The dreaded question for PhD students: “What is it that you do?”
Simplifying years of in-depth study into a short conversation piece can be a challenge depending on the complexity of the research.
However, PhD students Naqaash Pirani and Mark DesJardine are well on their way to mastering this art. The two doctoral students were among 21 finalists at Western University’s Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition. Although neither took home the prize for first place, they made impressive presentations among fellow scholars in several disciplines, including sciences, music, engineering, psychology, and philosophy.
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What began at The University of Queensland in 2008, is now an internationally-recognized competition that requires Masters and PhD students to deliver a compelling and clear presentation of their theses in 180 seconds or less. 3MT® competitions are held at over 170 universities in 17 countries worldwide.
“I think the most difficult part was trying to shed all of the academic jargon from my presentation. It's one thing to describe your research to faculty and peers who share your background and interests,” said Pirani. “It's an entirely different challenge to try to present it to an audience who are not familiar with the theory and literature you are drawing upon.”
Pirani’s research aims to uncover the processes that lead to the emergence of a new industry or field based on a novel technology. In his presentation, he surprised and impressed the audience by taking a highly specific and unique topic, 3D printing in fashion design, and showing how it is a case study for tech innovation across all sectors.
“This activity was very helpful as it forced me to distill my research into a three-minute presentation, and now I am better prepared to speak about it the next time someone asks at a family dinner or networking event,” he explained.
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