I like to pickup on ideas in my rare trips around the world.  I had heard of the GMARS doctoral symposium but I had never managed to talk my way into it.  This year I was allowed to observe.  Most interesting approach.  Students present research, faculty do a formal discussion (as Eddy Cardinaels learned at the last minute that means powerpoint slides) and then a general discussion ensues.  It seemed to me to be a real risk!  What if faculty blew away the paper, would doctoral students have any comments that did not mimic the faculty member’s discussion, etc????  Well it worked and worked well.  I think you need to have a very special set of faculty to make it work, but apparently the UNSW Sydney (the only U I know that has rebranded three times in five years) can make it work.  Salute to Kerry Humphreys and her gang especially her main assistants Paul Andon and Yee Shih Phua as well as the key faculty.