In keeping with this year’s theme “Academia in Action: Bridging Science, Industry, and Policy”, we are excited to announce a brand-new student-driven research proposal competition. Students have the opportunity to develop and present their research ideas as actionable plans at El Dia del Agua y la Atmosfera in front of faculty, peers, and industry partners.
The competition will take place in two phases. In the first phase, students submit a two-page written proposal summarizing their hypothesis, methods, societal impact, and timeline. In the second phase, students prepare a one-minute pre-recorded video presenting their research pitch using any creative format they choose.
This competition is modeled after real-world formats used in NSF pre-proposals, SBIR/STTR Project Pitches, consulting proposals, and industry concept notes. The ability to distill complex scientific ideas into concise, compelling pitches is a critical professional skill. It is crucial when you're applying for grants, pitching to clients, or communicating with decision-makers. This is your opportunity to practice these skills in a supportive environment while showcasing your ideas to potential employers and collaborators.
These videos will be featured on El Dia TV, playing throughout the day in the ENR2 courtyard and in the seminar hall during lunch hours, with QR codes linking to full proposals and student contact information. All pitches will be judged on scientific merit, societal value, clarity of methods, and communication effectiveness. Cash prizes are available to winners.
This competition is open to all students (undergraduate, MS, and PhD). Your pitch can be directly related to your thesis/dissertation research or explore an entirely new idea.
Further details are provided below.
Phase I: Written Proposal
Submission Deadline: February 22, 2026, 11:59 PM MST
Students must prepare a two-page maximum research proposal (PDF). Font size should be 11-point minimum, single-spaced with 1-inch margins on all sides. A rough page limit guide for each section is provided below, but you need not strictly adhere to it. Some questions are provided for each section to help students brainstorm, not all of them need to be answered in order but the paper should touch on the general themes.
- Hypothesis or Scientific Gap (~1/3 page)
- State your testable scientific hypothesis clearly (must be related to hydrology and atmospheric sciences).
- Explain what gap in knowledge this addresses.
- Scientific & Societal Value (~1/3 page)
- Why does this research matter scientifically?
- What are the potential real-world applications or societal benefits?
- How might this connect to industry needs, policy decisions, or community impact?
- Analysis Plan (~1/2 page)
- What data, observations, models, and/or mathematical analyses would you use?
- What specific outcomes would support/refute your hypothesis?
- What alternative explanations might exist?
- Key Figure (at least 1 figure required, counts towards the page limit)
- Include at least one compelling figure (conceptual diagram, flowchart, map, schematic, methodology diagram, etc.).
- Timeline & Milestones (~1/2 page)
- Provide a realistic timeline (can range from 1 month to 1 year).
- Include 3-5 specific, measurable milestones.
Note: You do NOT need funding in place or plans to actually complete this work to enter the competition.
The proposal will be evaluated on the following criteria:
- 20% - Scientific soundness and novelty of hypothesis
- 20% - Compelling statement of scientific and/or societal value
- 20% - Clear analysis plan with testable outcomes (what would support/refute your hypothesis)
- 20% - Quality and clarity of key figure
- 20% - Realistic timeline with clear milestones
Submit your proposals via the following Google Form by the submission deadline.
https://forms.gle/4QJ7HUEQA88WkWdS6
Phase 2: Lightning Talk
Submission Deadline: March 15, 2026, 11:59 PM MST
All students who submitted Phase I proposals are invited to create a one-minute pre-recorded video presenting their research pitch. This is your opportunity to bring your proposal to life and communicate your ideas to a broad audience including faculty, peers, industry partners, and El Dia attendees.
Your video will be featured on El Dia TV, playing throughout the day in the ENR2 courtyard and in the seminar hall during lunch hours. A QR code displayed with your video will link to your full proposal and contact information, allowing interested viewers to learn more and connect with you.
The length of the submitted video should be strictly less than 60 seconds. Videos should be in MP4 format with at least 1920x1080 resolution and an aspect ratio of 16:9 is preferred. Maximum file size allowed is 500 MB and audio must be clear. Please DO NOT include subtitles in your submitted video. These will be added by the El Dia Committee.
Your goal is to hook the audience and make them want to scan the QR code to read your full proposal. You have 60 seconds to introduce your research question in a compelling way, explain why it matters, and make viewers curious to learn more.
As for how to record the video, you may use any creative format you wish. The key is clear communication, not production value. Some examples include:
- Traditional slide presentation with voiceover recorded via Zoom (PowerPoint, Google Slides, Keynote)
- Animated or illustrated presentation
- Whiteboard or drawing explanation
- Combination of field/lab footage with narration
- Stop-motion, hand-drawn animation, or other creative approaches
Your lightning talk will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
- 30% - Clarity of communication (accessible to non-experts)
- 30% - Engagement and effectiveness as a hook (does it make viewers want to read the proposal?)
- 20% - Scientific merit
- 20% - Overall video quality (audio clarity, pacing, creativity, visual appeal)
Submit your video via the following Google Form by the deadline.
[LINK TO BE MADE AVAILABLE on FEB 22]
Final competition winners will be selected based on combined scores from both your written proposal (Phase I) and your lightning talk video (Phase II).