UC Santa Barbara The University of California, Santa Barbara Graduate Division Presents the
4th Annual Grad Slam Finals April 15, 2016
Grad Slam Judging Criteria Contestants are allocated three minutes to make their presentation. Points are deducted from their final score starting at 3:03 and they are cut off at 3:30 minutes. Clarity: Did the speaker provide adequate background knowledge to make the talk and the importance of the project understandable? Organization: Did the presentation follow a clear and logical sequence? Delivery: Pace, enthusiasm, confidence, body language, eye contact, and vocal range. Visuals: Did the visuals enhance the presentation and help to emphasize the primary points of the talk? If no visuals, would the presentation have been more clear and engaging if used? Appropriateness: Was the topic and its significance communicated in language appropriate to an intelligent, but non-specialist audience? Did the speaker avoid discipline-specific jargon? Intellectual Significance: Did the speaker explain why the project matters and its significance to the academic discipline? Engagement: To what extent did the talk speak to your intellectual curiosity? Did it make you want to learn more about the topic?
Meet the Judges Thank you to our 2016 Grad Slam judges! Tim Cheng, Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, was the former Chair of the ECE Department and former Associate Vice Chancellor for Research. Dr. Cheng co-wrote five books, holds 11 U.S. Patents, and is a fellow of IEEE. He received his Ph.D. in Economics from University of California, Berkeley. Matthew Hall, UCSB Associate Vice Chancellor for IT and CIO, served as AVC for Information Technology at Vanderbilt University where he also taught Computer Science and English. Mr. Hall has an MA in international affairs from Florida State University, CPD from the Wharton School of Business, and a graduate teaching certificate from Vanderbilt University. Margaret Klawunn, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, came to UC Santa Barbara from Brown University where she was the Vice President for Campus Life and Student Services. She also served as a lecturer in English and Gender Studies. Dr. Klawunn holds a bachelor’s degree from Colby College, in addition to a master’s degree and Ph.D. from Rutgers. Linda Putnam, Research Professor and former Chair, Department of Communication, is the co-editor of 13 books, a Fellow of the International Communication Association, and received the 2015 UCSB Faculty Distinguished Research Lecturer award. Dr. Putnam received her Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Minnesota and her M.A. from the University of Wisconsin.
Master of Ceremonies: Dr. Carol Genetti, Dean of the Graduate Division, University of California, Santa Barbara.
2016 Grad Slam Finalists Geoff Willard | Bren School of Environmental Science & Management Where’re Wolves?: Mapping Wolf Habitat and Wolf-Livestock Conflict Hotspots in California David Hwang | Materials LEDs: Enablers of the Future Gokh A ​ min | Global Studies Seven Years, Three Yemens: The Empowerment and Disenfranchisement of Yemeni Women Between 1989 and 1995 Nicole Leung | Biomolecular Science & Engineering Lighting the Path from the Eye to the Brain Katherine Millage | Bren School of Environmental Science & Management Fishing for Benefits: Seafood Certifications in Small-Scale Fisheries Sara Weinstein | Ecology, Evolution & Marine Biology Worms in Raccoons: Worms in You? Jesilyn Faust | Global Studies Challenging Global Responses to Violence Against Women: The Case of Amina al Falali Elizabeth Hiroyasu | Bren School of Environmental Science & Management Fun Facts about Wild Pigs and Why We Should Care about Them Savannah Dearden | Molecular, Cellular, & Developmental Biology Sparkling Sea-Slug Photonics: The Discovery of Nanoscopic Multi-Layer Reflectors in F. Iodinea Phillip Rogers | Linguistics Featuring the Bituri: Linguistic Fieldwork in Papua New Guinea Kendall Mills | Bren School of Environmental Science & Management The Market Value of Non-Market Goods: Conservation of Endangered Whale Species in the Santa Barbara Channel
Thank you to our generous donors, whose gifts make the Grad Slam possible!
PRIZES Grand Champion: $5,000 and the privilege of representing UCSB at the UC-Wide Grad Slam (2) Runners up: $2,500 (8) Finalists: $750 (32) Semifinalists, each of whom received a $50 gift card
Award Presenter Daniel Hieber, Ph.D. ’18 Linguistics, will present today’s prizes. Danny was the Grand Champion of the 2015 UCSB Grad Slam. He went on to take second place at the inaugural UC-wide Grad Slam, where he received a check for $3,000 from Janet Napolitano, President of the University of California. Check photo: Robert Durell, UCOP Cover photos: Patricia Marroquin, UCSB Graduate Division
Please follow UCSB’s Grand Champion in the UC-wide Grad Slam competition next Friday, April 22, at 11:30 a.m. at https://gradslam.universityofcalifornia.edu/