Wisconsin Biohealth Summit

Biohealth Communication Competition for students of Wisconsin Universities

Second Annual Biohealth Communication Competition

Information on competition participants coming soon!

Gain Valuable Experience | Share Your Research | Win Cash Prizes

This competition was designed to allow students and postdocs from around Wisconsin to flex their communication muscles while educating the biohealth industry about their important work.

In a world where misinformation is growing, we feel it is important for scientists to take a leadership role in their community.  Communication is key to that effort.  If we do not have researchers willing to discuss their work and explain its importance to the public, then non-experts will step in to fill that void.

BioForward knows that not only do we have incredible research going on throughout Wisconsin, but we also have dynamic and inspiring students ready to discuss their transformational work.

We hope participants in this competition will use this opportunity to sharpen their communication skills and educate our industry on the breakthroughs happening here in Wisconsin.

 

Video submissions for the competition are due SEPTEMBER 30!

You must be a current graduate student, medical student, or postdoctoral fellow at one of the following institutions:

    • UW-Madison
    • UW-Milwaukee
    • UW-System location with graduate program in a scientific discipline
    • The Medical College of Wisconsin
    • The Milwaukee School of Engineering
    • Concordia University Wisconsin

Prepare a 3-minute video describing your research (or the research of your PI Laboratory), focusing on communicating the following points to a non-science audience

  • What is your research focus?
  • What questions are you trying to answer?
  • How do you investigate this topic and what progress have you made?
  • What is the impact (or possible impact) of your work?  How does it benefit humankind?

The video format and style are flexible.

  • We will have a free webinar available to applicants from the UW-Madison Life Science Communication Program in late August with tips and guidance to help you refine and polish your presentation. More details will follow.  Please sign up to keep informed.
  • Be creative!
  • Feel free to use visual aids
  • Professional recording equipment is not necessary, but try to minimize background noise  TIPS
  • Use your phone, use your laptop, just make sure you are clear, and any visual aids are visible
  • If you are at a loss on how to record, here is a quick tutorial on how to turn a PowerPoint Presentation into a video presentation  TUTORIAL
  • When you are ready to submit, please contact Mike Harrison ([email protected]) for access to a secure dropbox to submit the video.
  • Videos are due at the end of the business day on September 30
  • Videos will go through 2 rounds of judging.  10 finalists will be selected by BioForward staff and the Winners will be selected by a panel of BioForward Board Members.
  • Videos will be judged on the following criteria:
    • Clear and concise messaging
      • Did the points you wanted to communicate come across to the viewer clearly and is the overall message conveyed in a manner both understandable and compelling?
    • Overall organization
      • Were ideas presented in a polished, well-organized manner?
    • Presentation style/Delivery
      • Did the presenter seem prepared?  Did he/she/they speak naturally and effectively?  Were visual aids used appropriately?
    • Overall Impression/Impact
      • Was the viewer interested in the presentation and left curious and wanting to know more?
  • 10 finalists will be notified in mid-to-late September and will perform their presentation live on October 12, 11:00-11:45 AM at the Overture Center in Madison, WI, as part of a session during the 2022 Annual Wisconsin Biohealth Summit
  • Winners will be announced live during the session
  • Prizes are as follows:
    • First – $1,500
    • Second – $1,000
    • Third – $500
    • Fourth-Tenth  – will all receive $150 Amazon Gift Cards
  • This presentation may be viewed by the public, so consider that when sharing information that might be considered proprietary or protected.
  • Our finalists will have their videos posted on the BioForward YouTube Page and may be used in future marketing
  • Please make sure you are able to attend the 2022 Annual Wisconsin Biohealth Summit on October 12 in Madison, WI, before you apply.  Finalists will be presenting live at that event.  Finalists will all receive free passes, but transportation must be arranged independently.
  • If you have any questions at all, contact Mike Harrison at [email protected].

 

 

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Learn more about the 2022 Wisconsin Biohealth Summit.

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