The annual Stillman College Research Symposium has added a new category to help spur student participation.
The Stillman Research Symposium returns after a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19. It will be held March 28-29 and will include a three-minute thesis competition for the first time in the eight-year history of the campus showcase.
A three-minute thesis, or 3MT, challenges scholars to present their research clearly and concisely to engage all audiences, regardless of their own research background, in just 180 seconds.
Stillman Provost Dr. Mark McCormick recommended introducing the 3MT to Stillman’s Research Symposium to help Stillman students prepare for their senior thesis, said Dr. David Ngong, professor and chair of the Department of Religion and Theology.
Ngong was a judge for the 3MT competition at the University of Alabama in 2021.
“The three-minute thesis is a great way of helping students hone their skills and capture – in very specific language – what they’re working on,” Ngong said.
Proposals are due Feb. 11 and can be emailed to Dr. Ngong.
Students who place in the top 2 in 3MT, poster presentation and oral presentation divisions will receive a cash prize and a certificate. All presentations will take place on Day 2 (March 29) at the Wynn Center.
The poster and oral presentations are also open to faculty and staff. However, their participation in the Research Symposium includes mentorship and guidance for students who also plan to compete. Students must work with a Stillman faculty member to develop and submit their presentation for the showcase.
“The primary idea is to get students familiar with the processes of research and, as an institution, to have our students research-focused,” Ngong said. “Having our students work with faculty members to develop their presentations will ensure they’re in line with best practices.”
Dr. Hilary N. Green, associate professor of history in the Department of Gender and Race Studies at the University of Alabama, will deliver the symposium’s keynote address at 6 p.m., March 28 at Stinson Auditorium. Her research and teaching interests include the intersections of race, class, and gender in 19th Century African American history, the American Civil War Era, Reconstruction Studies, Civil War Memory, and the Black Atlantic.
Green founded the Hallowed Grounds Project, which explores the history of slavery, experiences of enslaved campus laborers, and its legacy at the University of Alabama and surrounding Tuscaloosa community through alternate campus tours and a digital humanities project.
