takeaway” for new lab members is this: "If you are uncertain, ask." In other words, don't hesitate to take advantage of the knowledge of other lab members; if there is something you don't know, or are not sure about, and have made a sincere effort to work out on your own, it makes sense to ask. If you identify things that you think should be added to this document, tell me.

This Operating Manual can do only so much if read only once. Plan to read it and revisit it as a reference.

Nature published a one-page guide describing the advisor-graduate student relationship, along with several “rules”. I will post these on the group website, under the “links” section. While some of the rules may seem extreme, you may find it helpful in understanding my behavior at times.

II. Upon joining the labWhen you join the lab, I will assign you to a mentor in the group. He/she will be your guide to navigating the rules and regulations of USC, the department, and the research group. He/she is a valuable resource. Don’t waste time trying to figure something out that they could tell you in 30 seconds.

Before you can get started, there are administrative tasks that must be completed. I have compiled these tasks in a checklist, sent to you by email. If I didn’t, please remind me. The tasks on this checklist are in addition to the standard ones, such as getting a USC-ID card and a USC email address, which should be completed during orientation.

III. Research projectsResearch in the Center focuses on composite processing/manufacturing technology, implementation of in situ process diagnostics, aging effects on mechanical behavior, and analysis of composites and composite structures. This includes the topics below.

- sustainable composite manufacturing using out-of-autoclave prepregs- design/manufacture of enhanced OoA prepreg formats- composite repair using OoA prepregs- controlling manufacturing defects in RTM of composites- co-cure of honeycomb sandwich structures- in situ process diagnostics and visualization tools for composite processing- computer simulation of process phenomena in prepregs2

- development of prepreg processing of high-toughness polyimide composites- microstructural evolution of cold spray alloys- design and performance of acoustic metamaterials- synthesis of next-generation high-temperature polyimide composites- NDE of composite structures – beyond ultrasound

When you first join the group, we will meet and develop a project for you to pursue during your first year. I will try to develop one that best fits your research interests. We will outline clear goals that we will use to monitor your progress. At the end of this project (which I expect you to complete), if you would like to change projects, tell me. Depending on your funding source, there may be some flexibility in this regard.

Additionally, if there is a topic that our lab is not currently pursuing that interests you and lies within our research scope, let me know. There are sometimes funding opportunities that would allow for the proposal of novel ideas, and the immediate (under 2 months) funding of new ideas for 1 year. You should not feel restricted in your intellectual growth in research.

IV. Funding sourcesA. Current funding

The Center receives funding from both corporate and government sources, as well as from an endowment. Additionally, some members are supported by graduate and undergraduate fellowships. Be aware that without this support, most of the research would not be possible. All manuscripts, posters, conference presentations, and technical reports from the lab should acknowledge the relevant source of support, as well as sources of support for any external collaborators on the project. Consult with me (Prof. Nutt) when preparing posters/manuscript/presentations to ensure that we acknowledge funding sources appropriately. Notify me of any awards you receive so we can acknowledge them on the Center website.

B. Funding reviewsOccasionally, funding sources request updates on how the lab is using the funds. These reviews can be either written or oral presentations (or even a site visit).

Before a written funding review of a specific project, I will need data (graphs, images) and an update of all progress to date. Often, the continuation of funding depends on a successful funding review; therefore, funding reviews are critical.

For oral funding reviews or presentations, occasionally, the agency will request that both I and the student working on the project present the research results. In these reviews, typically, the student is asked to give a poster. Just as in the previous review, the continuation of funding depends on a successful review; therefore, the student must be well-prepared for the review. While these are serious events, they also provide a valuable networking opportunity for the students to meet professors from other universities and representatives from

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industry in a unique environment. The student should take advantage of all opportunities to interact with peers and future colleagues.

C. Proposal writingThose students and post-docs who are interested in pursuing a career in academia should let me know early. Getting practice writing and defending proposals is important for academic career development. There is no better time to learn about writing proposals than when the funding of your lab does not depend on it.

D. Student SupportAll students should receive the equivalent of a 50% salary throughout the duration of their PhD studies. This support can take multiple forms, such as:

25% RA/25% TA 25% fellowship/25% RA 50% RA

If your salary is paid from two sources (such as a TA and RA), you may receive two paychecks. However, your total salary should not be below the 50% stipend level. If your salary is below this level, tell me and I will take steps to correct it.

Students receive both academic and summer stipends that are funded through research grants, USC fellowships, teaching assistantships, or federal fellowships. I also pay student tuition using similar sources. Therefore, students are not financially responsible for their tuition.

However, with this support comes a responsibility to both me and to the entity that is providing the support. Additionally, note that while fellowships do defray a portion of the cost of a student (stipend and tuition), they do not provide funding for anything else associated with PhD research: research related costs (materials and supplies, equipment, SEM fees, conference registration/travel, etc.) Therefore, every student is supported by external funds to some extent.

In general, each student will spend 1-2 semesters as a TA to gain experience lecturing and answering questions. However, if a student intends to pursue an academic career, it is advisable to get additional teaching experience, preferably across a range of courses. This experience will help the student in their future job applications and in their ability to teach. Therefore, I will try to provide additional teaching experience to students interested in faculty positions.

V. Research A. Collaborations

Some projects in the Center involve collaboration with personnel at other institutions. These people are important resources for our laboratory; as a courtesy, all contacts with potential/future lab collaborators should be cleared

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with me. If you are interested in starting a new collaboration, please clear it with me, and work with me to determine a single point of contact for the external collaborator.

B. MentoringEvery summer, we host high school students and college students in the Center. Performing research is an invaluable experience for these students, and we will provide a supportive environment for them.

Additionally, we include undergraduate students in our research. These students should be treated as semi-independent researchers, after an appropriate training period. We hold a meeting on mentoring students once a year, and I am developing a manual for lab mentoring guidelines to help establish a structured relationship or expectations between you and the undergraduate student.

Whether you pursue a career in academia or in industry, the experience of mentoring students will benefit you in either environment. I encourage all group members to interact with these students, either directly in the lab or indirectly during group meetings. If you are interested in being a mentor for a student, please let me (Prof. Nutt) know.

