Logan Kozal, a Ph.D. student in ecology, evolution, and marine biology, will vie for the UC Grad Slam Champion title with her presentation Hot Dads and Super Moms? about her research on the heatwave-mitigating impact of mussel parentage. “I am really proud to be a part of UCSB,” she said. “Grad Slam made me very inspired thinking about the really incredible work that all of these researchers could do together with their different skill sets and perspectives.”
As UCSB's Grad Slam champion, Kozal will represent the campus at the virtual systemwide contest Friday, May 7. The event, hosted by UC President Michael V. Drake, will be live-streamed from the UC Grad Slam website starting at 9:45 a.m. PST.
“The systemwide Grad Slam is a wonderful opportunity for all UC graduate students to shine, and we know Logan will do a fabulous job,” said Interim Graduate Dean Leila J. Rupp. “Come out and cheer her on! This event reminds people across the state why graduate research is so important, why graduate students make life better in a myriad of ways.”
Kozal and other campus champions will compete for a share of $14,000 in prize money, provided by Thermo Fisher Scientific, and will be judged by a panel of leaders in higher education, media, science, business, and the arts. Viewers will also have the chance to cast a vote for their favorite, with the winner to receive the prize for Audience Choice.
“I'm excited to connect to the other UC campuses through the competition,” said Kozal. “I think grad students are a kind of a bridge between undergraduates and the rest of the university. They are the ones usually most actively engaging with the primary material -- whatever their discipline -- and are in a really great position to direct where their fields and our community go in the future.”
For more information on the competition and to tune in to watch, please visit gradslam.universityofcalifornia.edu.
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