Congratulations to our first Postdoc Speed Talk Competition winners!

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On April 30, 2020, Postdoctoral Affairs held its first ever Postdoc Speedtalk Competition. At this online event, postdocs gave 3-minute talks that targeted a diverse and nonspecialist audience. A team of judges -- made up of a professor, graduate student, undergraduate student, and a high schooler, all with different backgrounds -- chose three winners who were awarded $2000 (first place), $1000 (second) and $500 (third) and a plaque. 

Lavanya Ashokkumar, the first place winner, is in the Department of Geosciences where she focuses on glaciers and climate change. Ashokkumar uses satellite remote sensing to take measurements that help to understand present and future melting rates. She looks at glaciers in the Alaska and Canadian Archipelago as they are the largest contributors to the rising sea-levels.

Maria Vittoria Mazzamuto, who took second place, is a member of the Koprowski Conservation Research Lab. She works to understand how the distribution and survival rates of species, specifically the Mt. Graham red squirrel and the Eurasian red squirrel, can change as a result of habitat deterioration, resource exploitation and climate change.

Grace Niemiro, the third place winner, is a part of both the Simpson Lab and the Katsanis Lab. She studies the way in which catecholamines increases the number of immune cells in the blood and how an agent, with similar effects as these catecholamines, can help to improve blood stem cell transplants.

The Speed Talk Competition was originally going to be held in person; however, as the COVID-19 pandemic began, the event had to be changed to an online format. Fortunately, this transition did not phase the contestants! In Maria Vittoria’s words, “I adapted easily to it, I actually felt more comfortable in my house than on a podium. However, I know that my presentation could have been improved if I could have used my body and hand to interact with my slides while I spoke.”

Lavanya Ashokkumar said, “The Speedtalk competition was an amazing opportunity to present my research to a diverse group of judges from different academic backgrounds.  I was happy with the number of questions that I got from audiences, despite being online. It was highly satisfying to know that I was able to communicate about my research to a broad audience.”

Following up on this, Maria Vittoria Mazzamuto commented, “Preparing my speed talk for the competition was challenging. As scientists, we often don’t realize how words that we consider common are actually not for a general audience. Precipitation? Better to use rain. Habitat? Better to say species’ environment. Sometimes they may not be perfect synonyms, but they transfer the message better and we can become more effective in sharing information that affects people’s lives.”

While we do not know what the future holds, we do know that next year's Speed Talk Competition, whether online or in-person, will require the same amount of preparation and enthusiasm as it did for those who participated this year. 

Grace Niemiro offered some counsel to those who plan to compete next year, “Some advice I would give is to relax and have fun with it! It’s for your own scientific growth, not for a grade, so show your true self!”

Congratulations again to Lavanya Ashokkumar, Maria Vittoria Mazzamuto and Grace Niemiro and all the other Speed Talkers!  

 

 

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Lavanya Ashokkumar, PhD

1st place 

$2000

Glaciers and climate change

Department of Geosciences
Arizona Polar Ice Research Team 

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Maria Vittoria Mazzamuto, PhD

2nd place

$1000

Species conservation: what comes around, will go around?

School of Natural Resources and Environment

Koprowski Conservation Research Lab

 

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Grace Niemiro, PhD

3rd place

$500

Can we harness the 'fight-or-flight' response to improve blood transplant?

Children’s Research Center