NCC-AAPM MEDPHYS SLAM COMPETITION
The North Central chapter will be hosting preliminary qualifying MedPhys Slam competition. The selected winner will be awarded a $100 prize and will represent the North Central chapter at the annual AAPM MedPhys Slam.
MedPhys Slam is a research communication competition in which participants prepare a three-minute presentation aimed at sharing the significance of their science in a compelling yet understandable manner. Researchers spend day in and day out investigating the minutia of their topics, yet, to market a product or themselves, the minutia must be understood by more than just the scientific community.
It’s all in the art of communication, and this is what MedPhys Slam aims to foster in the medical physics community. This competition is open to all students and trainees. The preliminary competitions will take place at the local chapter meetings throughout the year, and those winners will participate in the final competition at the AAPM annual meeting.
Not only will this be of interest to those within medical physics, it can be expanded as a AAPM media initiative aimed at communicating what we do to the public. Presentations will be recorded and posted on social media outlets like FaceBook and a dedicated YouTube Channel.
Supporting Documentation
Competition
how to enter
Each AAPM Chapter will be holding a separate preliminary competition. International trainees and trainees who belong to an AAPM Chapter not holding a competition will enter the contest through video application.
The winner of each preliminary competition will be invited to the final competition at AAPM.
The rules are simple but challenging. Contestants have three minutes to present their research using no more than three PowerPoint slides. They are evaluated on their ability to convey their research and its significance to a lay audience.
Next competition spring 2024
Eligibility
The participant must be a student, post-doc, resident and a member of the NCC-AAPM to participate in the Chapter competition. If you are not a member, it is as easy as emailing your name with your intention to join our chapter. The North Central Chapter AAPM Membership is free for Student/Post-docs and residents.
If you are selected as the Chapter winner, you must be a student, junior or resident member of AAPM.
Why:
Where:
The MedPhys Slam will be pre-recorded and the judging will occur remotely. Videos are to be uploaded to YouTube and a link sent to: 2024.ncc_officers@aapm.org
When:
Video submissions are due March 15, 2024. Judging will take place online and the winner announced at our Spring Meeting on April 5, 2024 at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.
How:
See presentation rules below.
Presentation Rules
Visuals
- PowerPoint slides allowed but optional; no Prezi or other presentation formats.
- Maximum of 3 slides, not including title slide.
- Slide material cannot be created by a professional.
- No embedded audio and/or video clips.
- No gifs, animations, or slide transitions.
Addition
- No additional props are permitted, including but not limited to notes, laser pointers, costumes, musical instruments, and laboratory equipment.
- The presenter’s contribution to the project must be salient and clearly specified.
- Presentations must be given in English. Spoken word presentations (e.g. poems, rap, or song) are not permitted.
- For in person presentations, presenters must remain on stage for the duration of their presentation.
- Timing will commence from the moment the contestant starts talking. Three (3) minutes are permitted.
Additional Rules for Video Submission:
- The video itself may be longer than 3 minutes. The presentation is considered to have commenced when the presenter starts their presentation through movement or speech. Presentations are limited to 3 minutes, and any presentations exceeding 3 minutes will be disqualified.
- The 3-minute audio must be continuous (no edits or breaks).
- Presenters should have a title slide that shows their name, institution, and talk title.
- No additional electronic media or props are permitted within the video recording.
Videos must meet the following criteria:
- Filmed on the horizontal.
- Filmed from a static position.
- Filmed from one camera angle.
MEDPHYS SLAM Judging Criteria
Slam are simple but challenging. Participants have three minutes to present their research using a maximum of three PowerPoint slides. Contestants are evaluated on their ability to convey their research and its significance to a lay audience.
MedPhys Slam is a competition similar to 3MT (three-minute thesis) which encourages students, postdocs, and residents to build their science communication skills. MedPhys Slam presents a unique challenge: directing one’s scientific communications to non-specialists who may have no knowledge of physics or medical physics.
There will be a panel of 4 judges scoring each presentation on the following:
- Research Question: Did the presenter clearly identify the research question/topic being addressed?
- Significance: Did the presenter indicate the significance of the research?
- Methods: Did the presenter clearly outline the nature and aims of the research?
- Flow: Did the presenter follow a logical sequence?
- Slides: Did the slides enhance, rather than distract from the presentation?
- Verbiage: Did the presenter use appropriate language for non-specialist audience and avoid scientific jargon?
- Pace: Did the presenter spend the correct amount of time on each element of the presentation?
- Nonverbals: Did the presenter make good use of eye contact, posture and facial expressions?
- Energy: Did the presenter had confidence and enthusiasm throughout the presentation?
- Audience Engagement: Did the presenter capture and maintain the audience’s attention?
In addition to the 4 judges, there will be a Viewer’s Choice selected by the NCC voting members.
Who are the Judges?
The ideal judging panel will be a diverse group of individuals, external to the field of medical physics. We aim to have 4-6 individuals on the judging panel.
Our initial brainstorming for the type of judges to invite include:
- Local news anchor/reporter
- Local high school physics teacher
- Local university professor (communications, theater, performing arts, physical sciences?)
- Local politician (mayor, council member, school board?)
- Local musician?
- Marketing or communications director from a vendor (this could be one of our typical vendors, but someone who is not a physicist)
- Patient advocate/cancer survivor
Tips for Recording a Video Presentation:
There are many options for recording yourself presenting. Below are some suggestions and YouTube tutorials.
- Create a picture-in-picture presentation. In this approach, your video (webcam) is overlaid on top of your slides. This effect can be accomplished with several software programs.
- Insert your slides into your video. In this approach, your video (webcam) will appear full screen. For each slide transition, the slide will take over the screen for a short period of time, while your voice continues in the background.
- Record yourself delivering a traditional presentation, where you are sitting/standing next to a monitor/screen displaying your slides.
Tips for Filming at home
- Light: Dark environments impact the overall quality of your video because cameras do not perform well in dim lighting. Ensuring you are well-lit guarantees the camera, and therefore your audience, can see you clearly. Look for a room in your home that has lots of natural light, if available. If you are using light from a window, ensure you are facing towards the window so light falls on you directly.
- Sound: When filming video at home, ensure you choose a very quiet environment where you have as much control over the sound as possible.
- Background: Aim for a background completely free of visual distractions.
MEDPHYS SLAM General Information
How is this different than the Early-Career Investigators Competition?
The purpose of the MedPhys Slam is entirely different than ECI. The audience for our event is not medical physicists; it is a general audience that may have no background knowledge of the field.
Presenters have 3 minutes to give the “what, how, and why” of their research and convince a panel of judges that their work is impactful and important.
Winners of the NCC-AAPM MedPhys Slam Award
2024 Winner – Carolyn Eckrich
University of Wisconsin Madison – Medical Physics Resident
2023 Winner – Steven Blum
University of Wisconsin Madison – Medical Physics Resident
