Students prepare "elevator pitches" to describe their projects

I'm very proud of undergraduate Tanner Durst and graduate student Joshua Nowacki for putting themselves out there and competing in some campus wide presentations held at UK this fall.  Tanner took part in the "5 Minute Fast Track" competition for undergraduates.  He won 2nd pace overall, which came with a $500. prize! Joshua competed against graduate students from different colleges across campus in the 3 Minute Thesis.  He did a FANTASTIC job, and we all thought he was robbed when they did not award him a prize.  Although the awards and recognition are lovely, the real value in these competitions is to develop your speaking skills, to think deeply about the significance of your project, and to learn how to speak about science without using lab jargon.   And in that regard, they both exceeded all expectations!