The student chapter of SAMPE is a good mentoring opportunity as well. There are willing potential mentors in the LA SAMPE chapter and maintaining the student chapter could foster these relationships. I encourage new and current students to join. For more technical society information, see Section XXII.

VI. Related publicationsPublications can be downloaded from several online sources. Popular gateways for scientific articles include ISI Web of Knowledge, Engineering Village, Elsevier’s ScienceDirect and Google Scholar. To access a publication’s full text, your internet connection will have to be associated with a recognized IP address. At USC, this means using a computer with a wired connection, or using the USC Secure Wireless network.

In addition to browsing for publications, you can also subscribe to technical magazines, newsletters and alert systems. (In particular, every student in the group should subscribe to the free e-magazine, CompositesWorld, which contains a wealth of information not found in academic journals, providing invaluable perspective on the industry.) These are free services that keep you up to date, either by notifying you via email of new journal issues and articles, or by exposing you to composite industry news. A detailed list of such services, as well as other ways to stay up-to-date, can be found in Section XXII.

VII. Group MeetingsMost of the lab’s work is collaborative, so free communication among lab members is important. In addition to face-to-face discussions, and e-mail, we 5

have weekly group meetings. These presentations are meant to provide practice with oral presentations and provide a forum to exchange ideas. Discussion is encouraged in these meetings – don’t be shy.

The group meeting time/place will be determined every semester, depending on the optimal time for everyone’s schedule (presently, Friday at 2pm). There are three types of presentations which are given at group meetings: 1) research presentation, 2) presentation of a journal article, and 3) presentation of a technique or instrument. Each of these talks should be 15-20 minutes. Students who have been in the group for several years should present only the research that is new and different from the previous presentation. Otherwise, these talks have the potential to morph into mini-thesis presentations. We record presentations on video, and presenters should review their presentation with a peer within 3 days of the presentation. The Lab Manager, Yunpeng, provides the video file.

Presentation assignments are sent out by the Lab Manger (Yunpeng Zhang).

Attending group meeting is expected unless you have class at that time.

VIII. Progress reportsA. Beginning of the project plan

At the beginning of a project, every student will submit a research plan per the Whitesides outline approach (see outline). This plan constitutes a roadmap for the project, and should include qualitative descriptive goals, quantitative goals (if appropriate), and tasks that must be accomplished for the project(s) to be completed. The plan evolves during the project as results are obtained, and eventually becomes the outline for a manuscript. This type of research planning (also known as project management) is a critical skill that will allow you to identify potential hurdles and address them early on. For example, begin to coordinate training on equipment well in advance or order materials before you need them, in case of ordering delays. Project management is transferable to any project and will be an asset for the rest of your research and professional career.

B. Bimonthly meetingsEvery student will meet with Prof. Nutt every two weeks. Prof. Nutt will schedule meetings via Outlook. To prepare for these meetings, students can prepare 4-6 slides summarizing their progress over the past two weeks and their goals for the following weeks. They should refer back to the research plan/outline to prepare for each meeting. Submit the slides/document via e-mail to Prof. Nutt the night before the meeting. The slides promote good planning, organization and productivity. Slide templates may be found on the Composites Center site.

C. Annual PosterAfter your second year, plan to prepare/update a poster each year (circa May) to describe your recent research. Horizontal and vertical poster templates can be downloaded from our intranet site here ( select documents ) . The posters should 6

be prepared for display in the hallway poster frames, and for lab tours. We will devote one group meeting in early May to posters, website updates, and annual activities. We often make the poster exercise a group competition, with rewards (prizes) for best entries.

D. Website Profile

Plan to update your website profile at least once a year (circa May). Your profile should briefly summarize your academic background, describe your research project within the composites group, and provide links to recent publications.

IX. Experimental ProtocolsA. Laboratory notebooks

Students will keep full, accurate, contemporaneous records of experimental details, plans, ideas, background reading, analyses and research-related discussions. All students in the lab group are given lab notebooks and are expected to use them.

There are two schools of thought on lab notebooks. The first school is that lab notebooks are for note-taking about anything related to your project (actual research, seminars, journal articles, etc). The second school is that notebooks are meant to be a record of only your research. Follow the second school.

Specifically, lab notebooks are meant to provide a complete record of why experiments were initiated and how they were performed. They should also provide enough information that someone else could reproduce your results.

The specific guidelines: On the outside of your notebook, put your name, the name of your project, the research group name, the start/end date of the information in the notebook. On the inside of the notebook:

• Put the reams of data you collect and paste the statistical outcomes and graphs that are generated from your analyses. E-data should be archived, backed up, and referenced in your notes. Backup is super important.

• All information in the lab notebook should be understandable by others. Explain all calculations and include units when appropriate.

• Do not include cryptic notes or quick calculations in the notebook. If you jot down notes or calculations during an experiment, add a detailed description. This will be useful to others looking at your notebook in the future, but also be helpful to you in keeping track of what you have done. A column of numbers may mean something to you when you write it, but you are unlikely to recall that meaning in a few months’ time.

• Write legibly.

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• Include detailed notes on all discussions and thoughts on the experimental goals. These should be used to explain the motivation for a given experiment – before the data is taken.

• Include material details (vendor and product information)• Include qualitative observations taken during experiments. • Detail all mistakes, problems with procedures, and lapses in data collection

so that you can fully explain "odd" results at the end of your experiment.• Avoid making entries that are unrelated to your project.• The laboratory notebook should be turned over to the Lab Manager after

you leave the research group for archival purposes (and future students). If you must have a copy, photocopy it. This is required. Also, tearing out pages is forbidden.

X. EquipmentA. Training

Before you can use any piece of equipment in the lab, you must be trained and qualified by the “super-user” for that instrument. The list of super-users for each piece of equipment is posted on the Center’s document site. See the section on Lab Duties, under Specific to the lab, for more information. It is also a good idea to notify the lab manager before starting to regularly use any new instrument.

B. ComputersMost of the Center’s computers are PCs. The computers attached to test equipment are not to be connected to the network. These computers are “mission critical” and, as such, must be protected from any possible virus/worms.

