Many trainees underestimate the importance of attending department seminars. It is very easy to get wrapped up in doing experiments, and there are lab meetings, meetings with faculty, and other events that all demand time. The topics presented can seem at best tangentially related to your project, research interests and goals, making seminar attendance seem like a poor use of time. However, I believe that attending department seminars regularly as an active participant is an excellent way to advance both your science and your career.

Advancing your Science

The most obvious reason to attend a department seminar is to gain knowledge of the topic presented. Most department seminars provide both a topic overview and key findings, often including unpublished data. For topics closely related to your area of interest, attending seminars is an expedient way to keep your finger on the pulse of your field. You’ll learn who is working on what, questions of interest in the field, and how people tend to approach problems.

What about less relevant presentations? The first thing to remember is that your department selects all seminar speakers. There is a reason the faculty have chosen a speaker to present as part of the department’s seminar series. They believe the seminar will provide value. This value can be a new scientific concept, a method of explaining data, the demonstration of how to apply an innovative technique, or in some cases, an opportunity to network with a department affiliate. Seminars can help you think about whether your approach to your project is the best approach, contextualize technological limitations, and help you frame your conclusions. 

The other way attending seminars can advance your science is in providing examples of how to present information. It is always interesting to see how people frame research questions and how they approach answering them. Think about how the speaker told their story, and if you found their approach compelling, jot down specific notes as to why. Did they structure their data in a novel way that improved your understanding? How was their pacing? 

Finally, the ability to absorb information from a scientific talk and to ask good questions are necessary skills for a professional scientist. Seminars provide regular practice. Did you understand how the data they presented led to the conclusions they made? The skills you develop from attending department seminars will serve you well when you attend conferences, where you need to absorb a lot of information in a short period of time.

Networking & Career Development

PIs prioritize department seminars, and if you want to be seen as a colleague and not just a pair of hands, it is important that you do too. Faculty notice who regularly attends and asks questions. Attending provides both an opportunity for interaction and a topic of discussion with colleagues. Seminars provide a means for your knowledge and skill set to become generally known, and people will be more likely to think of you when they need a collaborator. You want your department to think of you as someone with the potential to run a research program.

Conclusion

Think of seminar attendance as an essential component of your work week. They provide a nice change of pace and an opportunity to connect with friends and colleagues, and your attendance will benefit you in ways you don’t anticipate.