How quickly can you explain your research? UWindsor graduate students are being challenged to offer a presentation on their thesis or dissertation topic to a non-specialist audience in just three minutes.

Organizers call the Three Minute Thesis competition a unique opportunity to promote the innovative research undertaken by graduate students at the University of Windsor. The heats and the final are open to the public and will be advertised within the community. The audience will be able to cast a vote for a People’s Choice award in the final.

The competition will provide graduate students with a chance to refine skills that can be transferred after graduation to diverse career paths. Distilling research into a clear form, without over-simplifying or making it overly-complex, and highlighting the wider implications of this research are important abilities to carry into post-graduate employment and public service.

The Faculty of Graduate Studies invites current doctoral and master’s students preparing their dissertations or theses—but not major papers—to register for the competition, starting at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, February 6. There are only 36 spots, allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Heats are scheduled for March 12, 13 and 14, with the finals on March 18. Find registration forms, eligibility criteria, and contest rules at www.uwindsor.ca/graduate/three-minute-thesis.