Purdue Graduate School hosts Three-Minute Thesis competition
April 11, 2013
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue graduate students will have three minutes to present their research results and its significance to judges and the public in a thesis competition Wednesday (April 17) in Stewart Center's Fowler Hall.
The 7 p.m. event is free and open to the public.
Participants will be judged on three criteria: communication style, ability to help audience members understand their research and ability to engage listeners.
"This competition, which we plan to make an annual event, encourages students to develop the ability to effectively and succinctly explain their research in language appropriate for a non-specialist audience," said Linda Mason, associate dean of the Purdue Graduate School and professor of entomology.
Developed by Australia's University of Queensland in 2008, students are challenged to consolidate their ideas and crystallize their research discoveries, Mason said. Participants can use only a single static PowerPoint slide, and no props are allowed.
The winner will earn $500, with the runner-up receiving $250. Audience members will be able to vote for a People's Choice Award, which will be worth $250.
University faculty, local media and researchers from industry will serve as judges.
For more information about the Three-Minute Thesis Competition, contact Mason at lmason@purdue.edu
Writer: Greg McClure, 765-496-9711, gmcclure@purdue.edu
Source: Linda Mason, 765-494-0245, lmason@purdue.edu