STM publisher Springer has announced that it is the principal sponsor of the 2014 Trans-Tasman Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition, which challenges students pursuing higher education degrees to turn their theses into three minute presentations. The contest provides Springer a way of encouraging early career researchers to develop an ability to communicate their work to non-scientists.
Founded in 2008 by the University of Queensland, Australia, the 3MT competition asks students to explain their work within three minutes. The challenge focuses on encouraging young researchers to consolidate their ideas into a format that is broadly accessible to a general audience, in language appropriate to a non-specialist.
The competition began in 2008 and this year participants from 48 universities in Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, New Zealand and Singapore will take part. Each of these competitors was victorious in the 3MT competition at their own institutions, so the upcoming event is a World Cup, of sorts. Because last year's winner studies at The University of Western Australia, that will be the location of this year's competition.