Certain software (e.g., Adobe Photoshop) are only available on specific computers within the Center. As such, these computers should be prioritized for use of this software. If you plan to use Center PCs, please be mindful of the needs of others, don’t clutter the desktop, and communicate your own requirements.

Do not analyze data on the computer attached to the device characterization set-up. Separate computers are provided for this purpose. Allow other members of the group to take data using this set-up while you analyze your data elsewhere.

C. Backup. Backup. Backup. Backup. Backup.Backing up data and programs is essential, and should be done regularly (obsessively, even). If you have even the slightest doubt about the wisdom of backing up, talk to someone who has suffered a catastrophic loss of data or programs that were not backed up. And such victims abound. Lab members have different ways to backup, including a group portable hard drive, cloud storage (such as Dropbox), or CD-Rs. I recommend that you back up to two different locations – one physical, the other cloud-based. Be wary of USB drives, as they are small and can be lost easily, broken, or damaged.

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D. Misc. food preparation equipment

If it becomes apparent that new life forms are developing in and around the fridge/microwave/coffee maker that could be potentially harmful to either members of the lab or to experiments, they will be removed. Therefore, take appropriate measures to remove old food and clean up after yourself.

E. Lab printersThe lab printers and other associated lab equipment are paid for and maintained using research funds. Therefore, do not use lab resources for homework or other, non-research activities.

XI. Purchasing and ReimbursementA. Purchasing

Purchasing at USC can be viewed as complex. This document is an attempt to de-mystify the process and to make our purchases go through faster.

For StudentsFor any purchases, submit a request to the Lab Manager or to Prof. Nutt. You should be prepared to provide motivation and some information (vendor, price, a quote). Generally, the Lab Manager will carry out the actual purchase. However, you are encouraged to read and understand the information below.

For Post-DocsYou may also discuss purchasing with the Lab Manager and Prof. Nutt. However, you can also use the mechanisms below to carry out some of the steps yourself.

CeliahAll purchases are submitted on-line through Celiah. In Celiah, enter all contact information for the vendor (phone, address, name, etc). Additionally, as a non-technical person will place the order, include a thorough description. If there is a quote, please attach the quote as well. Provide a brief reason (business purpose) for the purchase, so I know what account to assign, and to comply with USC audit requirements. A business purpose includes the location or project within the Center for which the item is being purchased. This business purpose should be listed in the “Special Instructions” section of the Celiah form (see below). If it is listed in the “Purpose” section purchasing will not see it. See examples. Also, be sure to check the “Send notification to Dr. Nutt” box as well as the additional e-mail box if you want to send a copy to your self for good record keeping. To register as a Celiah user, contact Angeline Fugelso at fugelso@usc.edu.

Acceptable examples of business purposes:

1-     Steel foam Project (VHE 122) - The steel is needed to make the molds

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for the casting of steel foams.2-     Space holder for syntactic steel foam and Fittings for RTM - Nutt Group

in 122 3-     Replacement extensometer for Nutt Group in VHE 122 (needs project

title or use, but otherwise fine)

Categories of PurchasesThere are three types of purchases within the USC system:

1) Purchases which can be placed with a P-card (procurement credit card)10

2) Purchases of equipment3) Purchases of expensive items, which aren’t equipment

Depending which type of purchase you are trying to place, your purchase will take a different route.

Type 1: A P-card or Procurement card is a credit card directly linked to a research account. Therefore, all purchases made on that P-card are charged directly to that account. Like any credit card, there is a maximum amount that can be charged each month. Therefore, typically the cycle limit on a P-card is $1000. Obviously, for a vendor to accept a P-card, they must accept American Express. This information is typically posted on a vendor’s website. If it is possible to purchase using a P-card, this is the fastest way to get an item.

Type 2:Equipment purchases are by far the most complex. If you want/need to purchase a piece of equipment, see me. There are forms that must be filled out.

Type 3:If an item or group of items cost more than $1000, the purchase request requires additional authorization by me or the purchase will go out to bid. The only time this does not happen is if the purchase is with a USC contract vendor. You can look up the contract vendors here. VWR is an example of a contract vendor. USC has negotiated campus-wide discounts with these vendors. This means that the price you see on the website is not the price we pay. Therefore, just because you may find a chemical at another website cheaper, most likely VWR’s price is even lower. We have a PO# that you can use to purchase items at VWR. (W74032)

Additional information:In the comment box, always state “academic discount requested.” Include vendor quotes if appropriate (when requesting quotes always ask for an academic discount).

B. ReimbursementThere are two types of reimbursement expenses – Travel and Non-Travel. Please make sure to fill out the correct form. You will need to include receipts for all expenses with your form. These receipts must be taped to a piece of 8.5”x11” paper. Multiple receipts can be taped to a single piece of paper, and there can be writing/type on the other side of the paper. I will need to sign your form. Additionally, you need to include a page which has your name, student ID#, mailing address, and email address on it. The forms are posted here.

Reimbursements that are done much later than the purchase are less likely to be successful, so if you want reimbursement then submit your forms promptly. Submit reimbursement requests to Angeline at fugelso@usc.edu .11

To arrange reimbursement by direct deposit (it’s faster), complete and submit the form found here.

If you use your own vehicle for work-related travel (not driving to work), you can be reimbursed, provided Prof. Nutt approves in advance. Reimbursement rates for travel, meals, and hotel are posted here.

XII. Laboratory softwareThe lab’s experiments, modeling, data analysis, and manuscript preparation exploit different categories of software.

A. LabViewSome of the experimental set-ups use LabView controllers. LabView is a graphic programming language, sold by National Instruments.

B. COMSOL MultiphysicsComsol is multi-physics software which can be used to solve complex problems. The lab has one floating license – which means any single user can use the software at a time. It is also located on a computer in VHE-417. The super-user in charge of COMSOL may be found in the super-user list.

C. LS-DYNALS-DYNA is a simulation software package used by the Center to model impact behavior of composites and flow within composite prepregs. The lab license covers 500 CPUs, and can be extended to the High Performance Computing cluster at USC. The super-user in charge of LS-DYNA can be found in the super-user list.

