PhD candidate at Graz University wins 2024 Coimbra Group 3MT Competition
06 June 2024
We are delighted to announce that Silvia Lasnik emerged victorious in the 2024 Coimbra Group Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition that took place on 6 June 2024 in the Logomo Theatre in Turku, Finland. Developed by the University of Queensland, the 3MT competition consists of effectively explaining one’s research in 3 minutes, in a language appropriate for a non-specialist audience.
The jury awarded Silvia, a PhD candidate at Graz University, for her outstanding presentation titled “Dragon-Proof Teaching: Slaying Native-Speakerism.” In under three minutes, Silvia adeptly elucidated how native speakerism impacts students’ self-perception of their foreign language abilities and contributes to the shaping of macro-ideologies. A keen reader, the topic of her thesis (“But I’m not a Native-Speaker” – Self-Perceived Foreign Language Proficiency and Foreign Language Teaching Anxiety among Austrian Primary School Teachers) was inspired by her personal experiences.
The two excellent runners-ups were Princess R. Cabotaje (Uppsala University) and Rachel Hare (University of Bristol).
The jury was composed by:
- Antonella Forlino (Pro Rector for Internationalisation at the University of Pavia and a member of the Coimbra Group Executive Board) – 3MT jury spokesperson
- Sverre Ole Drønen(Science policy, science communications & global relations specialist in the Division of Research and Innovation at the University of Bergen)
- Elise Pinta (Head of the Research Career Unit at the University of Turku and Vice-Chair of Coimbra Group Doctoral Studies WG),
- Jaanika Anderson (Director of Research at the University of Tartu Museum)
- Giulia Marina Licini (Professor of Organic Chemistry at the University of Padova and Vice-Chair of Coimbra Group STEM WG).
Princess R. Cabotaje, from Uppsala University, opened the competition with a flawless presentation “Learning from Nature: Turning air into electricity”. She explained how to improve the potential of hydrogenases, which convert and utilize hydrogen using earth-abundant metals like nickel and iron, for biotechnological applications by shedding light on their evolution and diversity through an interdisciplinary. Originally from the Philippines, Princess R currently resides in Sweden where she enjoys performing dance covers and precision sports.
Then, Rachel Hare, from the University of Bristol, gave us a remarkable presentation on “The Art of the Swoon,” navigating the complex and often contradictory meanings of fainting in early modern drama. Her research focuses on the conflicted interpretations of embodied gestures and the ways these conflicts expose and interrogate prevalent anxieties about gender, performance, perception, emotion, and the body. She also works as a researcher on public engagement and research projects related to grief, creativity and community.
Many congratulations to the three of them for this thrilling event that this year again conquered the whole audience!
25 out of the 40 Coimbra Group member universities took part in this year’s competition by submitting the video of the winner of their local competition. All Coimbra Group universities were then invited to vote for their preferred top three candidates. The live final is the second and last phase of the network competition, where the three shortlisted candidates are assessed by a judging panel. This year, the winner receives from the Coimbra Group a 2 000 € Prize, and the two runners-up are granted 1 500 € each. Each of the three finalists also gets a wooden trophy.
The event was streamed live and the recording is available here.
For further information about the 3MT competition, please visit: https://threeminutethesis.uq.edu.au