STEM for Everyone
For STEM students and professionals alike, being able to articulate your work to a broad audience can have a tremendous impact on the discoverability of your research and the trajectory of your career. STEM for Everyone invites students to create a 5 minute video on a STEM topic to hone their communication skills.
Final Submission Deadline
The deadline to submit a presentation proposal has passed. Final video submissions are due April 11, 2021.
Program Description
Are you an undergraduate or graduate student involved in technical research or hands-on projects? Would you like to share your work with a broad audience and sharpen your communication skills? Submit your proposal to participate in STEM for Everyone!
STEM for Everyone, presented by the UB Women in STEM Cooperative (WISC) and UB Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE), invites students to record a 5-minute video presentation about an existing research project or a STEM topic. This event provides a platform for students to communicate the significance of their work in non-technical language, an important skill for any STEM professional. Creativity is encouraged!
Participants will benefit from mentorship and constructive feedback as they are preparing their video, and will be eligible to win prizes for strong submissions.
Participation eligibility
Undergraduate and graduate students in science, technology, engineering, or math degree programs at the University at Buffalo and other Buffalo area colleges and universities may participate. Women and students of underrepresented identites are especially encouraged to participate.
Presentation topics
The focus of STEM for Everyone presentations is to deliver scientific/technical/discipline-specific content in a way that a broad audience can easily understand. Examples of presentation topics include:
- Faculty mentored research
- Independent research or tinkering projects
- Technical projects carried out in clubs or student organizations
- Projects worked on in internships
- Any STEM topic that interests you
Should submissions exceed the program's capacity, presentation topics that address diversity or equity in STEM will be prioritized.
Timeline
- Proposals are due by March 5, 2021.
- Students will receive notification of acceptance by March 12, 2021.
- Videos must be submitted by April 11, 2021.
Mentorship
Participants will have the opportunity to sign up for a personal coaching time with a faculty or professional staff member prior to the video submission deadline on April 11, 2021. This is a great opportunity for students to practice presentation skills and benefit from the mentorship from our STEM community.
If you are interested in serving as a coach to a student, please email Chelsea Montrois at ubwise@buffalo.edu.
Prizes
While the emphasis of this opportunity is to provide a platform where students receive constructive feedback, a number of small prizes will be awarded to exceptional submissions. A faculty and staff review committee will score final submissions based on the feedback rubric provided below. Four prizes each will be offered at the undergraduate level and the graduate level.
- (1) - First Prize, $200
- (3) - Runner Up, $50 each
Forms and Resources for Participants
Proposal submission form
Participants must submit a brief proposal prior to participation. If you wish to take part, please complete the following form by March 5, 2021. You will receive notification of acceptance by March 12, 2021 at the latest.
Video creation resources
Videos may be created using a variety of programs and tools.
- UB Libraries Equipment Loans (Cameras, tripods, etc.)
- Silverman Library Editing Stations
- UB Video Recording Studios
- Record a presentation in Zoom (See page 5)
- Record in Microsoft Powerpoint
- Simple video recording on smartphone
Remember that the emphasis of this program is not on production value or editing skills, but on language and thoughtful use of verbal/visual communication.
Feedback rubric
The scoring rubric serves as a feedback platform communication coaches and for submission reviewers, and a guide for student participants as they are preparating their submissions.
STEM communication resources
- AAAS Center for Public Engagement with Science & Technology Communication Toolkit
- Inside NIA: A Blog for Researchers Explaining your science—tips for clear communication
- Tips on Communicating Research to a Broad Audience
- Communicating Your Research to Lay Audience
- Communicating Your Research in Lay Language
- How to Effectively Communicate Science and Scientific Research to a Broad Audience
- Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science Examples
Final video upload
All videos must be uploaded as a file (i.e. not a URL of a hosted video) so that we can caption the videos for proper accessibility. Acceptable file types are AVI, FLV, WMV, MP4, WebM, and MOV. Please include your last name in the file name. The video submission deadline is 11:59 PM on April 11, 2021.
Questions? Contact Chelsea at ubwise@buffalo.edu.