D. SolidWorksSolidWorks is a 3D solid modeling or mechanical CAD program that runs on  Windows and is sold by Dassault Systems. It makes great schematics that show very well in journal publications and poster presentations. Learn to use it. The super-user in charge of SolidWorks may be found in the super-user list.

E. OriginOrigin the software used to analyze data and generate high quality graphs for publications. MatLab can also be used for general data analysis and publication. The cost for a student copy of Origin is ~$70. You can purchase it from the USC Bookstore, or use the copies on PC’s in VHE-417. Unfortunately, I cannot purchase it for you, and the cost of the software (should I purchase it) is significantly more expensive.

F. Citation Management SystemsWhen writing an article or a conference abstract, using a citation management system will significantly simplify managing your reference list. Popular systems include EndNote (requires paid license), RefWorks (suggested by USC Libraries) and Mendeley (open source, used by several Center students).

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G. MatLabMatlab is versatile math utility program with a wide range of simulation and graphics capabilities, available through USC’s site license. Download from USC’s ITS website for free. I strongly recommend becoming familiar with MATLAB.

H. VIC 2DVIC 2D is digital image correlation software for measuring and mapping surface displacements by image comparison. The super-user in charge of digital image tools may be found in the super-user list.

I. Image AnalysisImage analysis software is available on the PC’s in VHE-417. The freeware ImageJ software is also recommended, and may be installed in any computer.

J. LS-DynaFinite element software resident on workstation in VHE-417.

K. Stat-Ease Design Expert 9

Software used to develop “design of experiments” and analysis of variables (ANOVA) test matrices, installed on one (or more) PCs in VHE-417. See the following section for more information.

XIII. Experimental designYou never outgrow your need for good experimental design. The subject is too large to cover here (it requires books and courses), but it is vital that you think long and hard about experimental design well before starting to collect data. Therefore, before you take data, make sure that you know:

How you will analyze your data What experimental information you must collect to analyze the data

correctly What possible effects you could see that you need to consider in your data

analysis and how you can either mitigate them or take your data in such a way that you can de-convolve them

What is going on in the system – i.e., the theory behind the experiment

The most common errors that force students to repeat experiments multiple times involve confounds (where two independent variables co-vary, so that one cannot partition resulting effects cleanly between those variables). There is much more to say about this issue; consider an elective course that covers this topic.

Also note that, for test matrices involving several independent variables, software such as Design Expert 9 can be used to develop “design of experiment” analysis 13

methods that dramatically reduce the number of experiments required to establish statistical significance.

XIV. Manuscript preparationA. Overview

A brief overview of the manuscript submission process:There are several well-defined stages:

• Planning the manuscript. This is an ongoing process. Our group follows the Whitesides outline model, meaning each student should at all times have a working outline (or more than one) at varying degrees of completion.

• Writing the manuscript. This can take 1 to 4 weeks, depending on length.• Submitting the manuscript. This can take 1 day – 3 weeks, depending on

the journal. Some journals perform a cursory quality check, and immediately send the manuscript to review whereas other journals send the manuscript to an editor who performs a mini-screen of the manuscript. In the latter case, the manuscript can be returned without review. In addition to the manuscript, a submission includes:

• Cover letter• Reviewer suggestions

• Manuscript review. This phase takes the longest – between 2 weeks and several months. It has four fairly well-defined stages:

• Editors request people to review• They can accept or decline• They have a fixed number of days to review• The editor gets the reviews back and makes a decision

• Intermediate Decision and Rebuttal (1-4 months). Rarely will a manuscript be accepted the first time. Typically, reviewers request changes to the manuscript. During this phase, we make the changes (address reviewers’ concerns) and write a letter to the editor explaining how we addressed the reviewers’ concerns. In some cases, we will be unable to address all concerns – for example, if the reviewer concerns contradict each other. Additionally, we will get changes from the Editorial staff. Alternatively, manuscripts can be rejected, in which case, we do not have the opportunity to address the concerns. Inform your co-authors whenever any action is taken on a manuscript (submitted, reviews, modificaitons, etc.)

• The final decision will be rendered a couple days after the submission of the modified manuscript.

• Proof. Once the manuscript is accepted, it will be type-set, and the type-set “proof” will be sent to the contact author for review (errors are sometimes made in type-setting). This phase can take 1-3 weeks. Once you receive the proof, this is the final version. Any mistakes that are not caught at this point will be present in the published version. To correct them at a later date, you must issue an official statement (“correction”, “addendum”, etc).

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• Published! If the journal has an “early” or “in progress” section, this could take 1-3 days. Typically, it will not appear in an issue for 1-3 weeks. Generally, publishers assign a DOI before publishing. This is used in hyperlinks to link to the URL where the paper resides.B. When to start writing

The best time to start process is when you first construct a research plan, which eventually evolves into an outline for a manuscript (see Whitesides’ outline). At first, you will have mostly plan, but as you near the point of writing a manuscript, you should have mostly outline. This plan/outline is the basis for biweekly meetings, and undergoes constant revision/updating/augmenting. Before actually drafting the manuscript, you should have a general sense of the results, and you should be able to identify the journal. By relying on an outline, you can determine if there are other experiments that would make your paper stronger that you should perform at the same time or if there are figures that must be redone. This saves much time and effort.

C. Choosing a journalThere are two factors: the expected length of the final paper and the topic. If the manuscript will have ~4 figures/tables, then it should go in a letter. 4+ figures should go in a longer article. However, remember that not every figure must be an independent figure. Some figures are better as panels, and some figures should be included in supplements as they are not critical to the main text.

After the type of article is determined, the next step is to determine an appropriate journal. There are several approaches: 1) consider where articles on similar topics are published (start by examining your own references), 2) consider the scope of the primary journals in the field, and 3) evaluate the impact factor of the journal. Impact factors can be determined from ISI Web of Knowledge.

After selecting a journal, start writing. Follow guidelines on the journal’s website. Pay particular attention to the reference style for the journal. You will save yourself (and me) much time and trouble if you get your citations formatted correctly the first time (versus changing things once the manuscript is written). I recommend using the free software Mendeley to track/manage references.

