Welcome to the Grad Slam Judges page. The faculty, staff, and community members who serve as judges for Grad Slam support graduate students by helping them enhance their public speaking skills, all the while learning about the amazing creative and academic work that takes place at the University of Arizona. Past competitions have featured judges from communities throughout the campus, city, and state.
This page provides an overview of what Grad Slam judges do, how they are selected, and how to get involved.
What do judges do at Grad Slam?
The judges for Grad Slam are an important part of the competition and professional development goals of the event. As a judge, one
- Evaluates students' effectiveness in presenting their creative or research project, using the Grad Slam scorecard. Based upon the combined scores of the judges, several presenters move on to the next round. Judges do not evaluate the project itself; rather, the presentation is the focus of their assessment. Training materials are provided prior to the event and onsite to familiarize the judge panel with the format.
- Provides constructive feedback to the presenter on what stood out about the presentation.
- Serves as a representative of the diverse audiences that students will encounter during and after their time at the UA. Each session has three judges.
How are judges selected?
Judges are selected through a volunteer and nomination process coordinated by the Grad Slam Planning Committee. The committee strives to have a diverse set of judges for each round. We actively recruit and schedule the rounds so that there is a mix of perspectives, disciplines, and sectors represented in each round of Grad Slam. Usually there is a mix of faculty, staff, and administrators from the University and Tucson community members from business, government, and nonprofits. Graduate students and undergraduate students cannot serve as judges.
Interested in Judging? Know someone who would make a great judge?
The Grad Slam Planning Committee is recruiting judges. Please email the Judge Recruitment Coordinator for more information or to refer us a name of a good judge candidate.