The detailing of an ultrasonic surgical probe for spinal surgery navigation; transcription factories in cells; surgical simulation and robotics; blood perfusion tactics: it’s all just another day in the lab for students at IBBME – at least, according to the winning entries from IBBME’s inaugural two-minute video competition, From Bench to Screen.
The contest, which ran through the summer and was open to all researchers in the IBBME community, put forward the challenge of communicating the often complex, technical research conducted across the Institute’s labs in a 2-minute video format.
“The contest provided an excellent way for our trainees to talk about and frame their research,” said Professor Christopher Yip, Director of the Institute of Biomaterials & Biomedical Engineering (IBBME).
“Being able to effectively present research to a diverse audience in an informative and engaging way is a key skill for our students and faculty.”
First place went to PhD Candidate Amir Manbachi (IT5). Manbachi’s video focused on his doctoral work under the supervision of Professors Richard Cobbold and Howard Ginsberg, which led to a successful start-up company, Spinesonics . Manbachi won a similar video competition sponsored by the Ontario Centres of Excellence, which helped him secure funding for his company’s premier product, the PedicProbe.
“These days, people don’t have the time to read 30-page manuscripts and book chapters,” said Manbachi, underscoring the importance of being able to convey your research in succinct, effective ways. “Being able to convey your messages in 1-2 min video clips carries a lot of weight.”
First Place: Amir Manbachi (PhD, 1T5)
Second Place: Nafiseh Rafiei (PhD, 1T8)
Third Place: Amanda Khan (PhD, 1T8)
Runner Up: Kiril Federov (PhD, 1T6)