Communicating science: grad students give it their best shot

How do you condense a complex, multi-year research project into a three-minute presentation? That’s the task that graduate students take on every year when they share their research during the 3 Minute Thesis (3MT) competition.

3MT was established in 2008 by the University of Queensland in Australia. The competition helps graduate students learn to explain their research succinctly and in language that non-specialists can understand. 3MT competitions have since expanded globally and are now held at over 900 universities in more than 85 countries. 

At FIU, students entered into preliminary competitions within their colleges, and the winners advanced to the final round, during which they pitched their research to a panel of judges and a live audience. Judges selected first- and second-place winners, and the audience picked a People’s Choice winner. 

The skills that 3MT competitors hone are invaluable for everyone. This year’s finalists are eager to share advice that will help students in academics and their careers.

Shivam Agarwal, a doctoral candidate in business administration, studies the unique dynamics and strategies involved in engaging consumers in virtual space. He encourages students to take a bold approach that shows their commitment to their chosen topic. “Be passionate about your research,” he says.

Similarly, Daniel Martinez Perez, a Ph.D. candidate in public health and this year’s first-place winner, encourages students to be confident. “You have to convince yourself that you can do it,” says the Alzheimer's researcher.

Paras Parani, a master’s candidate in computer science, studies how to predict epileptic seizures using artificial intelligence. She says that even though participating in 3MT was stressful, it was exciting. Her advice: “Enjoy that adrenaline rush that you will get, and I think you will be able to crack it.”

Many participants have found that improvements in their communication skills were the most important takeaway from the competition.

“My speech and the way I communicate to people is very important right now and in the future, in my career,” Perez says. He took home a cash prize but says that the experience itself was more valuable because it helped him improve his communication skills.

Agarwal suggests that researchers explain their research in simple terms rather than using too much technical language. “Communicate it to the audience so that people can connect to it,” he says. 

The finalists stress that practice is essential, and students should seek out opportunities to improve their presentation skills. For example, the University Graduate School (UGS) and FIU communications faculty provided coaching opportunities to finalists, which many of them praised.

“UGS has the right resources to train you to be able to be very effective in 3MT,” says Derrick Bakye Boadu, a Ph.D. candidate in public health and this year’s People’s Choice winner for his presentation on how community organizations can sustain collaborations in the interest of serving the public. “Such training can even help you in your job interviews as well as your communication with the public.”

Several of this year’s finalists echoed Boadu’s sentiments, stating that they learned how to better connect with an audience and improve their public speaking skills because of the training. Tarana Ferdous, a doctoral student in public health, says that the training she received will be helpful for all the presentations that will follow in her career and for networking.

“Try to take this opportunity to learn and use it in your future research and with your other activities,” Ferdous says. “Even if it is not for research, it can help to communicate with someone.”