Breaking news: the 2015 national finals of the Three Minute Thesis will take place at the Centre Prouvé in Nancy, as an integral part of Science & You! The contest, organised by the CPU (Conférence des Présidents d'Université) and the CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique), enables PhD students to present their research work in a concise and fun way, to a non-specialist audience from different backgrounds. A wonderful exercise in science communication and popularization!
2015 will mark the second national edition of the event, organised in France for the first time in 2013 by the Université de Lorraine and inspired by the "Three Minute Thesis (3MT®)" contest created by the University of Queensland, Australia. The idea was taken up in Québec in 2012 by the ACFAS, which wanted to spread the project to all French speaking countries.
In practical terms, the PhD students taking part have three minutes to present their research work in a concise and fun way, before a jury of non-specialists from different backgrounds, using... just one slide! The most convincing candidate is then designated by the jury, with the audience’s appraisal, to defend her or his region in the national finals. The main interest for the participants is to learn how to popularize their work for the general public. "Above all, it is a way to gain expertise in communication, which is decisive in today's world. To be recruited, to defend his work in front of a jury, or to obtain funding, a researcher has to know how to explain his research in a clear and concise way", explains Nicolas Beck, Deputy Director of Science and Technology Culture of the Université de Lorraine.
This year, the contest has been a great success, since 15 regions participated. The national finals, which took place in Lyon on June 10th, were hosted by Mathieu Vidard, presenter of "La Tête au Carré" on France Inter radio. The international finals will take place in Montréal on September 25th. Hopefully, the 2015 edition will be even more popular!
Marie-Charlotte Morin, Université de Strasbourg, winner of the 2014 French edition (Production: Docteo) [FRENCH ONLY]