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​​​​​​​​​​​Best Student Research Paper Competition (BSRPC)

​This year the Cereals & Grains Student Association is hosting the virtual competition: 2022 Best Student Research Paper Competition (BSRPC) at Cereals & Grains 22!

​Congrats to the ​2022 Awardees!

​Thanks to everyone who submitted their videos and joined us at the annual meeting in Minneapolis!

​

Overview​

The competition aims to challenge students to demonstrate superior communication skills and to present their research in the form of a video 12-15 minutes in length. This competition challenge offers an opportunity for students to interact with the Cereals & Grains community at an early stage in their careers.

Schedule & Key Dates

• Abstract deadline is August 19, students submit abstracts (maximum of 400 words).
• During August, first-round judges will review and rank the abstracts.
• Participants will be notified in mid-September if they will be moving on to the final video competition.
• Finalists will send their video research paper presentation by September 30.
• Finalists will be notified via e-mail of their final place by October 20.
• Winners will be recognized during the annual meeting closing ceremony in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.A., on November 11, 2022.​
  

Criteria

In order for the BSRPC jury to fairly evaluate each paper, these criteria will be used by all judges to allow for a fair and uniform evaluation of all submissions. The "Abstract Initial Criteria" will be used to evaluate​ the research paper abstract and select the finalists. Then, the "Best Paper Presentation Final Criteria" will be used to evaluate the video research presentations. The chair of the Cereals & Grains Association Best Student Research Paper Competition jury will tally the results of the competition and winners will be contacted via email and announced at the Cereals & Grains annual meeting.

• Abstract Initial Criteria

  Research Relevance or Impact (20 Points)

  • Relevance: Has a scientific issue or question been identified within cereal science that is relevant to the current needs of industry, academia, or society? (10 Points)
  • Background/Significance: Has the background been appropriately discussed in relation to the scientific question and has the significance been clearly stated? (10 Points)

  
  

  Research Technical Quality (40 Points)

  • Hypothesis/Specific Objectives: Has a clear hypothesis that was used to study the identified issue or question been provided, and have specific objectives that were used to test the hypothesis been defined? (10 Points)
  • Project Description: Is the work clearly and precisely explained and described? (10 Points)
  • Experimental Methods/Techniques: Are the materials and methods appropriate and complete? (10 Points)
  • Experimental Design/Modeling: Is an appropriate experimental design or modeling approach used and properly applied? (10 Points)

  
  

  Research Novelty or Currency (10 Points)

  • Novelty or Currency: Is a new technique or method, new application of an existing technique, or a unique integration of techniques, which is appropriate for the identified issue or question, used in this project? (10 Points)

  
  

  Discussion​ of Results & Conclusions (20 Points)

  • Clarity and Completeness: Are the results discussed and presented clearly and concisely in a manner that is easy to follow, and are the implications or significance of the results to the identified research issue or problem clearly identified? (10 Points)
  • Validity of Conclusions: Are the stated conclusions supported by the results or a logical outcome, and do they prove or disprove the validity of the stated hypothesis? (10 Points)

  
  

  Abstract (10 Points)

  • Writing Style and Organization: Is the abstract well organized and written in an appropriate style with good grammar & spelling? (5 Points)
  • Clarity and Contribution to Understanding Project: Is the abstract easy to understand and did it summarize the project in a way that contributed to a complete understanding of the project? (5 Points)

  
  
• Best Paper Presentation Final Criteria

  Research Relevance or Impact (20 Points)

  • Relevance: Has a scientific issue or question been identified within cereal science that is relevant to the current needs of industry, academia, or society? (10 Points)
  • Background/Significance: Has the background been appropriately discussed in relation to the scientific question and has the significance been clearly stated? (10 Points)

  
  

  Research Technical Quality (40 Points)

  • Hypothesis/Specific Objectives: Has a clear hypothesis that was used to study the identified issue or question been provided, and have specific objectives that were used to test the hypothesis been defined? (10 Points)
  • Project Description: Is the work clearly and precisely explained and described? (10 Points)
  • Experimental Methods/Techniques: Are the materials and methods appropriate and complete? (10 Points)
  • Experimental Design/Modeling: Is an appropriate experimental design or modeling approach used and properly applied? (10 Points)

  
  

  Research Novelty or Currency (10 Points)

  • Novelty or Currency: Is a new technique or method, new application of an existing technique, or a unique integration of techniques, which is appropriate for the identified issue or question, used in this project? (10 Points)

  
  

  Discussion of Results & Conclusions (20 Points)

  • Clarity and Completeness: Are the results discussed and presented clearly and concisely in a manner that is easy to follow, and are the implications or significance of the results to the identified research issue or problem clearly identified? (10 Points)
  • Validity of Conclusions: Are the stated conclusions supported by the results or a logical outcome, and do they prove or disprove the validity of the stated hypothesis? (10 Points)

  
  

  Video Presentation (10 Points)

  • Delivery and Organization: Was the presentation well organized and smoothly delivered with good hand gestures, voice inflection, pacing, and use of graphics? (10 Points)

Eligibility

• Must be a full-time student at the time of submission date.
• The student presenting the paper must be an author of the video presentation, must have made a major contribution to the research, must present it, and must take primary responsibility for its content.
• Finalists will need to be Cereals & Grains Association Student members. All applicants are encouraged to join Cereals & Grains.

Awards

• First Place: $1,000 cash award and the opportunity to publish their paper in Cereal Chemistry.
• Second Place: $500 cash award, and the opportunity to publish their paper in Cereal Chemistry.
• Third Place: $300 cash award, and the opportunity to publish their paper in Cereal Chemistry.

Happy Video-Making!