Here’s what you missed at Round 7 (aka "The Rumble Round") of UCSB's 2015 Grad Slam on Thursday morning in 1605 Elings. Eight presenters came forth ready to rumble and discoursed on subjects as varied as Transgender Sensations, Latino Parents, and Invasive Species. After the applause died down, only three graduate students had survived to grasp a gift card and make an appointment for the Semifinals.
The presenters and their topics:
- Anish Bhattacharjya, Chemistry and Biochemistry: “Generating and Using Aryl Grignard Reagents in Water, ONLY Water”
- Oree Holban, Art: “The Big MM: Transgender Sensations and the Poetry of Limbo”
- Brian Hoskins, Materials: “Synaptic Engineering”
- Ian McCullough, Bren School of Environmental Science and Management: “A Last Stand? Will California's Ponderosa Pine Forests Survive Climate Change?”
- Kamala Qalandar, Mechanical Engineering: “Small But Mighty: Energy Efficiency in Micromechanical Systems”
- Zuleyma Rogel, Education: “Latino Parents' Negotiation and Development of Letters to Their School Board on a Funding Priority”
- Ashley Sanford, Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology: “The Science of Meaning-Making”
- Emily Wilson, Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology: “Detecting Invasive Species Using Environmental DNA”
And the Round 7 winners are …
Judges' Selections: Brian Hoskins and Ashley Sanford.
People's Choice: Ian McCullough.
Kyle's Superlatives:
Most Likely to Become a ...
- Life Coach: Ashley Sanford ("The tree with the strongest roots is the last to go down in a storm")
- Motivational Speaker: Zuleyma Rogel
- Pun Master: Ian McCullough ("Go out on a limb")
- Robot Lord: Kamala Qalandar ("If robots are going to rule the world someday, let's at least make them energy-efficient")
Ashley, Brian, and Ian will all move on to the Semifinals. Fight on, my friends!