This semester, Social Science Matrix will be supporting the UC Berkeley Grad Division in presenting Grad Slam, a UC-sponsored competition designed to showcase graduate student research for a general audience in three-minute talks. Entrants compete in preliminary rounds on their UC campus, with prizes awarded at each stage of the selection process.
Graduate students in the Division of Social Sciences are invited to attend an info session and brainstorming workshop at Social Science Matrix on January 22 from 3pm-4:30pm. We will watch some past HSS Grad Slam talks, brainstorm ideas, and discuss what strategies have been successful in communicating HSS research in this format. Snacks will be served.
The deadline for submitting a video is February 18 at 11:59pm, PST. Videos will be rated by a panel of judges for the Berkeley campus competition, which will take place on April 3, 2019. The winner from this event will compete in the UC-wide competition on May 10, 2019. The top three prizes at the system-wide competition are $1,000 (third place), $3,000 (second place), and $6,000 for the winner of the prestigious UCOP Grad Slam “Slammy” award.
Additional information about Grad Slam can be found here.
Why Should I Enter Grad Slam?
- Professional Development: Grad Slam is a unique opportunity for graduate students to practice pitching original research to general audiences. Participants have the opportunity to attend workshops and receive group and one-on-one coaching to develop oratorical skills, dynamic deliveries, and compelling content when presenting their academic research.
- Networking: Through Grad Slam, participants will meet and engage with a diverse body of UC Berkeley staff, faculty, graduate students, and valued associates (donors, alumni, media, politicians, community members, and more).
- Impact: Participants have the opportunity to make the importance and relevance of their research visible to a non-specialist audience.
- Prizes: The three finalists will receive prizes of $3000, $1,000, and $750, respectively, with the top finalist advancing to the UC-wide event.
Berkeley Campuswide Grad Slam: April 3
To enter Grad Slam, students must submit a video of their three-minute talk to GradPro (learn more here). From those submissions, up to ten semi-finalists will be chosen to compete in the campuswide live competition. Colleagues and friends of the competitors are warmly invited to attend! The event will also be livestreamed.
Learn more about last year’s event.
The campus-wide competition will take place on:
Wednesday, April 3, 2019
3:00 to 5:30 pm
Sibley Auditorium
UC-Wide Grad Slam Championship: May 10
On Friday, May 10, 2019, Berkeley’s champion will compete against graduate student peers at the UC-wide championship competition. This event will again be held at LinkedIn’s downtown San Francisco center and emceed by UC President Janet Napolitano. Competitors will be judged by notable leaders in industry, government, and media.
The top three prizes at the system-wide competition are $1,000 (third place), $3,000 (second place), and $6,000 for the winner of the prestigious UCOP Grad Slam “Slammy” award.
Learn more at https://grad.berkeley.edu/professional-development/grad-slam/.