D. AuthorsChoosing authors and co-authors can be difficult and varies widely by field. In general, each author should have directly contributed to the manuscript: analysis, writing, experiment development, and/or support (financial). Each co-author should understand the content and be able to defend all conclusions.

In engineering, the first author is responsible for writing the manuscript, preparing the figures and ensuring that it is in the correct format. The subsequent authors are responsible for reviewing and approving, but their role is less work than the first author’s. The last author is typically the advisor of the first author.

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If a contributor didn’t analyze/write/support the research in the manuscript, they should probably be cited in the acknowledgments. If you are unclear, ask. There are guidelines for co-authorship (when it’s warranted, when it’s not).

E. General AdviceOnce a first draft of a document or document sections has been prepared, seek comments and feedback from the co-authors on the project. People should not hesitate to share “rough” drafts with the co-authors; their advice and fresh eyes can be extremely valuable. Having said that, don’t rely heavily on your advisor to “fix” a weak or poorly written manuscript. I am not a magician, and I cannot compensate for shoddy work, or shoddy writing. If I feel a student has not put enough effort into a manuscript, I will return it with instructions to fix it.

Writing a good article is much harder than reading one. Fortunately, there is plenty of advice about writing a journal article, though different sources of advice seem to contradict one another. Here is one suggestion that may be especially valuable, and non-intuitive. However formal and complex it may be, a journal article ultimately is a platform for telling a story. As a result, an article should be built around a strong, clear narrative (a storyline). The communication of the story requires that the author recognize what is central, and what is secondary or tertiary. Downplaying what is less important can be difficult, in part because of the hard work that went into producing that less-important material. But do not imagine that just because you (the author) find something to be fascinating, that all readers will, too (at least not without some skillful guidance from you).

You have to work to get readers interested enough to read beyond the article’s title or abstract, which means that those two items are make-or-break features for your article. Assuming that you have a good title and abstract, the next step is to generate a compelling opener, that all-important framing device represented by the article’s first sentence or paragraph. There’s no getting around the fact that effective writing requires extensive reading. Only by reading, analyzing and imitating successful models, you can become a better, more effective writer. Michael Alley, a professor of mechanical engineering at Virginia Tech, maintains a website that provides practical advice on scientific writing and powerful presentations. I recommend reading it.

The most difficult sections to write are often the Introduction, Conclusions, and Abstract. Consider starting with the Experimental section. Also, consider deciding which figures you want to include and lay them out in the order you’d like to present them, story-board fashion. Construct an outline before starting to write, and discuss the outline and the figures with me.

Like most people, I have personal pet peeves when it comes to scientific writing. Refer to the bulleted list below before sending me a manuscript draft. You will save both of us time in the revision process. If you notice I am making consistent comments or changes to your manuscripts, let me know so I can update the list accordingly.16

Don’t start a sentence with “It” or other indefinite pronoun Generally, replace “in order to” with “to” Replace “due to” with “because of” Economize with words, where possible, and strive to be concise Don’t use vague descriptors “very” or “many” or “several” – be quantitative Don’t use words or phrases that imply value judgments, such as

“improvement” or “successfully” or “enhanced” or “better” Avoid “this suggests” or “implies” when writing- too vague and non-

assertive. “Indicates” is a default substitute, though other word choices are encouraged

Eliminate “it was found” In the conclusions, don’t just summarize. Answer the question “so what?”

Place your results in a broader context and speculate on broad implications (refer to Whitesides)

F. Mid-versionWhen you give someone a draft for comments, suggestions or editing help, be sure to avoid “version creep;” refrain from making additional changes until you get comments back, otherwise the value of the comments/suggestions could be diminished, and some or all of the reader’s effort made on your behalf will have been wasted. And of course, if you are doing document preparation on more than one computer it’s important to keep careful track of changes made to various versions of the document. Number these versions in the filename.

G. Managing your literature referencesI recommend using citation management software such as Mendeley to keep your references ordered and organized. Start to make a master list of references as soon as you write your first abstract or paper and building on it for use in your thesis, instead of making a new list for each document you write.

H. FiguresClearly understandable figures can make or break a manuscript. Make sure that the message the figure intends to convey is immediately obvious. Additionally, the following points are crucial:

Use color only if it is crucial for the data; most journals give the option of “color online” and black and white in print. This option is significantly cheaper. If color is necessary to portray the data, then color is fine

Make sure the font size/line thickness/data point size are sufficiently large. Most journals reduce figures to column width, so font sizes must be legible after reduction. Be sure to use one sans-serif font only on figures – no mixed fonts allowed.

Put figures in appropriate format for the journal (correct dpi/orientation/image format). This can be done using Photoshop or other programs (gimp is one that is free to download and works on mac or PC)

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All images of devices should be: in-focus, appropriate contrast/brightness/ oriented with the horizon, appropriate magnification, and contain scale bars of appropriate size.

XV. Scientific meetingsBefore booking a hotel for a conference, check with your lab mates to optimize hotel room costs. The average cost of a hotel room is now >$200/night; add in tax and associated fees, and it becomes $300/night. For a five-day conference, that adds up. If two people go to a conference, and don’t share a room, that is $s wasted (not counting the 65% overhead USC charges). If three people go, and don’t share, that is $1000’s, which can buy a lot of “stuff”. In fact, it pays for one student’s monthly stipend. You get the point - try to save money.

There are additional sources of funds for attending conferences, such as GPSS, WiSE, and technical societies hosting the conference. Be sure to apply for travel funds from these sources. Also, prioritize conferences that occur locally (for example, SAMPE technical conferences take place in Long Beach every few years, and CAMX is frequently hosted in Anaheim). Such conferences incur minimal travel expenses, and provide excellent opportunities to present research and network.

When attending a conference, keep all receipts. You will need them to get reimbursed. I will support up to $30/day in food costs, but you need receipts for everything to get reimbursed.

Take business cards to conferences, and collect them from people you meet. A business card template for graduate students can be found on the group intranet. We will provide card stock for printing business cards with our group printer.

