Your favourite lunchbox treat could be under threat from a killer fungus, but not if UQ research student Kevan Walter Jones has his say.
The PhD candidate from Toowoomba recently took out the Faculty of Science final in UQ’s Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition, explaining his research into Fusarium wilt, a soil-borne fungus that infects banana plants through its root system.
3MT sees students from across disciplines explain their research project to a non-specialist audience with the assistance of only one presentation slide.
“Tropical Race 4 of Fusarium wilt has decimated banana plantations in the Northern Territory, and if that strain of Fusarium wilt makes its way to our crops in North Queensland and South-east Queensland, there will be problems,” Mr Jones said.
“The reason I took part in the 3MT is because I am very passionate about science communication, I enjoy public speaking, and I want plant pathology to be more covered in the media because most people don't realise just how threatened agriculture is by plant disease.”
The 3MT competition, developed by UQ in 2008, challenges research higher degree (RHD) students to explain their research project to a non-specialist audience in just three minutes.
Significant growth in the popularity of the event has led UQ to host the inaugural Australia & New Zealand 3MT Competition in 2010 as part of its Centenary celebrations.
“I can’t wait to compete in the UQ finals and explain this research in simple terms to a larger audience,” Mr Jones said.
“It’s such a liberating experience speaking with no notes and just one powerpoint slide and trying to explain what you’re researching for about four years of your life.”
Mr Jones will compete with seven other faculty and institute winners in the UQ 3MT Finals on September 20, with the winner representing the University in the Australia & New Zealand 3MT competition on September 21.
Prizes at both events include a $5,000 travel grant for the winner, $2,000 travel grant for the runner-up and $1,000 travel grant for the people’s choice award.
Members of the public are welcome to attend the finals, to be held in the UQ Centre Exhibition Hall at St Lucia from 3:30pm.
Master of Ceremonies is award-winning science writer, broadcaster and regular judge on ABC TV’s The New Inventors Bernie Hobbs, by arrangement with Claxton Speakers International.
You can register attendance at the 3MT events by visiting www.uq.edu.au/grad-school/3MT.
Media: Jessica Gallagher (07 3346 0508, j.gallagher@uq.edu.au) or Carly Dengate at the UQ Graduate School (07 3346 0509, c.dengate@uq.edu.au)
