Nationwide graduate-student “3-Minute Research Presentation” held at Korea University ... Seoul National University’s Son Ha-young wins first grand prize

[Financial News] Seoul National University student Son Ha-young won the first-ever Minister of Education Award (Grand Prize) in a competition where graduate students from 28 universities nationwide presented their research in clear, accessible English in just three minutes. Korea University said on the 12th that it had held the final of the nationwide “BK21 K-3MT (Three Minute Thesis) Competition” on the 11th at Choi Jong-hyun Hall in SK Future Hall on its campus in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, and selected a total of 10 winners.
Twenty-three graduate students from 17 universities competed in the final after advancing through preliminary rounds at their universities (28 universities) and the main round (61 participants). The participants completed three sessions of advanced training, then took the stage on the day of the final to their chosen walk-on music and amid cheering videos from their universities, breaking away from the rigid format of academic conferences. A panel of judges comprising university and business representatives evaluated six criteria, including clarity of research content and audience engagement. An audience vote at the venue determined the Popularity Award.
In addition to the Grand Prize, the Gold Prize (Chairman of the National Research Foundation of Korea Award) went to students Lee Seul-lin (Gyeongsang National University) and Jeong Gi-yeon (Sogang University), while the Silver Prize (award from the president of the university chairing the Graduate Innovation Council) went to Yoon Jae-hyun (Korea University) and Kwon Min-jae (Hanyang University). Nishani Jayanika of Chungnam National University received the Encouragement Award, and four people, including Lee Su-yeon of Sogang University, received the Popularity Award.
The platform for South Korean graduate students to communicate their research has expanded overseas as well. Twelve of the 28 universities that took part in this year’s competition also competed in the Asia-Pacific 3MT Competition, organized by the University of Queensland in Australia, where they tested their skills against researchers from around the world. The results of this year’s South Korean national competition will also be featured on the University of Queensland’s official 3MT website.
3MT is a research presentation competition that began in 2008 at the University of Queensland in Australia and is now held at around 1,000 universities in 90 countries worldwide. Participants must explain their research in English within three minutes, with just one presentation slide on screen. The key is to convey the main points clearly and engagingly so that people without specialized knowledge can understand them.
First held in South Korea at Korea University last year, the competition has grown this year to include 28 universities nationwide participating in the fourth phase of the Brain Korea (BK)21 Graduate Innovation Support Project. It was hosted by the Ministry of Education, the National Research Foundation of Korea and the BK21 Graduate Innovation Council, and organized by Korea University.
Korea University Acting President Jeong Sun-young said, “It is meaningful that the Minister of Education Award was established for the first time this year, encouraging research communication skills at the national level,” adding, “Your three minutes will be the starting point for exchange and cooperation that cross the boundaries of universities and academic disciplines.” Lee Gi-young, chair of the Graduate Innovation Council and vice president for academic affairs at Pusan National University, said, “The experience of gaining public resonance will be a valuable driving force for the future fifth-phase BK21 project.” Heo Jeong-eun, head of the Academic Promotion Division at the National Research Foundation of Korea, offered encouragement, saying, “This is thanks to the passion of those who have quietly devoted themselves to education and research in the field.”  

[email protected] Kim Man-gi Reporter