UC ‘Grad Slam’ finalists condense years of research into three minutes

by Nicole Freeling May 10, 2019May 10, 2019

David Wu delivers his talk, "A blood test to uncover concussion," which won the 2019 UCSF Grad Slam and moved him on to the final. (Photo by Susan Merrell/UCSF) David Wu delivers his talk, "A blood test to uncover concussion," which won the 2019 UCSF Grad Slam and moved him on to the final. (Photo by Susan Merrell/UCSF)

UC Grad Slam arrives Friday — and that means somewhere on a UC campus, a graduate student is pacing in front of a mirror, practicing for friends and roommates and perfecting their pitch as they attempt to condense years of research into a few, fine points.

Now in its fifth year, the University of California’s annual Grad Slam strengthens researchers’ communications chops by challenging them to present their research in three jargon-free minutes.