Williams is University’s first for 3MT national final
A study into the water crisis in northern Nigerian rural communities, which won the Glasgow Caledonian Three Minute Thesis (3MT) final, is the first ever from the University to be shortlisted for the competition’s national final.
Williams Joshua wowed judges in May with his presentation, which they said "put them at the heart of the issue and made them really understand what he was trying to achieve".
Williams has now been selected as one of six finalists in this year’s online Vitae 3MT final, which is the culmination of finalists from Vitae member Higher Education Institutions throughout the UK. He is the first Glasgow Caledonian student ever to make the cut.
The final will be streamed online on September 15, between 12-1pm. Viewers will be able to vote for the People’s Choice winner after all finalists have been streamed. Vitae said a link to register to watch the broadcast will be available on their website over the next few weeks.
The Judges’ Choice winner will receive a £3,000 grant to spend on public engagement activity as well as an engraved trophy. The People’s Choice winner will receive £1,000 as well an engraved trophy. Both winners will be announced at the live streaming of the event.
Developed by the University of Queensland to celebrate the exciting research conducted by PhD students, 3MT finalists have one slide and three minutes to present their research in language appropriate to a non-specialist audience. Since its inception in 2008, the popularity of 3MT has grown, and competitions are now held in over 900 universities across more than 65 countries worldwide.
The Graduate School organised Glasgow Caledonian’s annual final as part of the University's revised Research Celebration.
Winner Williams, who is a PhD researcher in the University's Mary Robinson Centre for Climate Justice, said: "To me, the water crisis in Nigeria is very familiar. In the UK, we take freely running water for granted. In Nigeria, there is no such luxury. People rely on wells that are easily contaminated by flood waters, and so they then have to walk miles to find water that still may be contaminated by urine and faeces.
"My research is aiming to highlight these issues and inform policy that can help rectify them."