Josué Llamas Rodríguez, PhD student in Neuroscience, won the Audience Impact Award for his pitch, “Last Ship to Motor Neuron Island”
Congratulations to Jose Llamas Rodriguez, a Neuroscience Graduate Student in Dr. Sockanathan's lab, whose “Last Ship to Motor Neuron Island” pitch won the Audience Impact Award at Friday's Empower Your Pitch competition! Well done!!!
Empower Your Pitch recognizes outstanding research communication across several categories, including dedicated awards for postdocs and for Arts & Humanities. Winners are honored at the event and receive $1000 cash prizes.
More information about Empower Your Pitch: https://imagine.jhu.edu/dlds-empower-your-pitch/
From The Hub, April 17 2026:
On Friday, April 17, Johns Hopkins will host the finale of Empower Your Pitch, the universitywide research communication competition for doctoral and postdoctoral scholars. The event will take place from 4 to 6:30 p.m. at the Imagine Center on the Homewood campus and coincides with All-Alumni Weekend.
Empower Your Pitch highlights both the breadth of research across Hopkins and the growing importance of helping scholars translate knowledge in ways that are accessible, relevant, and meaningful beyond the university, says Bridget Purcell, assistant director in the Doctoral Life Design Studio, a unit within Integrative Learning and Life Design.
"At a moment when Johns Hopkins is emphasizing the public value of research, this event offers a timely story about what it looks like to help emerging scholars communicate their work clearly beyond academic spaces," Purcell says.
Empower Your Pitch asks doctoral and postdoctoral scholars to distill complex research into compelling 3-minute presentations for non-expert audiences, helping them connect their work to real-world impact, public understanding, and broader trust in research.
This year's finale will feature 15 finalists from six schools: the Bloomberg School of Public Health, School of Education, Whiting School of Engineering, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, and School of Medicine, and Peabody. The event will bring together scholars, faculty, alumni, and members of the Baltimore community.
The judging panel also adds a strong public-facing dimension to the story. Presentations will be evaluated by leaders from public health, healthcare communications, the arts, policy, and international development, including Baltimore City Health Commissioner Michelle Taylor.
"Her presence underscores the importance of helping researchers communicate clearly with public audiences, civic leaders, and the communities their work is meant to serve," Purcell says.
The audience will also vote for a community choice winner. For more information about Empower Your Pitch, visit this website.