After a conference (on the way home is best), draft a trip report, listing who you met, what you learned, and what you saw. Include action items and follow-up messages you will send. Share the trip report with me before filing your expense claim.

A. Submitting an abstractTo submit an abstract, you must have research that is either:

Published Under review at a journal In the process of being written

There are cases of research being “poached” by competitors at conferences. Therefore, only if a research project is completed or near completion can it be submitted for a conference. This way, by the time that f the conference, the research should be submitted for publication. This is to protect your research.

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Prof. Nutt sends reminders to group members highlighting upcoming abstract submission deadlines for the main conferences in our field. The majority of these are run by academic and professional societies (SAMPE, ASC, TMS, ASA, MRS, ASME). If there is a special conference you are interested in attending, tell me.

Once you have identified a conference that you are interested in submitting to, you need to select a sub-topic or session. An abstract usually is not submitted to the conference as a whole. To determine the best topic area, read them. Once you have chosen one, tell Prof. Nutt. Our group will submit only 1-2 abstracts per topic area - chances of getting more than 1 or 2 per topic area accepted are low.

Read the “abstract submission guidelines” or the “abstract formatting guidelines” (or something similar). Abstract formats vary widely – from 35 words to 2 pages. Just as a paper, the authors are important. Inform co-authors about your submission. If your abstract is accepted, notify all co-authors.

B. PresentingPresenting the Center’s work to fellow researchers at scientific meetings is important. Assuming that your talk uses Microsoft’s PowerPoint or Apple’s Keynote presentation software, remember that your audience will try to read every word on every slide you show. Studies show that this effort will keep them from giving full attention to what you are saying. To get the audience to listen to you, remove all text that is not 100%-essential. For general tips on slide presentation, see the following site. For more specific tips, see Section XX. Also, plan to rehearse your presention to group members via a “dry run” to identify weaknesses and opportunities for improvement.

For specific formats, please use one of the two presentation layouts found on the Composites Center Intranet site. Additional, USC-specific templates are located on the USC Identity pages.

XVI. Graduation Requirements

Every professor sets different rules for graduation.  Some say that a student must publish X # of papers before graduating, where # equals anywhere from 3 to 6.   Some have a similar system, but weight the number of papers by the paper’s journal impact factor – so, the student must reach a score of X, where a point is given for each paper*IF of the journal + Y pts for conference proceedings.  In other words, there are different systems.

In our group, the expectation for PhD students is 4 peer-reviewed journal publications.  Critics say this system encourages students to publish a “Least Publishable Unit” or LPU (Wikipedia).  This is not a good thing.  LPU’s are generally not highly cited (or read) because they do not contain a significant amount of new insight or understanding.  Additionally, such LPU’s are harder to get through the peer review process, because reviewers recognize an LPU (not a

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good thing).  Finally, if you publish too many LPU’s, your reputation will suffer in the eyes of your peers. So publishing fewer, but higher quality, papers is better in the long run.

While 4 papers are the expectation, there are additional expectations. I look for:

Diversity in research.  Perform both experimental and theoretical (analytic or simulation) work.  The weight between the two is up to you.  In other words, you could do 90% experiment/10% theory or 50%/50%.  The point is that you become familiar with both.

Multiple, distinct projects.  A thesis has multiple chapters, where each chapter is a distinct project (aka paper).  I’d like everyone to have a 5-6 chapter thesis.  Some of these projects can be projects that you participated on with another lab member.  You should lead at least 3 projects.

Contribute to the infrastructure of the lab.  Build something that stays after you are gone. This is important.  You learn a lot by building something.

While it may not be apparent, the overall motivation for these requirements is that you leave the lab with a skill set which is broadly applicable to any job.

When you graduate, turn in all data and a printed and bound copy of your dissertation to the lab manager for archiving. Review all samples with the lab manager to determine which to discard and which to keep. All samples and data are to remain at USC.

XVII.Vacation/Sick DaysA. Vacation Days

Please take vacations. Vacations are beneficial for you and for your research. Official USC holidays are:

Martin Luther King Day (January) President’s Day (February) Memorial Day (May) Independence Day (July) Labor day (September) Thanksgiving (November)

Additionally, there is a 2-week break at Christmas. You can choose to take this vacation (these two weeks) whenever you want. Please note that spring break is not a University holiday or a lab holiday. If you choose to take spring break off, it counts as part of your vacation time.

If you will absent for more than 2 days, notify me and any collaborators by email. This is important.  You are primary/secondary users on equipment.  If people require training, they need to know if you are going to be out of town/out of the office.  Being a grad student is a job with expectations of professionalism. Notify your supervisor of all absences.20

A question often raised is “if I work 10hrs/day, 7 days/wk, can I take more vacation time”, the answer is no. There are reasons for this, which I will not explain here. However, there are benefits to working longer, most notably, graduating faster. All of the graduate students I have known who graduated in 4 years worked at least 6 days per week, and took minimal vacation. All of the students I have known who worked 9-5pm, 5 days per week, took at least 6 years. It is not simply a matter of the total number of hours, though. Whenever you take a break in your research, it takes 2-3 days to pick up where you left off, creating an “effective vacation time” which is 2-3 days longer than the actual vacation time. Additionally, with the increased focus on research comes the ability to “see” connections and trends in your data that you might otherwise miss. This further increases your productivity.

B. Illness/Sick DaysFirst, sick days do not count as vacation days. Please stay home when you are sick. If a short-term illness turns into something more complex (requires surgery, hospital stay, etc), let me know. There are support systems in place on campus that can help.

C. Other issuesThere are many reasons why students/post-docs might need to take unexpected leaves (either officially or unofficially). One of the most common is a wedding or an illness or death in the family. The most important thing to remember is to share information with Prof. Nutt so he can react appropriately and help.

XVIII. Specific to LabA. Lab Rules

Always clean up after yourself: don’t wait until tomorrow to do what you can do today. A good rule to judge your own job of cleaning up is to look at the space you have been working in and ask yourself “can you tell what I was doing?”. If you can’t honestly say no to that question then you need to do a better job. It’s much like the principle of “zero-impact camping” – no one should know you were ever there.

