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SBU Postdoc Spotlight Rules & Judging
Rules
- Only SBU Postdocs are eligible to give a Spotlight talk.
- Talks can be no longer than five minutes. At time, speakers may finish their sentence, but if they continue speaking past the call of time, they will be disqualified.
- There is no limit on the number of slides or the inclusion of animations in a speaker's slides.
- Speakers should craft a talk that distills the heart of their research for a general audience who may not be specialists in the style of a TED talk. Speakers will receive individualized coaching on their presentation from experts at the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science.
Judging Criteria
The talks will be evaluated by a panel of judges from a range of backgrounds and disciplines on three criteria: Clarity, Content and Engagement .
Clarity (1-10 points):
- Did you find the presentation followed a clear and logical order?
- Did you feel the language used was appropriate for a non-specialist audience?
- Did you find the presentation slides clear and easy to follow?
Content (1-10 points):
- Did you understand the significance of the presenter’s research to their field, to culture, and/or to society?
- Did you understand the approach or method taken by the presenter to address their research questions?
- Did you understand the conclusions, results, and/or findings from the presenter’s research?
Engagement (1-10 points):
- Did you feel the presentation slides enhanced your engagement with the presentation?
- Did the presenter capture and maintain your attention?
- Did the presenter effectively use techniques to connect with you and the audience, such as analogies, stories or questions?