NEWS AND EVENTS

News

Announcements

No current announcements.

Events

Monthly Team Telecons

  • Spring 2025 Telecon Details:
    • All meetings will be held from 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM, Eastern Time (ET)
    • Monthly team telecons will be held via MS Teams
    • *Deviates from regular schedule

RA1

First Tues.

RA2

Second Tues.

RA3

Third Tues.

CCRI/WFD

Bi-monthly
2/4 2/11 2/18 2/25
3/4 3/11 3/18 —
4/1 4/8 4/15 4/17*
5/6 5/13 5/20 —

 

Three Minute Research Presentation (TMRP) Competition

Welcome to the Three Minute Research Presentation skills and competition program.  Due to the success of last year’s program, the TMRP has been requested again this spring.  In total, the presentation by each student was well crafted and we hope each student finished the program with newly honed skills (and possible travel or award monies).

Therefore, as part of the Interaction of Ionizing Radiation with Matter-University Research Alliance’s (IIRM-URA) Workforce Development (WFD) program, the Three Minute Research Presentation competition will be held again starting later this month.  This program is a chance for students to develop their communication skills and showcase their research.  Each student may present their research or dissertation as a captivating story in three minutes or less.  A maximum of five slides or a poster may be used, and the language should be appropriate for a non-specialist listener.  This WFD program is similar to, but not linked with, the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) international competition.  With that said, there will be prizes.

Who:  This program is open to all IIRM-URA students, undergraduate, graduate and post-doc, who are involved in research.

Why:  To learn more about and develop effective technical communication and presentation skills.  This is a great opportunity to improve your communication skills, which will benefit you throughout your entire scientific career!  It also looks good on your curriculum vitae (CV).

What:  A three-minute research presentation competition will be held for all IIRM-URA students who are currently conducting research.  This gives students the opportunity to communicate their research or dissertation as a captivating story, and it only takes 180 seconds!  A maximum of five slides or a poster may be used, and the language should be appropriate for a listener who may not be an expert in the field (i.e. explain specialized lingo or assumptions).  This spring semester program will include background information for students, information on presentation skills, steps on writing the presentation, practice time and tips, and a preliminary presentation round via Zoom.  The top three winners of the preliminary round will be awarded with comped travel expenses to the ATR to participate in the final competition.  The Annual Technical Review is being held July 29th – 31st, 2025 at  USMA West Point in New York.  For USMA students, who will not have travel expenses, this prize may be used for a future conference.  All three-minute research presentation participants should also take part in the student research poster session, and vice versa as these are complementary activities.  (More information on the poster session to be available in April.)

How:  Register on the IIRM-URA website  at https://iirm.psu.edu/research/workforce-development-and-student-sandbox/435-2/ to signify your interest in improving your presentation skills.  You will be provided with background information and next steps.

When and Where:

  • Registration to start now and be open through the end of February.
  • March will be a month for learning about the three-minute presentation method and creating a first draft.  Learning topics will include:
    • Background reading, “How-to” materials and an explanation of how this three-minute pitch differs from a 15-20 minute presentation
    • Q&A info sessions (two to be offered)
    • Tips and support for practicing
    • Info on posters and judging rubrics
  • Early April will be reserved for practice and fine tuning the presentations and the slide/poster.  Tips and support will be offered.
  • The preliminary round of three-minute research presentations will be held virtually mid-April, weeks prior to final exams.  The judging rubric will be provided prior to the event.   Professors and PIs from various IIRM-URA universities will judge.
  • Finalists will be selected and notified in May so that there is time to make travel arrangements for the annual technical review at West Point!

We look forward to having you join in!