Center for Conservation Biology

From a small gathering of graduate students to this past spring's crowd of nearly 40 attendees, the CCB Grad's Spring EcoSlam event continues to thrive! 

Miranda Buckley, a Ph.D. candidate in Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, has been leading EcoSlam for the past four years after inheriting the event from the previous cohort of graduate students who began EcoSlam as a way to practice sharing their research. A playful twist on the UC-Wide annual Grad Slam, EcoSlam now offers both graduate and undergraduate students a chance to practice public speaking, receive constructive feedback on their research, and network within the UCR ecological community. 

Now in its eighth year, EcoSlam is financially supported by the Center for Conservation Biology with catering and cash prizes. This past year's EcoSlam took place at the UCR Botanical Gardens and was comprised of two undergraduate presentations, eight graduate presentations, and thirty-eight attendees. This year's graduate student winners were Gabrielle Moneymaker in first place and Titto Abbo in second place. Undergraduate winners were Shravia Vishwakarma and Neha Valluri in first place and Adam Huynh in second place. The keynote address was given by Dr. Allison Ormsby, an Associate Director of Design and Forest Specialist at Adventure Scientists. Attendees were invited to the Barn to have lunch with Dr. Ormsby prior to the main event. 

EcoSlam 2025 also included a hands-on field workshop co-organzied by Gabrielle Moneymaker, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, Miranda Buckley and Dr. Ormsby. Attendees learned about eDNA (environmental DNA), and how to collect samples for conservation purposes. They also learned the importance of conservation in the state of California and how to pursue conservation biology as a career. Materials for the workshop were provided by Adventure Scientists and the Center for Conservation Biology provided refreshments after the workshop. 

EcoSlam 2026 will return in the Spring Quarter. Check out the CCB events page and Facebook/Instagram accounts for updates!