LSU Doctoral Graduate Students Compete Today to Distill their Research

BATON ROUGE – LSU doctoral graduate students will participate in a Three Minute Thesis, or 3MT, competition that will highlight the art of distilling complex research topics into short, memorable presentations. The Three Minute Thesis is an international academic competition developed at the University of Queensland that invites Ph.D. students to present their thesis research and explain its importance in an engaging narrative delivered in non-technical language. Six finalists will compete on Wednesday, November 30, at 5:30 p.m. in the Digital Media Theater located at 340 East Parker Boulevard on the LSU campus. The LSU Graduate School and LSU Auxiliary Services are sponsoring the event and the public and media are invited to attend.

The finalists are:

• Zachary Bordas, LSU Department of English
• Caroline Copeland, LSU Department of Biological & Agricultural Engineering
• Ricardo Hungria, LSU Department of Construction Management
• Salar Saadatian, LSU Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering
• Sajila Riman Tanha, LSU Department of Chemistry
• Sirazum Tisha, LSU Division of Computer Science and Engineering

LSU Executive Vice President and Provost Roy Haggerty will judge the competition along with Yolanda Dixon, the first female and first African American secretary of the Louisiana State Senate, and Alice Miller, retired CFO of the Kean Miller Law Firm. LSU Department of English Associate Professor Chris Barrett will serve as Master of Ceremonies.

First and second place winners will receive research travel awards of $1,000 and $750, respectively.  The audience will also vote to determine the winner of a $500 People’s Choice award. The first-place winner will also receive the opportunity to represent LSU at the regional competition during the Conference of Southern Graduate Schools in March.

Often, research topics can become lost in translation to non-specialist audiences. This event will highlight and develop students’ ability to present their work effectively while remaining concise and understandable to the general public. By challenging the art of reduction, students can hone their communication skills and garner greater understanding and support for their work.