Rules and Judging Criteria

Presentation Guidelines

Only SBU Postdocs are eligible to give a Spotlight talk. Talks will be approximately five minutes long. 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 or the Three Minute Thesis. Speakers will receive individualized coaching on their presentation from science communication experts.

Judging Criteria

The talks will be evaluated by a panel of judges from a range of backgrounds and disciplines for how well the speaker engages a general audience of non-specialists and can convey the excitement and innovation of their research without jargon or distortion. Presentations are evaluated on Clarity, Content and Engagement according the following criteria

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?