We’re thrilled to announce that Marta Rivera Zurita, a valued member of our research group team, has clinched second place in the highly competitive 3 Minute Thesis (3MT) competition at the University of Granada. This prestigious competition challenges participants to present the objectives and results of their research to a non-specialized audience in just three minutes.

Under the captivating title «How to learn a language in 3 minutes,» Marta mesmerized the audience with insights into the goals and research questions of her doctoral thesis, along with some intriguing preliminary findings. The ability to distill complex ideas into a concise and engaging presentation is a true testament to Marta’s exceptional communication skills and depth of knowledge in her field. Congratulations, Marta, on this well-deserved recognition!

We had the pleasure of catching up with Marta for a brief interview, where she shared her thoughts on the 3MT experience:

What did you think of the 3MT experience?

Participating in the competition was a great experience. While it is complex, it is an experience that gives you a clear picture of what you are doing and it is helpful to speak about your topic to a more generalized public. The best gift I took away from the 3MT was learning how to disseminate what I do and being able to explain it in an accurate but also straightforward way. In addition, being awarded second place in the semifinal gave way to an opportunity to appear on the national radio. That was completely unexpected.

How did it feel having to explain your research in your second language?

It was a great challenge. Even if I am used to speaking in English (I both like it and I enjoy doing it), the fact that I needed to find the proper words, memorize the monologue, and avoid losing time by hesitating was a bit overwhelming. Additionally, it was hard to change from the initial monologue, which was in Spanish, to English. It seems that I say completely different things depending on the language! In the end I just kept the main ideas and I built up the monologue again in English from the beginning. It was interesting.

Marta presenting her monologue in Spanish during a “PsychoBeers” dissemination session: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4grIJSFlun8&feature=youtu.be