On Friday, October 18, starting at 6 p.m., the final gala of the "Science in 3 minutes" contest first ever English edition organized by the Estonian Academy of Sciences will take place. 19 foreign PhD students studying at Estonian universities will present their research during a 3-minute presentation. At the end of the gala the best up to five presenters will be chosen and awarded.
While the Estonian version of "Science in 3 minutes" contests have been held eight times since 2015, the English edition will be held for the first time. At the final Gala the finalists will have to summarize their years of research in three minutes in a way that is interesting and comprehensible to all listeners, regardless of background or prior knowledge.
The live broadcast of the event can be followed on the academy's website, the academy's Facebook page or the portal Novaator.
PhD students participating in the contest represent the University of Tartu, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn University, Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, Estonian Business School, Estonian Academy of Arts and Estonian University of Life Sciences.
The finalists come from different parts of the world: Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Brazil, Guatemala, Georgia, Ireland, India, Iran, Italy, Latvia, Nigeria, Finland, Turkey and Ukraine.
The jury of the contest at the final event includes: President of the Academy of Sciences of Estonia Tarmo Soomere, US Ambassador to Estonia George P. Kent; Management Board Member of Inclusive Financial Technology Foundation (InFTF), Kristjan Järve; Secretary-General of Estonian Commission for UNESCO, Kerli Gutman-Normak; entrepreneur and Member of the Digital Council of the President of the Republic of Estonia Mr Alar Karis, Kaidi Ruusalepp; entrepreneur and Chairman of the board of Tuleva Commercial Association, Annika Uudelepp; journalist of the Estonian Public Broadcasting, Joosep Värk.
The evening is hosted by the journalist of Estonian Public Broadcasting Kristo Elias.
The finals have been preceded by internal contests in participating universities and trainings on presentation skills organized by the Estonian Academy of Sciences. Also, each finalist has written a popular science article on their research, which will be published on the Research in Estonia portal.
The main aim of the whole contest (the trainings on presentation and writing skills, presenting the 3-minute lecture to general public at the final gala) is to provide PhD students with practical experience on speaking in front of the public, presenting their research work as well as creating the network of PhD students from very different areas of Research.
The contest is organized in cooperation with the Estonian Young Academy of Sciences and supported by the Inclusive Financial Technology Foundation (InFTF) and the Estonian Research Council through Research in Estonia activities.