The University of California announced on Apr. 9 that ten graduate students, one from each UC campus, will compete in the annual Grad Slam event scheduled for Wednesday, April 22 at 10:30 a.m. The competition challenges participants to explain their research in just three minutes and will be streamed online.
The event aims to highlight innovative research being conducted across the university system and encourages graduate students to develop strong science communication skills. By translating complex topics into accessible language, organizers say the competition helps researchers connect with wider audiences and prepares them for future careers.
Each finalist has spent months preparing to simplify years of work into a brief presentation. Their talks cover subjects such as automating food safety, cancer research, and combating Valley Fever. A panel made up of leaders from academia, media, and industry will judge the presentations—reflecting the variety of audiences researchers may encounter outside academia.
Participants are competing for $18,000 in total prize money and the “Slammy” trophy awarded to first place. Viewers can also vote online for a People’s Choice winner at gradslam.universityofcalifornia.edu.
This year’s keynote address will be delivered by California Senate President pro Tempore Monique Limón, who is noted as both the first mother and first Latina to hold her position. She is expected to discuss efforts to protect federal research funding during her remarks. Google Gemini is sponsoring this year’s event.
