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COVID-19 Updates (last updated 4/21 @ 3 PM)

Thank you for working with us during this extremely uncertain time. Our first priority is the safety and well being of our students, partners, and mentors. With that being said, we are doing our best to provide the most complete Sling Health experience we can to those seeking to continue working on their projects. We are here to support you in any way we can and have outlined the following revisions/modifications to our upcoming programming. If there is anything else that we can do that we haven’t mentioned, feel free to reach out to us. Aadit is also willing to schedule 1:1 conversations with teams/team members/PLs to discuss options for how to best move forward - reach out to him at aadit@stl.slinghealth.org to find a time talk.

Below you can find updates on upcoming Sling events, please indicate your ability to participate in these activities via the Sling COVID-19 Update Survey (only one per team needed).

Design Review 4

Design Review 4 will no longer be taking place in a public format to comply with Washington University and local health safety recommendations. Instead, teams will submit their DR4 videos through the GoReact online platform. PLs have already received invitations for the “Sling Health STL 2019-2020 Spring” GoReact page.

Instructions for submitting DR4 videos:

  • The deadline for submitting DR4 videos to GoReact is the evening of Tuesday, March 31st

  • Looking at DR4 Deliverables, note that there are two overarching tasks 1) give a 5-7 minute pitch for Demo Day (as if you were giving a pitch to an investor or at a business plan competition) (item 1 of DR4 Deliverables) 2) give updates on your prototype, business plan, and other aspects of your project you would like feedback on (items 2-6 of DR4 Deliverables)

  • Accordingly, there are two GoReact submissions for DR4: Design Review 4/Demo Day Pitch and associated deck (for #1) and Design Review 4 (for #2). We recommend you record these videos outside of the GoReact Platform and upload them after the fact rather than directly recording on GoReact. In addition, we recommend you upload your presentation deck alongside the video recording of your presentation.

  • One resource you may want to use as you build your deck is this slide template

  • Here are mentor rubrics for your DR4/Demo Day Pitch and the general DR4 update/presentation to help guide your videos

  • Examples of Demo Day/DR4 finalist pitches can be found in last year’s Demo Day live stream here (starting at minute 7 there will be 8 team pitches lasting ~7 minutes each)

Demo Day

Unfortunately, we will have to cancel Demo Day this year due to public health concerns around COVID-19. We understand how disappointing this must be given the hard work you and your teams have put into throughout the academic year up to this point.

Our new plan is to instead hold a Sling Health “Showcase” via Venture Cafe. In place of a full Demo Day including a keynote and panels, we will showcase our 6 best teams (from across the nation) on April 30th from 6-7 PM CDT. Team pitches will be presented to a global audience (as Venture Cafe Online is a global program). Top three prizes will be $5k, $2k, and $1k.

Demo Day Posters (OPTIONAL):

  • Poster dimensions are 36x48 inches

  • Previous sample posters can be found here

  • Demo Day posters will be due April 27th @ 11:59 PM here

  • These posters will be showcased on our website, linked to the Venture Cafe event showcasing finalist pitches, and potentially a Sling Health showcase in early Fall 2020

Updated Demo Day finalist selection process:

To be eligible to compete, teams must ensure that all team members complete the Sling Health Exit Survey

Teams will be notified of finalist status by April 19th and will have until April 28th at 11:59 PM CDT no exceptions) to turn in the final version of their pitch they would like to be judged. Pitches must be <7 minutes in length.

Teams not selected can reach out to us if they would still like their pitches showcased on the Sling Health website.

Facilities Changes

For the remainder of the academic year, there will be limited/no access of the various Sling Health affiliated spaces. Space-specific updates can be found below, but in general we expect you adhere to all travel and health-related restrictions put in place by the university regarding COVID-19.

  • CIC buildings (CIC@4240, CIC@4220, and 20 S Sarah Street) will be moving to Limited Operations mode for the remainder of the month and will continue to update us as the COVID-19 situation develops. All PLs should receive CIC updates as they are active CIC space card holders. For your reference, the CIC email outlining what limited operations looks like and their actions to the COVID-19 pandemic can be found here.

  • Sling Health McMillan Hospital 12th Floor Makerspace (WUSM) should only be used for essential purposes only. We expect you to only enter the space after complying with WashU travel and health guidelines and be limited to only 2 people at any given time.

  • Jubel Hall Makerspace on the Danforth Campus is now closed until the university returns to “normal” operations (likely until end of the semester)

Legal Office Hours

Peter will be switching to Zoom Video Conference facilitated office hours - keeping to his same biweekly schedule. The remaining Legal Office hours will take place from 5-7 PM on March 19th and April 2nd (access via zoom.us/j/959915648 or 1-312-626-6799 with PIN 959915648)

Beyond Spring 2020

We understand that this semester will not be an ideal end for your Sling Health experience and we want to do our best to support you longitudinally. As such, please take the following into consideration:

  • We are extending all team budgets for the 2019-20 academic year to 4/30/21

  • Active teams will have the opportunity to attend at least 1 live DR session during the 2020-21 academic year for additional feedback (information will be provided in Fall 2020)

  • All 2019-20 teams will have the opportunity to present their project at the live Demo Day in Spring 2021

  • Take a look at our actively developing Resources for Next Steps page on the Sling Health wiki and future email updates

  • Let us know about different funding competitions - we may be able to support your travel/competition expenses