Junk the Jargon: Competition for early career researchers
02 Dec 2010
Looking for researchers who can communicate their research topics to a non-specialist audience
The ability to talk about research to a non-specialist audience is a vital skill for researchers. Through a competition called Junk the Jargon, the University is challenging its postgraduate research students, research staff and post-docs to present their research in a clear, interesting and entertaining way.
Entrants to the competition are invited, in three minutes, to:
- engage, inspire or challenge their audience
- communicate their research simply and directly
- share their research but avoid the jargon
- show why their research is important and relevant
The following prizes are on offer: 1st £500, 2nd £200, 3rd £100 and the Audience Vote!
Three Bite Size Workshops will provide entrants with a chance to get advice and feedback on the following aspects before the competition begins:
- Audience - Engage them in the research
- Content - Clarify the research message
- Delivery - Improve presentation style
The competition has the full support of the President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, who says"I encourage all early career researchers to take part in the Junk the Jargon competition. This is an opportunity for you to disseminate what you do here at the University to a much wider public. People who do get involved in public engagement become much better communicators in everyday life and their work. " If you know or supervise an early career researcher, please make them aware of Junk the Jargon and encourage them to enter.
All Faculty Heats are scheduled for Wednesday 19 January 2011 and winners and runners-up from each will go through to the Grand Final on Thursday 10 February 2011.
The Grand Final will be judged by the following external guests:
- Jo Combes, BBC Writersroom
- Marieke Navin, MOSI
- Tiffany Jenkins, Institute of Ideas
All members of staff and the general public will be welcome to attend the Grand Final, so look out for further announcements about the time and venue.
For further information about the competion, please visit the competition website: