So the abstract I submitted to the MRS Fall Meeting seems to have gotten upgraded to an invited talk, which made me super excited. But in talking to my PI, it seems one of the session chairs had contacted him, and upgraded it under the assumption he would be speaking (which he never mentioned to me before the official acceptance notices came out). However, I wrote the abstract, everything we're proposing to present in the abstract is my work, and frankly, I give a pretty good presentation. We're the only authors on it. Also, if I'm not presenting, I can't get funding to go.
So instead of looking like I get to give a really awesome talk on all the cool shit I do at a meeting I've never gotten to go to, my advisor is going to give it instead, and I'm not even going to get to go. Having sat through his presentations on my data before, this really worries me, because he gets things wrongs, or claims things are definitive that are really not decisive at all. I was really excited about this, so it's a hell of downer to end my week on.
Is it usual for students to be upset when PIs give talks on their behalf, or am I being weirdly possessive about this?
You're not weird: it's always difficult to let someone else give your talk, especially when you know they don't understand the content as well as you. Both in grad school and industry, the phrase "just give me your slides" has filled me with apprehension and pain. It's even worse when it's the boss, because that might make it harder to correct their errors.
ReplyDeletePlus you're missing out on a conference for this. Fail.
I think it's normal to be upset. I'd rather give the talk than not. Hopefully he will drop your name liberally in the talk?
ReplyDeleteThis somehow never really came up with my advisor. She did her own talk and I did mine. My talks never had her name on them.
My field has the convention the the PI is always last author on anything that comes out of the lab. I'm also pretty sure it was the session chair's suggestion, which means there's even less I can do about it.
DeleteAll your posts keep reminding me of my Ph.D. days. What are the odds that you are working for my old advisor?
ReplyDeleteFairly low: the only recent graduate of the group to end up on the tenure track is female.
DeleteIt's normal to be upset. If I were your PI, I would actually try to talk to you, because good students take pride in their work and are not comfortable with people getting it wrong.
ReplyDeleteWe don't often go to the MRS (three of my peeps will be going this year, I won't) but its not uncommon that the organizers insist that a senior person give a talk. Speaker names attract the audience. I have a tendency to let my peeps give my talks (often last minute because I can't travel) and I have had several organizers kinda grumble about it.
Having said that, I think it is great that you are proud of your work and have a sense of ownership. If I may suggest just talking to your PI and asking whether he would be giving the talk, and if he says yes, just honestly tell him that you were hoping to go and that you are a bit disappointed that you don't get to go. See what he says. I think you will feel better that you let him know what you feel regardless of what he says. And congrats on you cool paper!
We did talk about it last week, and it's a case where the session chair is insisting it be 1) him who gives the talk and 2) a broader overview talk. So it's no longer the same talk, which I'm a bit bummed about, because I don't expect to find a session that's as good of a fit ever again. He's very apologetic for not telling me sooner, so I'm still bummed, but less angry about it.
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