KUCHING – Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus’s students are taking on the challenge of presenting their 80,000-word thesis in under three minutes.
Seven research students will present their thesis in a language appropriate for a non-specialist audience at the university’s third Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition, which will be held on Wednesday 20 September.
Subjects in business, biotechnology, computer science, and engineering will be presented. Topics including making tunnelling safer, attracting foreign medical tourists to Malaysia, and using bacteria from Sarawak’s caves to strengthen soil, will make for an interesting and informative afternoon for the audience.
The Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition began in Australia in 2008, and has gained popularity around the world as universities work to help postgraduate research students develop their academic, presentation and communication skills.
According to Dr Heidi Collins, coordinator for Swinburne Sarawak’s research education program, developing as a researcher requires more than just learning the technical skills particular to a student’s discipline.
“To be a researcher also requires that you are able to develop personal networks, collaborate, discuss and share ideas. This requires one to develop strong communication skills, both written and oral,” she explained
The competition will be held in Swinburne’s Lecture Theatre at 3.00pm and is open to members of the public. At the end of the competition, the audience will be invited to vote for the winner of the “People’s Choice Award.” Prizes include travel grants and cash, to enable the winners to later present their research at international conferences.
The first 3MT competition was held at the University of Queensland with 160 Research Higher Degree students competing. Since then, 3MT competitions are now held in over 600 universities and institutions across 59 countries worldwide.