About

NeuroBlitz has been a tradition in the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior (NBB) since 2006. Typically, this seminar series meets 2x per month during the academic school year, featuring 3 graduate student speakers. Unlike other programs on campus, NeuroBlitz remains organized and coordinated by the graduate students, allowing for the control of their own professional development. Ultimately, NeuroBlitz serves as an opportunity to develop one’s communication skills with the support of all members within the NBB department.

Communication

It’s difficult to think of a skill, other than communication, that encompasses so many domains. Interviews, conferences, and manuscripts all require an individual to convey information in a concise manner while presenting themselves appropriately. In fact, an amazing idea (or scientific breakthrough) relies on communication to truly have an impact.

Seminar Details

Venue:

Location: Herklotz Conference Room, Qureshey Research Lab

Duration: 1-Hour

Time: 12:00pm on scheduled Wednesdays (see schedule dates below)

Attendance:  All undergraduate, graduate, post-doctoral, staff,
and faculty members are invited to attend

Speaker:

Time Limit: 15 minutes

Questions:  5 minutes (following presentation)

Prizes: Parking Pass for the upcoming quarter

Level: Above lay-person, but below Lab meeting

Panel

Panel:   3-person rotating panel

Members:   Post-Doctoral and Faculty Members

Invitation:   Invited to oversee 2x meetings throughout the academic year

Goals:  Provide experienced feedback

Areas:  Each member is responsible for 1 of 3 areas (Presentation, Science, & Communication) to evaluate.

Speaker Information:

Before your NeuroBlitz presentation (or any presentation), please review our suggest checklist.

Download Check List

Neurobiology 221 Scientific Communication

While NeuroBlitz is a great opportunity to earn experience in communicating, we strongly encourage graduate students seek formal instruction to develop their skill. Each year, Dr. Marcelo Wood and Dr. Craig Stark teach an all-inclusive graduate class on scientific communication. Click on the following for a sample syllabus, school of Biology course catalogue, or to contact the professors (Wood & Stark)

Coordinators

Thai Bao Nguyen

2nd year graduate student
Thompson Research Lab

Huntington’s Disease & Genetics

thaibn@uci.edu

Aaron Gudmundson

2nd year graduate student
Stark Research Lab

Neuroimaging, Aging, & Cellular Metabolism

agudmund@uci.edu

Panel Feedback:

Panel member feedback is general and not specific to any 1 individual. Each speaker should aim to improve one aspect or another through their NeuroBlitz presentation. The following describes feedback for recent speakers as well as underlying trends that the panel-members have seen across speakers over time.

Presentation:

(Presentation Slides, Aesthetic, Flow)

  • Feedback 1
  • Feedback 2

Science:

(Hypothesis, Results/Expectations, Background Support)

  • Feedback 1
  • Feedback 2

Communication:

(Clarity, Pace, Tone)

  • Feedback 1
  • Feedback 2

Communication Tips:

  1. Be the Expert – Be confident in the fact that you are an expert in your field of research. Everyone in the room has come to learn from you as well as support your continued success.
  2. Be a Storyteller – Great speakers captivate their audience with a creative story to introduce their topic or convey concepts through analogies. You can even consider sharing why you’ve become so invested in your line of research. Be a little vulnerable here.. your audience wants to connect with you as a person.
  3. Be Enthusiastic – Express your excitement for your research and you’ll find that your audience will reflect it right back at you. How? Smile, maintain eye-contact, and control your tempo/tone!