Q&A with 2025 Berkeley Campus Grad Slam Winner Jaquesta Adams
Jaquesta Adams, fifth-year PhD candidate in chemistry
Last spring, Jaquesta Adams, a fifth-year PhD candidate in chemistry, became Berkeley’s 2025 Grad Slam Champion for her presentation “Illuminating Oxytocin: How Nanosensors ‘Listen In’ On the Brain’s Chemical Conversations.” Jaquesta went on to compete against the nine other campus champions across the UC system.
In this Q&A, Jaquesta talks about her experience with Grad Slam and her recommendations to other graduate students who might want to participate in the competition this year or in the future.
Thank you for taking the time to speak with us, Jaquesta! Could you tell us how you heard about Grad Slam and what made you decide to participate in the competition?
Thanks for reaching out! I first learned about the Grad Slam after stumbling upon the website by complete chance as a second- or third-year doctoral student. I had been looking for opportunities to be more involved on campus. I’ve always loved watching videos from YouTube channels like SciShow, Vsauce, and Tom Scott and seeing folks break down complex, sometimes niche, concepts to a general audience in an entertaining and informative way. I wanted to try to do something similar through Grad Slam.
What was the preparation process for Grad Slam like for you?
Once I found out the application was open, I started writing my script in my Notes app during any few minutes of free time I had throughout my day. Once I had the analogy of a lightbulb and a blanket to explain how my sensors work, writing felt quite breezy. I spent the most time editing my script so I could refine any jargon-filled language for a general audience and recite it in 3 minutes at a conversational speaking pace. Feedback sessions with the GradPro team were invaluable here. (Endless thanks to Linda, Maria, Evelyn, and Sophie!)
What were some of the most challenging aspects of preparing for Grad Slam, for both the campus and UC systemwide competitions?
Writing comes very easily to me, but public speaking does not. For my initial Grad Slam submission, I recorded it using Photo Booth, mostly reading cues from my script in the comfort of my studio apartment, and wasn’t overly concerned with getting a “perfect” take. Once I heard back that I was a finalist and would eventually be recording on campus with high-tech equipment, no cue cards, and a limited timeframe in which to get the best take, I started to feel the nerves. Though I had once felt calm and even confident reciting my talk in front of my mirror, my heart suddenly started racing in the recording room, and I kept forgetting my script and stumbling over my words. I didn’t get The Take until the absolute last 3 minutes of my assigned time slot. Those nerves amplified a hundredfold with the systemwide competition, where I got one take in front of an audience. I’m very thankful for Lura Dolas, who coached me on public speaking during this time. Her final piece of advice to me—to imagine everyone as cats and dogs—really helped me have fun on the stage.
What did Grad Slam do for your professional development and networking skills?
Especially as I’m wrapping up my PhD and looking for postdoctoral opportunities in slightly different fields, it’s so helpful to have had the experience of refining how I communicate my graduate research through the Grad Slam. Whether I’m giving an elevator pitch, presenting a job talk, or writing applications, I find myself constantly employing ways of expressing my work that I never would have formulated without the push from Grad Slam.
What advice would you give to other students thinking about competing in Grad Slam?
Do it! Even if you’re nervous. Many of us pursue our respective research areas because we hope we can—however far in the future—have a positive impact on our treasured communities and society as a whole. I believe Grad Slam is amazing practice for what every academic should be doing consistently throughout their journey—remembering the why of your work and learning how to communicate it in a way that really connects with people.
What is next for you?
Finishing my PhD and finding a postdoc lab! My work so far has focused on developing carbon nanotube-based constructs for biological sensing and imaging. Ideally, my postdoc lab will allow me to next use tools like mine to study how molecular signaling shapes communication between the gut and brain.
If you would like to compete in Grad Slam, read the guidelines for this year’s competition and submit your three-minute video by January 31! Be on the lookout for Grad Slam information sessions announcement.