USF Sarasota-Manatee’s second annual Research PechaKucha will be held on Thursday, April 4, from 11 a.m. to noon, in room A217 at USFSM, 8350 N. Tamiami Trail.
Faculty from USFSM and New College of Florida will participate in the event, which is being organized by USFSM Research Administration Faculty Fellows Melissa Sloan, PhD, and Murat Haner, PhD.
The sessions are open to students, faculty, staff and the general public and will touch on issues ranging from the impact of pre-trial publicity on juries to how economic data is sometimes skewed by politicians and media pundits.
“PechaKucha” refers to a presentation style that originated in Tokyo in 2003. Speakers present 20 slides for 20 seconds each with each presentation lasting no more than 6 minutes, 40 seconds. The format compels speakers to focus on essential elements to create concise, fast-paced presentations.
Six presentations are scheduled:
- Embodying Traditions: Black Performance and the Long Struggle for Cultural Equity in Urban America, Queen Meccasia Zabriskie, PhD, sociology, New College of Florida
- Acting Your Age: Fighting Ageism through Drama, Valerie Lipscomb, PhD, English, USFSM
- Fair Trial v. Free Press: Pre-Trial Publicity’s Influence on Jurors’ Verdicts, Impressions & Emotions, Chris Ruva, PhD, psychology, USFSM
- Think Pink: How Mary Kay Built an Empire on Lipstick and Applause, Cassandra Yacovazzi, PhD, history, USFSM
Murat Haner, PhD
- Economics as Mythology, Mike Snipes, PhD, economics, USFSM
- The Transformative Nature of Entrepreneurial Education in Prison, Jess Grosholz, PhD, criminology, USFSM
Snipes said he’s looking forward to the session, although he admits he’s new to the accelerated format.
“It will really force us to think carefully about what will be the easiest yet most impactful way to convey our ideas to the public,” he said. “It should be a fun challenge.
Snipes’ talk will focus on how economic data is often skewed when conveyed publicly and how omitting key elements can distort overall findings.
“My hope is that people will look at economic news or statements from politicians in a new or different light and ask questions like, ‘What is being ignored? What are they not telling me? Is there more to this?’”
Haner said the session was brought back because of the favorable response to the research and presentation style last year.
“The format made the research very accessible,” he said. “It’s designed to give a snapshot of each faculty member’s research area and encourage collaboration and interdisciplinary research opportunities between diverse faculty members, including faculty from other institutions.”