Spark! Symposium

We are looking for graduate students and postdoctoral trainees who show potential for engaging and communicating their research effectively to the general public. This does not mean you have to already be excellent at communicating your research; we will help you get there. Supporting students and postdocs in building effective communication skills is the reason we created Spark!. We assess each candidate's potential when we review their talk proposal. So, submitting a compelling proposal is key. Here are characteristics we look for:

• Minimal jargon. If jargon or technical terms are used, they are explained in a way that is understandable to those outside of your field. 

• Well-structured and well-written. We look for a clearly defined research question and how the findings have impacts beyond academia. These questions may help you get started:

  • What is the core research question?

  • Why should we pay attention to this research? 

  • How does this research help address challenging problems?

  • Strategies to introduce your topic

  • Strategies for conclusion

• Concise. The optimal length of the proposal is between 250 - 400 words. Focus on telling a compelling story, not cramming all the data and details of your work into a single  presentation.

The proposal clearly draws connections between the topic of your talk and the theme of the symposium. The theme changes for each symposium. How does your talk align with the theme?

Congratulations! Give yourself a pat on the back for passing a rigorous selection criteria to be a Spark! Presenter. Our typical acceptance rate is about 20%.

Spark! presenters receive individual and small group coaching during the weeks leading up to the symposium. In these sessions, we will review, revise, and refine your presentation so that it is engaging and accessible to the general public. Please make sure to set aside time for the coaching sessions (we will poll availability) and to work on your presentation.

Most successful presenters are committed to learning and improving, open to making changes, and willing to step out of their comfort zones (presenting on stage for a large audience can be intimidating!).

At the end of each symposium, judges from diverse backgrounds and disciplines vote to award one speaker with the Ignite award. Feedback from the judges is provided in individualized follow up coaching sessions to foster further improvement. The audience also votes for the “people’s choice” Glow award. 

“The Spark! Symposium was an excellent opportunity to not only try something outside of my comfort zone in terms of public speaking, but also to educate people across the university about the importance of my research. It was incredibly rewarding to show myself that I could represent my college and gain support and interest from community members. I would recommend that everyone apply - you may surprise yourself!”

Amanda Crandall

Fall 2022 Spark! Presenter

College of Agriculture and Natural Resources

 “Participating in the Spark! Symposium provided me the opportunity to learn about and practice the art of presenting research to the general public. I am grateful to those who provided the training and preparation that culminated in the wonderful experience of sharing my research with a broad audience.”

Annette Pic

Fall 2022 Spark! Presenter

College of Education and Human Development

You can view previous Spark! Symposium introduction and talks here. Past Spark! presenters information can be found below.

Please send your questions to gradsuccess@udel.edu.