If you notice stock of supplies/materials close to exhaustion, order more. If something breaks, fix it. If you can’t fix it, notify the Lab Manager and/or

ask someone how. B. Lab Safety

Per the entering student checklist, before working in the lab, every student must complete the USC Safety Training. To ensure that no one gets rusty, we will have an in-house refresher course once a year that will be run by the Lab Manager. During this course, we will focus on the relevant hazards in our lab. These include chemical hazards and tools.

Wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) whenever you work in one of our labs. Use of PPE increases safety, reducing the likelihood and 21

severity of injuries. Furthermore, USC Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) staff perform safety inspections with increasing frequency, and can cite users (and labs) if PPE is not used. No open-toed shoes, no shorts, and wear lab coats.

If you work in the lab after hours or weekends, leave the door to the lab open and keep a phone next to you at all times. Additionally, you should not work in the lab alone until you are qualified on all equipment and have been using it for 2 months or more, as determined by the super-user. When possible, arrange to work while another group member is working, and adopt a buddy system.

C. Lab DutiesThe Center includes a lot of lab instruments and accessories. Simply keeping the instruments functioning requires maintenance, monitoring, and stocking supplies. To ensure that these responsibilities do not fall solely on the shoulders of the Lab Manager, some of these duties are delegated to super-users. Here is an overview of the philosophy:

First, every instrument has a primary and secondary contact or super-user. If the primary user is out, the secondary user takes responsibility. However, if the primary user is in town, then it is their job to handle the responsibilities associated with the duty. Clearly, these vary with the duty, but they include: inquiries, training and monitoring operating condition (and reporting to the Lab Manager if service is required). Also, the primary user is responsible for training the secondary user.

The primary user is typically either: 1) a senior graduate student or 2) the previous secondary user. If the primary user is a senior graduate student, then the secondary user is their “apprentice” and should anticipate assuming responsibility for that piece of equipment when the senior graduate student graduates. If the primary user is the previous secondary user, this has already happened – and they should plan on training the new secondary user, when that student is more junior.

Responsibilities: First-year students have minimal lab duties - they aren’t familiar with the lab equipment, and they are taking classes. Senior grad students and post-docs carry the highest burden of lab duties. However, not every responsibility is equal, so you can’t tell workload by how many times a name appears on the list. For example, being in charge of Instron’s or thermal analysis equipment is more time consuming than being in charge of the lab meeting schedule.

Assignments: When I assign duties, I have a weighting system, which takes into account the time commitment of different duties. It also weights the primary and secondary differently. Thus, students should contact the primary user first. Otherwise, some students will get overwhelmed. A list of super-users can be found at the group intranet site here.22

XIX. OtherA. Extracurricular activities

Obviously, students are allowed and encouraged to have hobbies. However, if a hobby rises to the level of a second job, then it is in direct conflict with their primary job, which is earning a PhD. If this happens, then I retain the right to reduce the student’s stipend accordingly.

B. Office SpaceGraduate students and post-docs are assigned to specific offices. Within those offices, they can choose their desk. Post-docs normally share an office with one other person, either another post-doc or a visiting scholar. Undergraduate students are sometimes assigned to specific offices; however, they do not claim specific seats within those offices. Their assignments are more loosely defined.

C. If you are “bored”There is always stuff to be done in the lab.  A few suggestions:

1) Get trained in the machine shop.  There is a different machine shop for graduate students and undergraduate students.

2) Learn SolidWorks/Photoshop/Illustrator/Comsol/etc.  SolidWorks is particularly useful for making figures (drawings) for presentation/ublication, and it should be in everyone’s tool box. Also, it would be nice to have movies/animations of some of the most common things we do in the lab to use in presentations, and Illustrator and Photoshop are essential tools for making figures for articles and posters for the hallway.

3) On that theme, we should create a database containing images and background slides.  I believe this has been started, but I’m not sure if everyone is keeping it up to date. So, update the lab database with any new presentations or images.

4) Clean the lab and the offices.  The lab can always do with a thorough cleaning.  And there are a lot of things (i.e., equipment) that can be organized. 

5) Think about experiments which you would like to do in the future.   Ideally, your research topics after your 2nd/3rd year will be driven by you, not by me.  So start thinking about what interests you, and reflect on where you are now in your research and where you want to be.  It isn’t bad to take a couple hours, step back and think about your data – you may discover something you’ve overlooked.

6) Read!  Journal articles, review articles, books, etc.  Science and engineering fields change daily, so this is a habit you must develop.

7) Develop code to make data analysis easier.8) Start working on abstracts/manuscripts. If you have preliminary data

showing that your experiment is going to work, and we have started talking about your manuscript, then you should start writing it. If we have talked about submitting to a conference, then start writing the abstract – especially if you have down-time.

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9) Update (or write) any lab protocols for which you are responsible. After you update them, make sure to email the group.

10)Update (or write) any equipment manuals and equipment tests for which you are responsible.

11)Update your poster, your project webpage, and your web profile (include publications) on the group website.

XX.Appendix 1: Presentation Guidelines: Conference

As mentioned above, templates specific to the Gill Composites Center may be found on our intranet website.

Cover/title slidePeople learn who you are from your title slide – this is your chance to burn your name into their minds. Put your name on the cover slide and make sure to mention your name. Also, be sure to include the names of any co-authors. You can also include a catchy figure/picture related to your talk – the cover slide often sits on the screen for a long time. Give people something to interest them.

GENERAL TO ALL SLIDES

Slide titles:Assign each slide a title (5 words or less) that captures the essence of the slideIf the primary point of the slide can’t be condensed into 5 words or less, perhaps you are trying to cover too much on that slide

Font:Choose one sans-serif font and use it for the entire presentation – no mixed fontsNo font below 18pt. Italics can be hard to read if smaller that 20pt.Yellow font is hard to read in any size – is “glaring” on dark background and fades away on white background.Dark fonts (black/navy/dark green/dark red) are ideal

Graphs/figures:Each graph/figure gets its own slide, unless necessary for comparisonThe graph/figure should take up at least half the slide – assume people are blind.By the time you present the data, you will know it better than anyone in the world; but it will be the first time everyone in the audience will see the data – walk them through it.1) Tell them what the axis are, 2) tell them the axis range, 3) tell them what was significant about the data – point out significant featuresTest figures out in different light to make sure the contrast is sufficientIf figures have text/labels – make sure the text is large enough to read24

Colors:Beware of Red/Green color-blind – in other words, don’t put red on green background, or graphs with red and green lines, as red/green color-blind won’t be able to differentiate data. Red/Green color blindness is more common in males – 8% of males are affected. Therefore, in any presentation at a conference, most likely someone in the audience is color-blind. There are other forms of color blindness that are rarer. In graphs, best to put different shapes and different colors: green circles, red squares, blue triangles, etc.

