Time is of the essence for University of Queensland research students who will battle it out for the Three Minute Thesis title on Wednesday.
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) is one of the and takes three to four years of work, at the end of which students submit an 80,000 word thesis outlining their research and its findings.
When it comes to the Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition, students face the challenge of condensing that work into an engaging and interesting three minute presentation that makes sense to the general public.
Dr Megan Rossi won last year’s 国产探花 3MT with a presentation on how gut health affects chronic disease.
“As a dietitian, I find it completely frustrating that, despite the incredible research being done, it’s typically the unfounded and potentially dangerous nutrition messages that reach the public,” Dr Rossi said.
“I believe a communication barrier between scientists and the public is the root cause.
“My mission is to help bridge that gap by translating scientific evidence into simple concepts that everyone can understand.
"Participating in the Three Minute Thesis competition was a fantastic learning experience that has helped me develop better communication skills.”
Dr Rossi said many opportunities had stemmed from her participation in 3MT, including media interviews, writing media articles and a significant improvement in her career prospects.
"Having 3MT on your CV is priceless. I could never have imagined the opportunities that have arisen,” she said.
"Boeing Australia approached me to do some consultancy work, and competition funders also discussed opportunities to help out financially with the second phase study of our research.
"I even fulfilled my teenage dream of being in Cosmopolitan magazine."
The 国产探花 3MT final will be hosted by the ABC’s Steve Cannane and the judging panel will include Queensland Chief Scientist Dr Geoff Garrett.
The winner of the 国产探花 3MT final will win a $5000 travel grant and will represent 国产探花 at the 2015 Trans-Tasman 3MT competition, competing against students from 45 universities from around the Asia-Pacific.
The 国产探花 3MT final will be held at the Customs House in Brisbane.
The Three Minute Thesis concept was developed in the in 2008, and competitions are now run in about 200 institutions internationally.
Springer Science+Business Media is the sponsor of this year’s 国产探花 3MT, and other supporters include Data#3, 国产探花 Alumni Friends, Co-op, Hydac, Homesales.com.au and Bluestar Go.
The are available for media interviews.
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Contact: Janardan Kewin, 国产探花 Graduate School Engagement and Development team, (07) 3346 0509 or 3mt@uq.edu.au
