The international " My thesis in 180 seconds (3 minutes)" is back for its 9ᵉ edition - 2023 and theAUF Agency (Agence universitaire de la Francophonie) co-organizes the national finals in 33 member countries. The aim of the competition is to promote research and make the results of that research accessible to the general public, by enabling PhD students to present their research topic in a maximum of three minutes.
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The 14 winners selected will take part in the international grand final to be held in Rabat (Morocco) in October 2023, where they will meet finalists from Belgium, Canada, France, Morocco, Switzerland and Ireland. Candidates will also receive training in public speaking throughout the competition.
The participating countries are as follows: Albania, Algeria, Armenia, Benin, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Gabon, Georgia, Haiti, Hungary, Kenya, Lebanon, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Moldova, Mozambique, Niger, Poland, Romania, Senegal, Togo and Tunisia. For further information, please contact the AUF Regional Offices.
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The MT180 competition was created in 2012 by Acfas in Quebec, and was inspired by the "Three minute thesis" (3MTMD) competition first held in 2008 at the University of Queensland, Australia.
The MT180 international competition at a glance
The "Ma thèse en 180 secondes" (MT180) international competition is an annual event that enables PhD students to present their research thesis in no more than three minutes, in front of a non-specialist audience and a panel of judges. The competition was created in 2012 by the Université de Québec à Montréal (UQAM) and is now organized in many countries, including France.
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The main aim of the competition is to promote doctoral research and make the results of this research accessible to the general public. Participants must therefore present their research topic in a clear, concise and convincing manner, using simple language that can be understood by everyone.
Participants are assessed on their ability to communicate their research topic effectively, their ability to engage the public and their ability to present the results of their research in a relevant way. The winners of the national competitions can then take part in the international finals.
The MT180 competition is an exciting event that enables PhD students to develop their communication skills and promote their research work to a wider audience.
Advice from Mamy Henintsoa, 3ᵉ prix MT180 2022, on how to prepare and take part.
Mamy Henintsoa Randrianjatovonarivoa PhD student in sociolinguistics and winner of the 3ᵉ International MT180 Award in 2022, shares her tips for preparing for and taking part in this competition.
Developing a narrative system
According to Mamy, it's important to base your thesis on a narrative system. She explains that the brain is more inclined to receive information presented in this kind of structure and format. To do this, it's essential to draft the key points of your thesis, such as context, issues, hypotheses, theoretical and methodological framework, and results, and then look for a thread that fits with your personality and highlights all these points, but not necessarily in the same order.
Modify your presentation as the weeks go by
Mamy explains that since the announcement of the national finalists, she has modified her speech at least six times to have a finalized version a week before the big day. Her advice is to start with several small fractals, each written at very different times, and to find a common thread or story that can link each part. It's also important to remove several elements to better synthesize, and to choose the least generic words, but also the shortest ones to save extra seconds.
Building a slide that matches your presentation
Mamy recommends building the slide after the presentation, as it needs to be in phase with what will be said. She recommends using the same iconographic codes to echo the references used in the speech. It's possible to choose either an academic or a more playful presentation, but the two should complement each other. The slide should be in phase with the speech, giving a frozen example of the main character.
Preparing mentally before going on stage
Mamy is a person who stresses very easily, and she worked on this aspect to prepare herself mentally before going on stage. She has convinced herself that getting through the previous stages is a victory in itself. She advises strong support for the other finalists to take the pressure off. Before going on stage, she took a sip of water to dry her throat, moved around a lot backstage and anchored herself before launching the top. She recommends taking a deep breath to let go and share her work with great enthusiasm.
More on : My preparation for MT180 on raccoursci.com
How to take part in the 2023 edition of the MT180 competition?
The Ma Thèse en 180 secondes competition is open to doctoral students registered for the current academic year 2022-2023, or who obtained their doctorate in the previous academic year 2021-2022. Candidates must represent the university group or university in which they are registered. Membership of a group gives access to the competition as well as to the Ma Thèse en 180 secondes course.
Candidates must be able to express themselves in French, and be sufficiently advanced in their doctoral research project. It is also important to note that doctoral candidates must inform their thesis supervisor and/or funders and their unit director of their participation in the competition. It is also important to represent the country in which they have been selected at the international final.
List of countries concerned and contacts of AUF Regional Offices
- Southern Africa and Indian Ocean: Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique: afriqueaustrale-oceanindien@auf.org
- West Africa: Benin, Burkina-Faso, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Togo: afrique-ouest@auf.org
- Central Africa and the Great Lakes: Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Congo, Gabon, DR Congo: afrique-centrale@auf.org
- North Africa: Algeria, Tunisia, Mauritania: afrique-nord@auf.org
- Caribbean : Haiti : caraibe@auf.org
- Central and Eastern Europe: Albania, Armenia, Bulgaria, Georgia, Hungary,
- Moldova, Poland, Romania: europe-centrale-orientale@auf.org
- Middle East : Djibouti, Egypt, Lebanon, Turkey: moyen-orient@auf.org
Press release AUF.ORG - PDF
