University of Maryland Center of Excellence in Regulatory Science and Innovation (M-CERSI)
“America’s Got Regulatory Science Talent” Competition
Competition Announcement:
Students at the Baltimore and College Park campuses of the University of Maryland are invited to participate in a competition! The competition aims to promote student interest in regulatory science – the science of developing new tools, standards and approaches to assess the safety, efficacy, quality and performance of FDA-regulated products.
The competition involves each team to present a proposed solution to a current opportunity in regulatory science. There are numerous needs in regulatory science. Book-smart students should consult the Sept 2014FDA Strategic Prioritiesdocument (
The competition will be held at the University of Maryland Baltimore campus on Friday, Feb. 2, 2018from 9:30-11 a.m. A team can be either an individual or any number of students, although each team member has to contribute to the proposed solution or the presentation. The presentation must be 5 minutes in duration or less. It may be as simple as a verbal description or may utilize AV materials. Creativity is encouraged. Presentations should also aim to have high regulatory impact. Each presentation will be followed by 2 minutes of Q&A. Most importantly, lunch will be served to competing teams! Prizes will be awards for the top teams.
By Friday, Jan.26, 2018, please email a completed Information Sheet (below) to .
Questions? Email us at .
Example Proposed Solutions:
Developing drugs, devices, and biologics is fraught with challenges. Likewise, there is continued need for new tools, standards and approaches to assess the safety, efficacy, quality and performance of FDA-regulated products. Example proposed solutions include: an idea for a new toxicology test; a better biomarker; an approach to improve manufacturing; a way to detect counterfeit biologics; a test that evaluates a new medical technology; a new data signal that detects adverse reactions from a new drug;a way for FDA to better communicate risks of medications (e.g. friendlier product labels, use of social media or YouTube); use of crowdsourcing; a test for food contaminants; a way to respond to a nuclear agent; and how to get patients to use a device safely. Some previous winning ideas involved improvinghow to report an adverse medication event to FDA, counterfeit drug detection, and a mobile application to communicate drug/device risks.
Teams that wish to have a mentor from FDA have to request a mentor by emailing by Friday, Dec. 15. If possible, please indicate your preferred topic for the talent event (e.g. drug safety, device design) and you’ll receive contact information of an FDA scientist who is willing to mentor.
Additional information is available from:
Criteria:
Eligibility: All full-time and part-time students (e.g., undergraduate, professional, graduate) at the Baltimore or College Park campus of the University of Maryland are eligible.
Presentation Evaluation:Each presentation will be evaluated by a panel of judges from Maryland and FDA in terms of proposed solution and presentation quality. Elements of proposed solution include novelty and potential significance. Short-term feasibility is a plus, but not a requirement. Elements of presentation quality include verbal communication, visual communication, impact of any AV materials or demonstrations, and Q&A responses.
Dates, Deadlines, and Parking:
ByFriday, Jan.26, please email with a completed information sheetif you wish to participate in the M-CERSI “America’s Got Regulatory Science Talent” Competition. The form is available to print below. The competition will be held in Pharmacy Hall at the University of Maryland, Baltimore on Friday, Feb. 2, 2018 from 9:30-11 a.m., located at20 N. Pine Street, Baltimore, MD 21201.
Parking information is available at: We suggest the Saratoga garage and Penn garage.
About M-CERSI:
M-CERSI is an FDA-sponsored center at the College Park and Baltimore campuses of the University of Maryland ( The mission of the Center is to foster the development of regulatory science – the science of developing new tools, standards and approaches to assess the safety, efficacy, quality and performance of FDA-regulated products.
Information Sheet for the University of Maryland Center of Excellence in Regulatory Science and Innovation (M-CERSI)“America’s Got Regulatory Science Talent” Competition
Team Name:
Lessthan12-word description of proposed solution:
Name of Team Captain:
Email of Team Captain:
Faculty or FDAAdvisor (optional):
Anticipated A/V Needs (e.g., microphones, sound system, PPT):
Names of Team Members (and their college/school/program affiliation):
Questions? Email us .
Please submit this form to byFriday, Jan.26, 2018.