Asia-Pacific research display for PhD

A PhD student recently presented his cyclone research at the final of the Asia-Pacific 3MT Competition at the University of Queensland.

Mitchell Scovell presented a three-minute thesis on his research, which focuses on the psychosocial factors that influence cyclone mitigation.

“I felt very honoured to represent my university at the Asia-Pacific final. I got to meet some great people and hear about some really exciting research,” Mitchell said.

The CRC associate student from James Cook University (JCU), won the overall competition and the people’s choice award, which secured him a spot in the Asia-Pacific finals where he competed against 55 students from a range of universities across the region.

Mitchell’s presentation on ‘a curly tail of cyclone protection’ focused on the links between a person’s understanding of cyclone risk and how they prepare for cyclones.

“Overall, I was happy with my presentation. Everyone seemed to like my talk and understand the importance of my research, which was encouraging considering most of them may not have much cyclone experience.”

The final was taken out by Yasmin Mustapha Kamil from Universiti Putra Malaysia, for her research on the development of a dengue sensor to mitigate against the dangers of mosquito bites.

JCU selected Mitchell to present at the event after winning his college and university’s final where he competed against the winners from other study areas including medicine, science, engineering and public health.

“I learnt how to communicate science effectively. I now feel more confident in my ability to translate research and present findings in way that can be easily understood,” Mitchell said.

Students are judged by a panel of judges on their engagement, communication, comprehension and content.

“You have to toe the line between making the presentation entertaining but not trivialising your research,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell is currently finalising the results of a survey he conducted in 2017 about people’s perceptions of cyclone threats and mitigation behaviours. His final study, starting next year, will focus on how people perceive long-term cyclone risk.

Mitchell will be presenting his findings with his supervisor, CRC researcher Dr Daniel Smith, at a conference in Florida in November.