Presentation Bootcamp
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For our collaboration this year we decided to host what we called a “Presentation Bootcamp”. We invited nearby iGEM teams to our campus to exchange ideas, learn about other teams’ projects and practice our Jamboree presentations.
The iGEM teams that participated in this event were from Florida State University and Lambert high school. We started the day with a meet and greet where all of the team members got to introduce themselves and exchange funny lab stories while enjoying breakfast. Next, we did a “speed dating” ice breaker. For this activity, we had the teams break up and pair with members from different schools. Then, each team member took turns giving a 1 minute elevator pitch about their projects to the member of the other team. We concluded the activity with a competition where a student would explain another team’s research as accurately as they could. The winning pair was given a Starbucks gift card.
After the ice breaker we watched an informative TED talk about science communication. The speaker explained how to publicize science to a non-technical audience. They emphasized using a story along with simple words to clearly describe complicated thoughts. This was valuable for all of us to apply to our own presentations.
After a quick snack break, it was time for the main event: practicing our Jamboree presentations. One by one, each team stood before the group and presented the work they had completed. We then filled out critique sheets and shared constructive criticism. We also had the privilege of PIs, advisors, and past judges who shared their thoughts and gave general tips for presenting science.
This collaboration event was a huge success! It was really fun to meet the members of other teams and learn about the research they have done. We all benefited from practicing our talks and getting the presentation jitters out of our systems. This also proved to be a good forum for us to exchange ideas and set the stage for further collaborations. As a result of this collaboration event, we ended up pairing with Lambert High school and got access to a 3D printed, portable, inexpensive bead beater that we can now use for our experiments!
After meeting the Lambert team, we collaborated even further by using a bead beater that they 3D printed themselves. We used their homemade beater to transform Symbiodinium and compared this method with that of a mini bead beater obtained from a GSU lab.
