Official Rules for "CellSlam 2007: The DC Throwdown!"

Your science, live, in three minutes or less, using your imagination, a microphone, and hand-held props only (no AV, PowerPoint, or projectors)

What: "CellSlam 2007" is the extended beta version of a stand-up, juried science slam to be held at the ASCB Annual Meeting in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, December 4, 2007. The finals are from 6-7 pm. Preliminary rounds, if necessary, will be held sometime that afternoon.

• Each of the seven finalists will get a mike, the floor, and exactly three minutes to convey a science issue, concept, and/or discovery to a live audience and a panel of judges pretending to be members of the general public.
• No audiovisual, PowerPoint, or similar electronic props are allowed. Hand-held props are allowed, including hand-held musical instruments.
• Contestants can tackle any science subject they choose but should bear in mind that the majority of judges are card-carrying cell biologists.
• Although the Public Information Committee (PIC) is organizing this event to recognize talented science communicators, CellSlam 2007 is officially a Fun Event. (See the “Grim Business Rule” below.)

Who: CellSlam 2007 is open to any registered scientific participant at the ASCB 47th Annual Meeting, including undergraduates, graduate students, postdocs, faculty, institutional researchers, and ASCB emeritus members.

• ASCB staff, commercial exhibitors, and members of ASCB Council and Committees are not eligible to compete.
• Before taking the stage, contestants must produce a valid meeting badge and sign an agreement that the ASCB can tape the proceedings for web posting and other vaguely educational purposes including promoting the world’s finest cell biology society, all without any compensation other than a warm glow.

When: The CellSlam 2007 Finals will take place from 6-7 pm, Tuesday, December 4th, in Room 147 A/B of the Washington, DC, Convention Center.

• If necessary, a preliminary round of two-minute slams will take place in the afternoon by appointment in the ASCB Newsroom (Room 101).
• Entrants may pre-register online or in person at the meeting by coming to Room 101.
• All entrants must check in, show their meeting badges, and sign the entry form in ink no later than noon, Tuesday, December 4th, in Room 101. Preliminary rounds will be scheduled at that time. It’s up to the contestants to find out if a preliminary is set. No show for your preliminary round, no spot in the final.
• Only the first 25 names on the list are guaranteed a spot in the Tuesday preliminaries. First registered, first heard. Entrants must be present and ready to perform when their names are called.

How: There will be two panels of judges.

• The CellSlam Rules Judges will be the ASCB Science Writer, the PIC Chair, and another PIC member.
• The Rules Judges have the responsibility to make CellSlam 2007 work and, thus, the power to enforce, change, or even make up new rules on the spot, if necessary.
• The Rules Judges will oversee the scoring and enforce the Grim Business Rule (see below).
• The Judging Panel will have an elastic number of members including PIC members, ASCB notables, and outside celebrities (to be named later).
• A Judging Panel (but not necessarily the finals Judging Panel) will conduct a preliminary round of two-minute slams, if necessary, to select seven finalists.
• Other than pretending to be members of the general public, judges will score the contestants using any criteria they like. These might include coherence, good science, good delivery, relevance, irrelevance, and/or audience reaction.
• A suitably impressive numerical scoring system will be constructed to make things look scientific but good slam judging is usually subjective and always rapid.
• This is a contest for GLORY (and laughs).
• Judges will declare the Winner, the Other Winner, and yet Another Winner. (This corresponds to first, second, and third place, for the unimaginative.) Other prizes of nominal value but some cleverness might be awarded to all finalists and perhaps to all entrants.
• Some glory is guaranteed to anyone brave enough to enter.

What else: Randy Hampton, a former stand-up comedian but now Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology at University of California, San Diego, will serve as emcee.

• The emcee will keep the crowd in a suitable mood but keep an eagle eye on the clock. CellSlam 2007 must wrap up by 7 pm and the start of the Keith Porter Lecture.
• Opinions expressed at CellSlam are presumed to be foolish, inaccurate, and in jest. Anyone taking umbrage or advantage should be ashamed of him- or herself. See the Grim Business Rule below.

The Grim Business Rule. While the encouragement of better science communication to the general public is a serious and praiseworthy goal, CellSlam 2007 in its extended-beta version is officially a Fun Event.

• Any contestant who makes things unduly difficult, unpleasant, or so tense that this Fun Event seems in danger of becoming a Grim Business will be shown a yellow card by the Rules Judges.
• A second violation will result in a red card and disqualification.
• A note will also be sent home.
• Members of the audience are also subject to The Grim Business Rule.

CellSlam 2006 Video

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