Get ready for UCSF Grad Slam! The Graduate Division’s popular annual research communications contest returns on April 2 as part of UCSF’s celebration of National Graduate Student Appreciation Week.
We are excited to announce this year’s ten finalists, selected by a panel of screening judges. These PhD candidates will share their research stories in accessible 3-minute talks as they compete for cash prizes of $4,000, $2,000, $1,000, and $750 at the live event on April 2. The top prize winner will go on to compete in the UC systemwide Grad Slam competition at the end of April.
Matt Arvedson
Biomedical Sciences Program
James Gardner, MD, PhD, faculty mentor
Clearing the Aire: How Cancer Hides from the Immune System
Kingsley Chow
Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacogenomics Program
Laura van't Veer, PhD, faculty mentor
No One Left Behind: The Quest for Personalized Cancer Cures
Zach Cogan
Tetrad Program
Peter Walter, PhD, faculty mentor
Lost in Translation: Dissecting the Molecular Mechanisms of Stress-Dependent Protein Synthesis
Maggie Colton Cove
Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacogenomics Program
Hideho Okada, MD, PhD, faculty mentor
Building Biological Sleeper Agents to Fight Brain Tumors
Sophia Miliotis
Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacogenomics Program
Nadia Roan, PhD, faculty mentor
Finding HIV: A Swipe in the Right Direction
Devin Schoen
Bioengineering Program
Melanie Morrison, PhD, faculty mentor
Smarter Stimulation: Putting the Pieces Together
Benjamin S. Sipes
Bioengineering Program
Ashish Raj, PhD, faculty mentor
The Brain as an Orchestra
Kai Trepka
Biomedical Sciences Program
Peter Turnbaugh, PhD, faculty mentor
Gut Check: How Our Poop Could Hold the Key to Better Cancer Treatment
Madeleine Urbanek
Biomedical Sciences Program
Cathryn Cadwell, MD, PhD, faculty mentor
This Viral Astronaut is Mapping the Galaxy in Your Brain
Kaylee Wedderburn-Pugh
Biomedical Sciences Program
Tippi MacKenzie, MD and Elizabeth Crouch, MD, PhD, faculty mentors
UNDER CONSTRUCTION: Mapping the Blood-Brain Barrier's Blueprint in Development
Grad Slam challenges PhD students to present a compelling presentation of their dissertation research in three minutes or less, using language that not only their peers but also non-specialists will understand. The intention of Grad Slam is to incentivize students to clarify their ideas and to help others appreciate and understand their work. Grad Slam contests are now held at all 10 UC campuses, and a UC-wide event – featuring the top Grad Slam winners from each campus – will be held on April 29.
Mark your calendar for Wednesday, April 2, at 4 p.m. PDT, and plan to join us either in person in Byers Auditorium at Mission Bay, or tune into the live stream.
Read more about the annual Grad Slam competition.
