Why would someone want to present their thesis in three minutes?

When family members would ask ”What do you study in your research?”, I would always struggle to answer. While graduate school trains us to communicate with experts in our field, it is often harder to communicate our research with members of our family and the general public. Participating in the three minute thesis competition at Concordia University forced me to simplify complex concepts so that they would fit within the short time limit. As scientists, we aim to better the lives of humans and the environment and we have a responsibility to share this with the public. Learning to communicate our ideas simply, without jargon, and while staying patient and positive, we can become better communicators. notReviewed publishedVersion