Science in a flash

Effective communication is critical to your success as a scientist. You often have only a few minutes, or a few sentences, to impress employers, influence grant-making agencies or provide a quote to a journalist.

So, what if you got one figure, four minutes and a microphone to describe your research — could you do it?

At the 2019 American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Annual Meeting, the Science Outreach and Communication Committee (formerly the Public Outreach Committee) will challenge graduate student and postdoctoral researcher travel awardees to push their science-communication skills to the limit at a flash talk competition.

Each flash talk will focus on the research described in the speaker’s submitted abstract. For presenters, this is an ideal opportunity to think about their projects in different ways.

“Scientists often get caught up in the minutiae of their work, forgetting about the bigger picture,” committee member Parmvir Bahia said. “This contest allows trainees to boil the research down to its essence. By considering how their work is relevant to a wider scientific audience, it might also help them appreciate the potential for collaborations outside of their narrow field of interest.”

Before the annual meeting, committee members will provide online training to the travel awardees focused on the skills necessary to give a successful flash talk. Every second counts, so they’ll share tips and tricks to ensure each speakers are using their time wisely. They’ll discuss ways to organize the flash talks to have the greatest impact. And they’ll talk about ways to describe science without using discipline-specific jargon. These strategies will help speakers connect with the audience, whether that audience consists of ASBMB members, scientists in different disciplines or even nonspecialists.

A panel of expert science communicators will score each flash talk using a rubric focused on the clarity and quality of the presentation. The panel will reward the presenter earning the highest score with some fun ASBMB swag. While the panel can choose only one winner, everyone wins at the end of this contest. All presenters will receive their scores, making this a great opportunity to get feedback on their science-communication skills.

What does this mean for you if you didn’t receive a travel award?

The audience is the most important part. This competition is a fun way to hear some great science while relaxing and networking. Grab a snack, sit back and cheer on the presenters. At the end of the event, be sure to vote for the speaker you think should take home the audience choice award.