The Simple Person's Applied Mathematics Seminar (SPAMS) is a long-running seminar series in the MIT Applied Math department, which is run by graduate students, for graduate students.
SPAMS meets every week and provides an opportunity for graduate students from any branch of applied mathematics to speak about their research, topics related to research, or even unrelated topics of interest to the community. Speakers are not required to be experts in the subject of their talks. In fact, many use the opportunity to learn about a completely new area.
Speaking at SPAMS gives a chance to practice giving presentations in a pressure-free environment, in front of friends and fellow graduate students. After every talk, free dinner is provided courtesy of the Department, making it an excellent opportunity to meet other graduate students.