Hamed Majidzadeh, School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences doctoral student, placed first in the university-wide Three Minute Thesis competition, which challenges doctoral students to explain their research and its significance to a nonspecialist audience in less than three minutes.
Majidzadeh claimed his title on Nov. 19 at The Hotel at Auburn University & Dixon Conference Center and will advance to the Southern Graduate Schools 3MT competition in February.
Capturing the audience’s attention, paying attention to timing and carefully wording the presentation were some of the main challenges, Majidzadeh said.
“Some of these students put a tremendous amount of thought into how they presented and do a really excellent job in using a metaphor of some sort to make it make sense for a nonspecialist,” said Chris Anthony, Graduate School communication and marketing specialist.
During the preliminary round of the university-level competition, about 30-50 students present their thesis to judges who decide the top 10 PhD students for the finals, Anthony said.
Majidzadeh’s thesis focuses on measuring soil carbon storage levels beneath urban impervious surfaces like homes, roads and sidewalks, while scientists typically study urban lawns and urban forests.
Majidzadeh started by sampling soil under Alabama and Georgia homes. Then, designing and mimicking the urban surfaces in a control group, Majidzadeh will study and monitor levels of soil carbon by measuring variables such as oxygen levels and soil temperature over a two-year period.
Majidzadeh said his project is like a product and requires a good team and a well-designed experiment.
“I love to combine marketing and science,” Majidzadeh said. “It’s something we should do actually. In order to sell it, not only do you have to have a good product but also you need to be able to represent that product in a way that everybody can see what it is and what its significance (is) in a way they can understand.”
Capturing the audience’s attention, paying attention to timing and carefully wording the presentation were some of the main challenges, Majidzadeh said.
Though Graeme Lockaby, associate dean for research and professor for the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, advised Majidzadeh on his presentation, Lockaby said the presentation and effort was by Majidzadeh’s design.
“He was dynamite,” Lockaby said. “His ability to stay focused in a presentation I think is one of his best assets.”
Though the same rules apply at the next stage of the competition Majidzadeh said he will continue to work on his speech with additional help from Dale Watson, the graduate school director of professional development, and James Truman, director of the Miller Writing Center.
Auburn University students have participated in 3MT since 2013 but have not won the Southern Graduate Schools 3MT competition.
“We’re very supportive of him,” Lockaby said. “We’ll do anything to help him. But this is his skill and talent.”
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