Presenting Research

Presenting Research

One important aspect of academic literacy is the ability to concisely and clearly communicate about research projects to general audiences. Sharing research findings takes practice. As such, it has been a tradition at the University of Alberta to give visiting international research internship participants an opportunity to communicate their research projects to the campus community in a supportive, collaborative environment.

Upcoming Research Symposiums

Members of the campus community and the public are welcome and encouraged to join us as visiting international research internship participants share about their projects.

  • 10:30 AM-12:00 PM | Thursday, December 5th, 2024 | 4th Floor Lounge, Education North, University of Alberta North Campus | Research Poster Symposium in partnership with University of Alberta's English Language School | confirmed
  • 9:30-11:30 AM | Thursday, July 17th, 2025 | Telus Centre, 11104 87 Avenue NW | tentative; date/time/location subject to change
  • 9:30-11:30 AM | Thursday, August 21st, 2025 | Telus Centre, 11104 87 Avenue NW | tentative; date/time/location subject to change
Program participants contribute to cutting-edge University of Alberta research with the help of funding from the following programs:
  • Mitacs Globalink Research Internships (Mitacs GRI)
  • Emerging Leaders in the Americas Program (ELAP)
  • Canada-ASEAN Scholarships and Educational Exchanges for Development (SEED)
  • Study in Canada Scholarships (SiCS)
  • University of Alberta Research Experience (UARE)
  • China Scholarship Council (CSC)
  • RWTH Aachen Junior Research Fellowship (JRF)

 

Presenting research has typically taken the form of research poster symposiums held between July-September, with alternate presentation opportunities offered to visiting researchers on campus in March at the annual Festival of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (FURCA).

There have also been 3 Minute Thesis (3MT) videos created by past research internship participants, as well as delivery of live, in-person 3MT.

Research Symposiums often feature ten or more 3 Minute Thesis (3MT) presentations in Telus 150 Auditorium, followed by a poster fair in the Telus Centre Atrium for all of our research interns to showcase the research projects they are contributing to on our campuses.

Inspired by Three Minute Thesis, or 3MT for short, a spoken word thesis competition that started at the University of Queensland, Australia, some of our research internship participants will summarize their research projects in a presentation that is three minutes in length.

Requirements

Participants must have the consent of their supervising U of A faculty member to share the research.

The specific requirements for Research Posters are the following:

  • 36" x 48" Portrait (36 inches wide by 48 inches high)

The specific requirements for 3MT are the following:

  • Participants are allowed three minutes only—no more, no less;
  • Participants are restricted to spoken words only (so no singing or dancing!);
  • Participants can only show one static slide (so no animations, music and electronic media);
  • Participants are expected to contextualize their research presentations for a non-specialist audience. i.e., how would you explain your research to a child or grandparent who does not study your field?
  • Participants should limit the use of technical jargon or scientific terms that only someone else in the research area would know.

Preparing a 3MT requires scripting a research narrative as a story with emotional as well as intellectual impact. It is important to find ways to establish interpersonal rapport with non-specialist audiences, as a lot of research is funded by grants and writing grant proposals requires you to explain your research to non-specialist audiences as well as experts in your field. One way to do this is to try using analogies to relate your research project to common human experiences that unite us all, such as music or sports. Before you prepare your own 3MT, check out some winning 3MT presentations for reference (there are many on Youtube and other video hosting sites).

Judging Rubrics

The criteria for judging the content and communication for our 3MT video presentations are borrowed from the Queensland criteria (The University of Queensland, 2021).

Content
  • The presentation provided clear background and significance to the research question
  • The presentation clearly described the research design/methodology for your study (or projected)
  • The presentation clearly described the findings and implications of the research (or projected)
  • The presentation can be about any stage of the research cycle, such as research question deliberation, literature review, research design, preliminary findings, or completed project

Communication
  • The oration was rehearsed in advance and delivered clearly
  • The language was appropriate for a non-specialist audience
  • The one-page static slide using the designated slide template was well-defined and enhanced the presentation
  • The presenter conveyed enthusiasm for their research and captured and maintained the audience’s attention

 

Questions? Contact intern@ualberta.ca.