On Thursday, March 24th, ten graduate students competed in the finals of Queen’s University’s Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition, held in the Mitchell Hall Event Commons. The competitors’ goal was to learn, and practice, how to communicate their theses in three minutes to the larger community. It was an opportunity for students to develop crucial oration skills, and to showcase the fantastic research that masters and PhD students are doing at Queen’s. Chosen by three distinguished judges, this year’s winner was Amtul Haq Ayesha (MSc Computing), and the runner up was Navjit Gaurav (PhD Rehabilitation Science). The other fantastic presentations in this final were given by Emily Červenka (Biology), Sindhura Thirumal (Computing), Jane Mao (Education), Colton Barr (Computing), Landon Montag (Neuroscience), Lydia Johnson (Environmental Studies), Madison Robertson (Health Quality), and Chloe Robinson (Biology).
In the words of School of Graduate Studies (SGS) Vice-Provost and Dean Dr. Fahim Quadir, this competition is “one of the few things that we do in academia that directly connects us to the larger community.” The competitors were each allowed a single static slide to accompany their talks, but no electronic media or props, as the emphasis of their presentations was on oration. Each speaker was awarded a maximum of 100 points by the judges in each of three categories: communication style, comprehension, and engagement. Alongside winning $1000, Amtul, this year’s winner, will represent Queen’s at The University of Guelph on May 4th in the Ontario-wide 3MT competition.
Amtul emphasized that it’s an amazing feeling to have won the competition. Knowing that we learn something every time we participate in an event, Amtul tries to participate in whatever competition comes her way. With this specific competition, Amtul expressed that, “In today’s times, communication is very important. And sharing knowledge opens avenues that we never knew existed. I also feel it is a public service to let people know what researchers are working on. Sometimes the best ideas spring out from people you least expect. When someone hears about ongoing research, they might come up with a marvellous idea”. Likewise, Navjit shared how great it feels to be the runner-up of the competition, and to represent Queen’s in this capacity. For students who may wish to compete next year, he recommended that they begin preparing from the start of their research, that they practice as much as possible, and that they create a slide which is succinct and effective.
All of the presentations from this year’s competition will be available for viewing on the SGS’s 3MT website. After viewing the presentations, the community is invited to vote for the “People’s Choice”. Voting takes place between Friday, April 1st and Wednesday, April 6th, with the winner being announced on Thursday, April 7th.
As all of the students who competed this year have shown, alongside the pleasure of learning about the work that graduate students are doing in other departments, the 3MT competition is a wonderful chance for professional development as competitors learn how to communicate their theses in short and easily understandable narrations. Congratulations to Amtul and Navjit!
From Left to Right:
Fahim Quadir (Vice Provost and Dean, School of Graduate Studies), Mark Green (Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic)), Navjit Gaurav (Rehabilitation Science), Emily Červenka (Biology), Chloe Robinson (Biology), Madison Robertson (Health Quality), Landon Montag (Neuroscience), Lydia Johnson (Environmental Studies), Jane Mao (Education), Colton Barr (Computing), Sindhura Thirumal (Computing), Bittu George (University Council), Alistair MacLean (Council of the Retirees Association of Queen's)
Above: Amtul Haq Ayesha (Computing)