Day 2 of the Grad Slam featured two preliminary rounds, 16 fierce competitors, and many jaw-dropping presentations.
Grad Slam Round 2 winner Jasmin Llamas. Credit: Patricia Marroquin Just when I thought the student presentations at the Grad Slam could not get any better, I was pleasantly surprised with the high quality and high impact of the work and research that graduate students carry out at UCSB.
Round 2 of the Grad Slam, featuring seven contestants and held in Elings Hall, kicked off with Faye Walker’s presentation about the use of mobile phones as point-of-care medical diagnostic tools for identifying people with Chagas disease.
Two of the seven competitors shared how media can change the world. Alisa Alexander told the audience to spend time looking at photos the way we stop and smell the roses. According to Alisa, “Knowledge begins by first stopping and looking closely at what is in front of you.” Sarah Stark described how her environmental education media project, Smarty Pants, will change the way students take care of the planet.
Two of the presenters discussed the value of understanding culture and history. Alex Shultz explained how our search for the perfect image of ruins (the one without other tourists and locals “ruining” our photo) and the designation of UNESCO historical sites have led to a separation of local knowledge and culture from history. Jasmin Llamas described the value of understanding intragroup marginalization and family support in relation to Latino students’ college adjustment and their ability to thrive in college.
Kane Anderson takes on a Superman persona. Credit: Patricia MarroquinRodrigo J. Bombardi took the audience to the tropics and back with his science-packed presentation describing how the South Atlantic Dipole affects weather, precipitation, and temperature.
And finally, what Grad Slam round is complete without reference to superheroes? Kane Anderson entertained the audience as he transformed from Clark Kent to Superman in the blink of the eye. Kane explained how his research focuses on the transformation of identity and body of “cosplayers” (people who dress up in costume and take on the identity of various characters) at Comic-Con.
The three judges had the challenging task of selecting the top three participants and the overall winner. After much deliberation, the judges selected Kane Anderson, Sarah Stark, and Jasmin Llamas as the top three participants with Jasmin Llamas designated as the Round 2 champion. Jasmin will be joining Bob Lansdorp in the final Grad Slam competition on Friday, April 19.