Imagine explaining your life’s work in three minutes.
As part of The University of Queensland’s Research Week events, seven research higher degree candidate finalists will do just this as they vie for an international research or conference grant of up to $5000.
The Three Minute Thesis Competition final will be held from 2.30pm–3.30pm on Tuesday, September 23, in room 206 in the Steele Building (building three off the Great Court) at the St Lucia campus. The winner and runner-up will also present to guests at the Research Week Industry Dinner at Customs House on Thursday, September 25.
Finalists must outline the significance of their research theses in lay terms to a non-specialist audience. This year’s seven finalists were chosen from an initial field of more than 150 participants in the heats held in early September. They represent a rich diversity of research across the many sciences, arts and humanities disciplines at UQ.
The innovation by the UQ Graduate School is part of the UQ’s annual Research Week, which runs from Monday, September 22 until Friday, September 26.
Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Research and Research Training, Professor Alan Lawson, said: ”The Three Minute Thesis competition is a light-hearted way of approaching a serious challenge: ‘how do I communicate the significance and benefit of my research to an intelligent but non-specialist audience?’ It is an important communication skill for anyone considering a future in research – it might just get them the funding or the job they need”.
All competitors will receive a Piled Higher and Deeper comics t-shirt specially designed by noted US cartoonist and author Jorge Cham for the event. Dr Cham started his famous comic strip during his own PhD candidature in mechanical engineering at Stanford University. The comics have since been syndicated in magazines and appeared in three book-length collections.
Research Higher Degrees at UQ include a PhD or Masters of Philosophy and take on average about four years or two years respectively to complete. A PhD thesis is normally about 80,000 words and requires a commitment equivalent to a full-time job.
UQ has more than 3800 RHD candidates with 20 percent classified as international, from more than 90 countries. Over 500 research higher degree candidates graduate from UQ each year.
Another Graduate School innovation is taking the stress and urgency out of scholarship application for new PhD and MPhil candidates.
The Graduate School’s unique approach to scholarships dispenses with arbitrary application dates, empowering potential PhD and MPhil candidates to develop his or her own research proposal, find a supervisor and submit their application for admission and funding when they are ready to do so.
Over $20 million in funding support, including the Australian Postgraduate Award, will be allocated in 2009.
Media inquiries: Tony Miscamble at the UQ Graduate School (3365 8846) or Shirley Glaister at UQ Communications (3365 1931).
