When you ask people to tell you their motivation for pursuing a certain challenge, many times the response boils down to one basic thought \u2014 because it\u2019s there.<\/p>\n
To a large extent, that\u2019s what pushed Matthew Nikitczuk to decide to compete in last year\u2019s Three Minute Thesis (3MT) contest, held annually at Brock as part of the Mapping the New Knowledges Graduate Student Research Conference<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cBasically I asked myself, why wouldn’t I try, and I couldn\u2019t come up with a sufficient answer,\u201d says the master\u2019s student in Earth Sciences and Brock\u2019s 2015 3MT champion.<\/p>\n The 3MT contest has been around since 2008 when it was held for the first time at the University of Queensland in Australia. It has caught on quickly with graduate students at universities around the world as a new way to tell research stories. Now in its fourth year at Brock, the contest requires graduate students to talk about their research in a way that will captivate the interest of people outside of their disciplines. The challenge is to give a compelling presentation in three minutes or less, while using only one PowerPoint slide.<\/p>\n Nikitczuk won $500 as Brock champion and went on to represent the University at the Ontario 3MT finals. His presentation highlighted his research that concerns a particular type of micro-fossil produced by microbes that eat volcanic glass. The implications of his study shed new light on early life on earth, and possible life elsewhere.<\/p>\n The 2016 call for 3MT Proposals is now open to Brock graduate students who want to have a fun and challenging way to talk about their research and, in the process, expand their research communications skills. The call for 3MT Proposals will close on Jan. 25. Complete contest details and the online submission form for proposals can be found online.<\/a><\/p>\n Graduate students who are interested in competing this year are invited to a coaching workshop, Performing the Text, on Saturday, Jan. 16, from 9 a.m. to noon. For more information and to register for the workshop, visit VITAE<\/a>.<\/p>\n Brock\u2019s 3MT preliminary round will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 23, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Pond Inlet. The top finishers at the preliminary round will advance to the contest finals that will be held at the 11th annual MNK conference Thursday, April 7.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I first heard about the contest as an undergraduate student I was interested,\u201d Nikitczuk says. \u201cI was in the last year of my master\u2019s research and I realized it was my last chance to participate. It’s a good all around experience. It gives you and your research a chance to get publicity.<\/p>\n \u201cIt helps you improve the skill of communicating complicated themes simply. You get to meet other fellow contestants, make new friends, and learn about what other types of research are going on. It looks good on a CV too.\u201d<\/p>\n