Finalists to be presented at Discovery Day; $500 prize for winner
The Office of Research is hosting a video contest that will provide students the opportunity to both research and discuss a topic they’re passionate about and then share their findings with the public.
Program and event coordinator Jack Beasley said the Office of Research was looking for a way to show off great work that students are doing, as well as to raise awareness of what the Office of Research is about.
The idea for the contest, Beasley said, is for students to gain firsthand experiences with research. It would allow students to tell their own stories to their own peers, he said.
“Research does not have to mean what comes to mind when you think of the word ‘research.’ We’re looking for creativity, or for students to think of a funny way to tell their story. We want it to be fun, but we also want it to have a message about what [they’re] passionate about,” Beasley said.
Students may work alone or in groups to create their own short research videos, five minutes maximum, and post them on YouTube. USC spokesman Jeff Stensland said the videos must focus on some aspect of student research, but creativity is encouraged, such as use of music or comedy. The top three videos will be determined by the number of YouTube likes they receive. Winners will be awarded cash prizes of $500 for first place, $300 for second and $150 third.
For video inspiration, students may look to projects from a similar contest recently held by the School of Medicine. Nursing students created music videos to explain their experience in the health profession for the “Memmys,” or “Medical Emmys,” contest.
As an example of research opportunities students could explore, Beasley mentioned a recent student project involving an elementary school and a study of how theater helps change students’ self-perception. Beasley related that student’s research experience to the experience students can receive by entering this contest.
“There are tons of opportunities for students to explore what they’re interested in and passionate about if they ask,” Beasley said. “There are ways for them to have interested experiences outside of the classroom. Friends of the student might see their video and might think it’s cool and ask themselves, ‘What can I do?’”
Contest finalists will show their videos to an audience at Discovery Day on April 26, when the winner will be formally announced. The top three contestants will be selected by a panel from USC Communications, the graduate school, the technology commercialization office, the office of the vice president for research and the office of undergraduate research, according to Stensland.
The contest is open to both undergraduate and graduate students. Full contest rules are available on the Office of Research website.