UCSB Grad Students Compete in Talk Fest

Imagine condensing
months of graduate thesis research into an elevator pitch of less than 180
seconds. Even more challenging, imagine presenting this research in words a
general university audience can understand. That’s the test 79 UC Santa Barbara
graduate students faced when they entered this year’s UCSB Grad Slam
competition.

In its seventh year, the Grad Slam offers students a platform to share their work in under three minutes. The preliminary and semifinal round winners have competed the past two weeks for the final round on Friday, where judges will choose a winner who will receive a $5,000 prize. The student also gets to move on to the UC-wide Grad Slam competition.

The prelims were abuzz with nervous jitters and excitement during every presentation session. Based on the poise and confidence of the presenters, choosing a winner wasn’t easy, though audience members got to cast a People’s Choice vote during each preliminary round. Between those winners and the judges’ choices, nine graduate students from eight different departments will face off, presenting research on topics ranging from artificial intelligence to science fiction writing to bodily bacteria. Judges must rate the contestants based on clarity, organization, and delivery, as well as ability to communicate the significance of the research to a non-specialist audience