Get ready to have your minds blown, three minutes at a time: UCSB’s Grad Slam 2019 is here. Seventy-eight of the campus’s finest young researchers are giving brief, TED-style talks on their ideas, projects and passions in this intense, two-week tournament-style competition.

The winner will receive a grand prize of $5,000 and move on to the UC system-wide competition.

“This is the seventh year of the Grad Slam and each year seems even better than the last,” said Carol Genetti, dean of UCSB’s Graduate Division. “This is one of the most exciting ways to enjoy the luxury of learning for its own sake, and to appreciate being a member of one of the world’s great research universities.”

Beginning Monday, April 8, graduate students from disciplines across campus will expound upon their research, as the preliminary rounds commence. Two hourlong rounds of presentations will occur daily, through Friday, April 12.

Morning rounds start at 11 a.m. in the Engineering Science Building (ESB); afternoon rounds are at 3 p.m. in the Student Resource Building (SRB) multi-purpose room.

All Grad Slam presentations are free and open to the public. In fact, in-person attendance is encouraged whether you want to support your favorite grad student, hear the latest news on your favorite research topic, or simply expand your mind with new ideas.

Winners of the preliminary rounds will move to the semifinals a week later. They will be held 11 a.m.-noon Monday and Wednesday, April 15 and 17; and 3-4 p.m. Tuesday, April 16, all in the SRB multi-purpose room.

Winners of the semifinal rounds advance to the finals at 3 p.m. Friday, April 19, in Corwin Pavilion. The winner of that round will represent UCSB at the system-wide competition in May.

This year, the audience has a chance to help bring in the campus’s third systemwide People’s Choice Award for its champion, by voting at gradslam.universityofcalifornia.edu on May 10.

Behind the excitement of competition and buzz of new ideas lies a deeper purpose.

“The ability to distill one’s research to its essence and present it in a compelling way is a critical skill,” Genetti said. “It is necessary for networking, job interviews, and grant writing, in addition to enabling academics to share their research with the broader public.”

To this end, the participants have been training in the art of public speaking, connecting with the audience, and distilling their research into three information-packed minutes. While only one becomes the champion, everyone who participates, wins.

“Grad students are often called upon to talk at legth about their research to specialist audiences,” said Shawn Warner-Garcia, director of professional development in UCSB’s Graduate Division.

“The Grad Slam is unique because it gives them a chance to develop a different kind of public speaking skill set. Being able to convey the core message is a useful tool in all kinds of settings, both inside and outside of academia,” Warner-Garcia said.

— Sonia Fernandez for UCSB.