Innovative researches bag top spots in QU National 3MT Competition

(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Ayeni Olusegun/ The Peninsula

Three innovative researchers have emerged as winners of the Qatar University National 3MT Competition. The 3MT (three-minute thesis) challenges post-graduate researchers to articulate their research in front of a judging panel in an engaging three-minute talk, using language suited to a non-specialist audience. The competition was sponsored by ConocoPhillips Qatar.

Dr. Mary Newsome, Assistant Dean of graduate learning Support in the Office of Graduate Studies, said the 3MT winners are judged on how effectively they communicate their research and its importance to society.

“The competition judges students' confidence as they talk about their topic. The aim is they present the significance of their work to the general audience and not telling us how they collected and analysed data. Rather, they are emphasizing the importance of their findings for society. The real task of 3MT is to talk about your research to the audience, so you are using non-specialist language. To do that, you must understand your topic and have a great command of your field; otherwise, you couldn't move outside your specialisation,” Dr. Newsome said.

The top three included Sara Amani, a graduate student at Texas A & M who finished first for her research on women's engagement in the engineering profession in Qatar. Noor Hisham Alzaftawi's (QU) research on two cancer drugs, researching their affordability, effectiveness, and safety in Qatar, earned her second place, while Muhammad Danyal's (Texas A & M) work on hydrogen as an alternate energy source clinched third. 

However, Amani Haloul's (QU) paper on primary school teachers' efficacy spotlighting the pandemic and its effects was voted the People Choice. The competition saw 17 finalists from seven universities in Qatar, including hosts QU, Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Al Rayyan International University College, VCUarts Qatar, Texas A & M University at Qatar, and the University of Calgary-Qatar.

Dr. Newsome stressed that the finalists presented important research and should use the platform to develop their research skills further. 

“I hope with this competition, those who are Master's students consider pursuing a Ph.D. to continue with the research. For the Ph.D. students, I hope that the 3MT has been a platform to show their research, expose them to potential jobs and other research projects that they can get on to collaborate in.”

With research at its core, QU strives to become a globally-recognised hub for impact-focused interdisciplinary and multi-disciplinary research, making it a vital driving tool for Qatar National Vision (QNV) 2030.

Dr. Newsome noted that programmes like the 3MT highlight engagement among universities, showcase the high caliber research in QU and Qatar, and the potential market for the graduates.

“We show our value for impactful graduate research by putting a monetary prize on these kinds of events to encourage graduates. At QU, we do a lot with the grants and graduate assistance available for students. Those who take on research related to our national research priorities get the needed funding and support,” Dr. Newsome said.

“I think at the graduate level, if you spend two or four years to pursue a Master's or Ph.D. degree and do research, you are doing it hopefully not for the prestige of the degree but to contribute and advance your society. I don't just mean Qatar society because the issues that are our national priorities are also global priorities. I think that most graduate students care. If they are going to commit this amount of time to research project, they are doing it because they want to impact the society.”

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