The Science Slam was held Oct. 2 in St. Louis, Missouri.

Cullen Horstmann, biology graduate student in Dr. Kyoungtae Kim’s lab, attended.

About the conference

A Science Slam is a presentation competition for young scientists from all fields.

In 10 minutes, the slammers present their research to a live audience. Unlike a conference or a seminar, this is a more exciting, approachable way to tell people about their complex research. Rather than a panel of judges, the amount of applause determines the winner.

Horstmann gave an entertaining 10-minute oral presentation over his research on how quantum dots change gene expression in yeast. He was up against two German and two American competitors.

The Science Slam is a great opportunity to network with colleagues from other fields and countries.

“It was a lot of fun to present my research like a stand-up comedian,” Horstmann said. “More conferences should be set up like the Science Slam. It was informative and hilarious!”