Ten graduate students advanced to the final round of UC Merced’s annual GradSLAM! competition and will vie for a chance to represent the campus and compete with graduate students from across the University of California system.
The campus community and the general public are welcome to attend GradSLAM!, which provides graduate students with a forum to explain the methods, results and significance of their research in 3 minutes or less, and in a way that is accessible to a general audience. The finals will be from 1-4 p.m. Thursday, April 12, in the California Room.
The Graduate Division held qualifying rounds March 16, and the 10 finalists represent six graduate groups and all three schools. Each student will receive $250, the opportunity to attend a luncheon with Vice Provost and Dean of Graduate Education Marjorie Zatz, and one-on-one coaching with speaking professionals. This year’s finalists, listed alphabetically are:
- Kayla Canelo, Political Science
- Carissa Dunn, Quantitative and Systems Biology
- Craig Ennis, Quantitative and Systems Biology
- Stefanie Helmrich, Environmental Systems
- Christine Hoffman, Applied Mathematics
- Michelle Len, Mechanical Engineering
- Andrea Lopez, Public Health
- Portia Mira, Quantitative and Systems Biology
- Genevieve Mullins, Quantitative and Systems Biology
- Kristen Valentine, Quantitative and Systems Biology
The first-place winner will receive $5,000 and represent UC Merced at the systemwide competition May 3 in San Francisco at the LinkedIn headquarters. The second- and third-place winners will receive $1,500 and $500, respectively.
The Graduate Division organizes “GradSLAM! on the Road” events to increase awareness about UC Merced research, to reach out to potential donors or groups interested in supporting graduate education, and to help students network with industry professionals.
Last month, the campus’s doctoral programs in the sciences were ranked among the best in the nation according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2019 edition of Best Graduate Schools. It marked UC Merced’s first appearance in several science and engineering rankings.
More information about UC Merced’s GradSLAM! is available on the Graduate Division website.