Animations:Animations can be used effectively to dole out content in concert with your speaking. This is particularly true with text bullets – if you display them all at once, audiences generally read them all while you are still talking about the first one. Can also be over-used, so be careful.

References:Include references on slides – both yours and others in the fieldDoing so lends credibility to your work and your claims, as well as visibility.

TALK STRUCTURE

Cover slide: (1 slide)Use cover slide in place of “overview of talk” or outline slideWhile displaying the cover slide, you should: introduce yourself, identify collaborators, state where you did the work, and say the title. Describe how you are going to give a brief overview of the field before diving into the experimental and theoretical details of the work, and all of the material that would normally be covered on an “overview of the talk” slide.

Introductory slides: (2-3 slides)Assume the audience is unfamiliar with topic, and gear your introduction to your audience.No one ever complains about getting a review; people complain about a talk in which they understood nothingUse slides to lay foundation – terminology, motivation, basic science behind technology, previous work in field (references)

Primary slides of talk: (7-10 slides)Cover details (how you actually did what you did: experimental protocol, data analysis)Go over theory – what you expected to seeCompare to data – how your data matched up to theory; any surprises?

Conclusion: (1-2 slide)Highlight important conclusions

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It is often useful to include a “final” slide that shows:

Your contact information or group webpageAny relevant publications related to presentation (yours)Financial supportAcknowledgements for any non-author collaborators

This final slide may be on the screen for a long time (for example, while you answer the first few questions, and having the above information on screen allows audience members to jot down your contact info.

(A 15-minute talk should be 10-15 slides. No more than 1 slide/minute)

XXI. Appendix 2 - Super-User List: For a list of current super-users, see the Center’s Intranet site. For access, see Lab Manager.

XXII. Appendix 3 – Subscriptions and Technical Societies: The following is a list of print and electronic resources for keeping up-to-date on developments in the composites field. It covers several information gateways, but is by no means comprehensive. If you come across additional resources, suggest an update to this document.

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Title Type Cost Description LinkCompositesWorld

Magazine (Print)

Free! Magazine dealing with various aspects of composite design, manufacturing and use. Interesting articles, and the ads may be useful for your work.

Link

Elsevier ScienceDirect Issue Alerts

Journal(s)

Free! ScienceDirect can e-mail you every time a new issue of a chosen journal published by Elsevier comes out. This is a great way to stay up-to-date on recent literature with minimal effort. Well-established Elsevier journals in the composites field include (but not limited to) Composite Science and Technology, Composites Part A, Composites Part B, Composite Structures and Composites Engineering.

Link (Create a ScienceDirect acc ount, and click on “My Alerts” in the top bar to configure.)

Elsevier ScienceDirect Search Alerts

Journal(s)

Free! ScienceDirect can also regularly e-mail you with “Search Alerts”. These alerts let you know if a given set of search keywords find new results. For example, it could notify you if new journal articles are found for the keywords “out of autoclave”.

Link (Create a ScienceDirect account, and click on “My Alerts” in the top bar to configure.)

Sage Journal Alerts

Journal(s)

Free! You can also get e-mail alerts for new issues of journals published by Sage. As with the Elsevier alerts, this is a great way to keep track of the state-of-the-art. Well-established Sage journals in the composites field include (but not limited to) Journal of Composite Materials and Journal of Reinforced Plastics and Composites.

Link (Create a Sage account, and click on “My Tools” to configure.)

Wiley Journal Alerts

Journal(s)

Free! Finally, you can get new issues alerts for journals published by Wiley. A well-established journal is Polymer Composites

Link (Create a Wiley account, browse to the journal and add an alert from the left bar.)

Google Scholar

Gateway Free! Google Scholar is the easiest indexing database for scholarly publications. It also offers an e-mail service that notifies you when your publications are cited.

Link (requires Google account)

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Students can also become members of many professional societies in engineering, materials science and the composites field. Student membership confers many benefits, including involvement in local chapters, access to journals and magazines, eligibility for scholarships and fellowships, rebates on conference registration fees and networking opportunities. In general, student membership fees are heavily discounted relative to those of professional members.

Title Type Cost Description LinkSociety for the Advancement of Materials and Process Engineering (SAMPE)

Professional Society(Materials)

$20/year SAMPE is a materials engineering conference that mainly focuses on composites, and that is popular with both academia and industry. There is a student chapter at USC.

Link

American Society for Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)

Professional Society(Aerospace)

$25/year The AIAA is the world’s largest aerospace technical society.

Link

American Society for Composites

Professional (Composites)

$15 The ASC is the United States’ main composites technical society.

Link

ASME Professional (Engineering)

$25 The ASME (founded as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers) is a well-established engineering professional society.

Link

XXIII. Appendix 4: M.C. Gill Composites Center Websites

The Composites Center uses the following web sites:

Official website . This is our public website, and includes information about the Center, its members and our research activities.

Intranet . This is our group website, listing lab manuals, authorized users and super-users, instrument instructions and protocols, slide/poster templates, awards and competitions. Request access through Lab Manager.

Blackboard site . This site is used for large files - documents, publications, conference proceedings, dissertations, and reports. Users should obtain password access from Jairo Delgado (jairodel@usc.edu)

Calendar . The calendar is used to schedule equipment use and meetings, as well as to notify colleagues of your absence. (we are presently moving to a new calendar system, so ask someone if you can’t find it).

In addition to these three sites, your individual project group(s) may also use websites to share information and data.

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