hehe, first you need to relax.. just wear the dress you wear for presentation in your department. too much thinking about formality may distract you and make you nervous. it always helps to speak confidently. of course, if possible, wear formal dress but not overdo that..

can you ask the paper author to give you the second paper? if not possible, list that one is fine..

hmm, a good mental test will be do you see yourself giving an eloquent thesis defense for your Phd degree and getting the great satisfaction of knowing so much of a subject that you really feel for..
btw, it seems that the PHD topic is quite different from the subject you are really interested in, can you get a job in that field even you have a phd?

which website?

sometimes, get away from the problem for a while is necessary. take a rest for now!

yasser, I like that..
Phd_boy , I never thought of that.. after I get my degree, I will be Phd man.

now everytime I post a reply, it opens a new "add a message" window, and can't see the previous replies at the same time. can you fix this?

sorry, should add " a new pHD program in robotics"

hehe, Gorgia tech offers a new PhD programm.. I don't thinK i am qualifiedd for this programme, otherwise, it will be my dream study.. good luck!

well, that sounds pretty "rounded".. my engineering PhD fellows don't seem to know a fraction of these things. good for you!

hehe, you are where I was back then(I know I say this many times..). I was so depressed by the work pressure by that boss, so I went to the psychogyist, got some therapy, and told him that I needed to take some time. later on, all of these came back to me; he kept saying that I was self-centered, not critical enough of my work, and he was disappointed at my work.. out of the 2 years I worked under him, I only heard a couple of nice words from him; all the rest is mainly like "crap", " disappointing", "shallow"..
I am curious to see if you can actually get your supervisor become a nicer person. sometimes, it is better to leave the bully and start your new life. I am happy now

how about have breakfast/lunch/dinner together? you need to do that anyway..

hmm, doing independent work is understandable; but it helps to have a co-worker. Are you the only researcher working in the lab? you can ask for their help.. Your supervisor is not understanding, some people are like that, so it is very important to choose a good supervisor.

well, I don't think people NORMALLY like to make others miserable, especially there are a bunch of them there. someone may be an ass, but the whole group?..
honestly, just sitting there may not solve any problem; initiatively may do the trick. Can you join them for coffee or something? and try to find an easy breaker like someone who shares the same interest as you do.
anyway, it seems weirdly difficult; which country are you in? some countries have the trait of being quiet but actually not that bad; you just need to be initiative, like a boy approaching a girl

have you decided what to do? just for your information, my old boss's degrogatory words still haunt me nowadays, look how long-lasting those harsh words can influence.. I need to see a psychologist..