Thirteen MUSC graduate students presented their research in three-minute talks last month, with an SCRA director among the judging panel, according to the S.C. Research Authority.
Based on a release from S.C. Research Authority (SCRA).
CHARLESTON, S.C. – Thirteen students from the Medical University of South Carolina’s College of Graduate Studies competed last month in the third annual MUSC 3 Minute Thesis competition, according to the S.C. Research Authority.
The competition challenges students to explain their research in three minutes using only one slide, according to SCRA. Participants came from MUSC’s postdoctoral and medical scientist training programs.
SCRA Marketing and Communications Director Adrianne Grimes served as one of five judges for the event. “I was ecstatic to be invited as a judge this year,” Grimes said, according to SCRA. “These students are the future of research in South Carolina, and having a front-row seat to hear about the work they’re doing is extremely exciting.”
Other judges included Bobbi Conner, host of “Health Focus” on SC Public Radio; Sean Fourney, a faculty member and Director of the Public Speaking lab at the Citadel; Katie Kamin, a morning co-anchor and reporter for Live 5 News; and Beth Sundstrom, a faculty member at the College of Charleston, according to SCRA.
The Three-Minute Thesis competition originated at the University of Queensland in Australia, according to SCRA. Dr. Lori L. McMahon, MUSC vice president for research, said the event emphasizes communication skills. “Effectively communicating your research—what you know already, what your research question is, and how you’re investigating—is critical,” McMahon said, according to SCRA. “It’s a skill we know will serve these students as they move their research forward.”
Grimes said the competition allows SCRA to connect with early-career researchers and inform them about the organization’s resources, including grant funding and industry partnerships, according to SCRA.
Amber Hazzard, a second-year student, won first place and the People’s Choice award for her presentation “The HIGHway to Hell,” according to SCRA. Josef Blaszkiewicz, a G3 medical scientist training program student, was named runner-up for “Closing the Door on Cholesterol.”
Both winners will advance to the regional competition in Greenville this month at the annual meeting of the Conference of Southern Graduate Schools, according to SCRA.
