The clock will be ticking as graduate students step before the judges to explain their research.

The preliminary round of Brock University’s fifth annual Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition takes place Thursday, Feb. 16 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Pond Inlet.

Winners will advance to the Brock finals on Thursday, March 30.

The annual competition gives graduate students three minutes each to explain their research in a way that captivates judges and others from outside their discipline.

The 3MT competition was initially introduced by the University of Queensland, Australia, in 2008 as a means to tell research stories in a new way.

Brock’s challenge winner and runner-up are awarded $500 and $250, respectively.