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SBU Postdoc Spotlight Rules & Judging 

Postdoc Spotlight Banner 2021

 

Rules

  • Postdocs listening at 2019 SpotlightOnly 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

Christina Joselevitch, Neurobiology and BehaviorThe 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?