ESANA is excited to announce the “EgyCan” competition for graduate students in North America. Our competition name, EgyCan, comes from our belief that Egyptians CAN excel as professionals, researchers, and leaders who can help change the world.

The challenge is a Three Minute Thesis (3MT™) competition that is introduced to assist current graduate students fostering their presentation and communication skills. Participants will be given just three minutes to explain the breadth and significance of their research projects to a non-specialist audience (i.e., in plain language). This fun, highly informative and very entertaining event was first developed by the University of Queensland in 2008 and is now held in more than 85 countries around the world. Sharing your research as a 3MT breaks down educational barriers, bringing academic work to the public. They are short, snappy, entertaining, and accessible presentations for everyone to enjoy.

The competition consists of two phases. First, students who would like to participate have to submit a 3-minute-long recording, which will be available to watch on the ESANA website and social media platforms. An evaluation by the judges as well as a vote by the public will be held to decide who will reach the second stage which is a live event.

Preliminary recordings will not take place live. Students will submit recordings of their presentations, which will be available to watch on social media platforms. The judges’ will decide who can reach to the live final.

The preliminary recordings should satisfy the following:

– One slide
– 3 Figures Maximum
– 3 Minute maximum Duration 

The 3MT’s live event will take place on Saturday, July 30th at 3:00 PM EST (9:00 PM Cairo Time) via Zoom. Finalists will deliver their presentations live, and judges will select the top 2 presentations in each category (Ph.D. & MSc) while the public will vote for the “people choice” award in each.

Judgement Criteria:

1- Comprehension & Content:

–Did the presentation provide an understanding of the background to the research question being addressed and its significance?

–Did the presentation clearly describe the key results of the research including conclusions and outcomes?

–Did the presentation follow a clear and logical sequence?

–Were the thesis topic, key results and research significance and outcomes communicated in language appropriate to a non-specialist audience?

–Did the speaker avoid academic jargon, explain terminology, and provide adequate background information to illustrate points?

–Did the presenter spend adequate time on each element of their presentation – or did they elaborate for too long on one aspect or was the presentation rushed?

2- Engagement & Communication:

–Did the presentation make the audience want to know more?

–Was the presenter careful not to trivialize or generalize their research?

–Did the presenter convey enthusiasm for their research?

–Did the presenter capture and maintain their audience’s attention?

–Did the speaker have sufficient stage presence, eye contact and vocal range; maintain a steady pace, and have a confident stance?

–Did the PowerPoint slide enhance the presentation – was it clear, legible, and concise?

Please note video and sound quality of live virtual event presentations will NOT be part of the adjudication criteria.

 For registration use the following link: https://forms.gle/hK1Uvb8xfG7JDWZz53PM