On the 15th of May 2015, the University of Johannesburg’s (UJ) Postgraduate Centre hosted UJ’s First 3-Minute Thesis Competition (UJ 3MT). While presentation of an entire PhD would generally take at least nine hours, the UJ 3MT provided UJ PhD students and postdoctoral fellows with the opportunity to present their PhD research to a lay audience in three minutes!
Twelve speakers from three faculties (Sciences, Management and Humanities) were selected to take part in the competition, and showcase the ground-breaking research being done at these three faculties. The calibre of presentations was high, and after the proposals were reviewed by a panel of judges from academia, industry, the HRSC, and the NRF, only a few points difference separated the four winners of the competition, whose details can be found below:
- Ms Yolandi Coetser (Faculty of the Humanities, Philosophy) ‘The Use of Animals in Art: An Ethics for Aesthetics’.
- Dr. Albertus Smith (Faculty of Science, Geology) ‘The Geometallurgical Characterization of the Merensky Reef at Bafokeng Rasimone Platinum Mine, South Africa’.
- Ms Candice Louw (Faculty of Science, Academic of Computer Science and Software Engineering) with her presentation titled ‘Towards a Smartphone Application User Security Competency Evaluation (SAUSCE)’.
- Mr Asheel Singh (Faculty of the Humanities, Philosophy) ‘Life, procreation and transcendence: Towards an ethics for the future of humanity’
The winner of the competition received a tablet preloaded with two years data. This prize was sponsored by Kubwa Group. Kubwa Group is an advisory group focusing on the new economy, driven by knowledge management guided by people, technology, systems, processes and leadership factors. For more information visit the Kubwa Group website: http://kubwagroup.com/index.php/home
The judges of the competition included:
- Dr Thandi Mwebi (National Research Foundation, Executive Director of the Research Chairs and Centres of Excellence)
- Professor Charles Hongoro (Human Sciences Research Council, Research Director in the Population Health, Health Systems and Innovation Programme)
- Professor Bernie van Zijl (Executive Director of Kubwa Group,)
- Mr Nico Conradie (Executive Committee Member of Munich Re)
- Professor Nkqubela Ruxwana (Tshwane University of Technology)
- Professor Geoffrey Lautenbach (University of Johannesburg).
View presentations below:
3 Minute Thesis Competition : Opening, Prof Shireen Motala
Ms Yolandi Coetser : The Use of Animals in Art: An Ethics for Aesthetics
Ms Leyla Tavernaro-Haidarian :Talking Ubuntu, Beyond an Argument Culture in Talk Shows
Ms Karolina Laba : A predictive model of engagement for women
Dr Barnabas Daru : An evaluation of the phylogenetic diversity of trees of Southern Africa
Ms Candice Louw : Towards a Smartphone Application User security Competency Evolution (SAUSCE) Model
Dr Oluwafemi Adeagbo : Gay Men, Intimacy and Family Life: Exploring Interracial Same-Sex Unions in Johannesburg
Mr Bezeng Simeon Bezeng : Predicting species invasion, Global change and non-native trees and shrubs of Southern Africa
Dr Albertus Smith : The geometallurgical characterization of the Merensky Reef at Bafokeng Rasimone Platinum Mine, South Africa
Ms Susan Jacobs : Remarkable properties in “simple” Cr alloys
Mr Tsepo Moloi : Afrikan Contribution to International Relations Theory ‘From Below’ : Es’kia Mphahlele’s Afrocentric Worldview
Mr Asheel Singh : Life, Procreation, and Transcendence Toward an Ethics for the Future of Humanity
3 Minute Thesis Competition : Geust Speaker, Prof Gert Roodt
3 Minute Thesis Competition : Judges feedback
Prize giving : Prof Bernie van Zijl – Kubwa Group (Pty) Ltd
