One of my favorite events each year is Research Matters. We just kicked off this year’s selection process with a call for nominations. Our symposium is a moment to celebrate the research of our graduate students, who are making new discoveries, building on knowledge, and inspiring undergraduates in the classroom every day. During Research Matters, master’s and doctoral students share live on stage, with cameras and lights, why their research matters. To step back from the detail of research and communicate it clearly and concisely is not an easy task—but it is a vital skill. I believe that the 21st century needs researchers like our graduate students who can make the case for what they do.
Graduate research is hard: by definition, any Master’s thesis or PhD dissertation offers something new. Each student at Brown is blazing a new path and adding a new voice to a conversation. Graduate research is technical, building on years of study, immersion in a discipline, deep reading, travel and study in archives and for fieldwork, challenging hours in a lab, and, for almost everyone, hours in front a computer. And, for every researcher, there are moments of failure, when the experiment doesn’t work or the idea fails. That is why the passion that our graduate students share in Research Matters is so inspiring: it is this passion that keeps them going as they pursue their eureka moments of discovery.
The skill of communicating and presenting research is a vital part of graduate study. We know these skills are important to academic presentations and publications. But why practice them in a 5-minute setting for a multi-disciplinary audience? Working with Research Matters speakers, I’ve found that honing the ability communicate complex ideas clearly and concisely often contributes directly to a student’s research. In Research Matters, we work on five elements: share your passion, use the power of storytelling, connect with your audience, explain your work clearly, and rehearse so that your performance shines. These are core presentation and communication skills that transfer to any setting. And, of course, these are also the skills that are needed in convincing funding bodies, guiding policy makers, and engaging the broader community.
Research Matters is just one way to practice these core skills. In addition to speaking in your departments, at conferences, and seminars, some of the many other ways to hone these skills are through our Effective Performance program, teaching opportunities in and out of the classroom, English Language workshops at the Sheridan Center, Global Brown Center for International Student events, Writing Center workshops, and participating in CareerLAB events, like GradCon.
Each year, Research Matters students blow me away with their talent. They show us that research and Graduate School is hard, but they also show us that it is fun!—and that it matters. Take a moment to watch some past talks. And join us live on April 9th!
From Research Matters 2016: Jennifer Thum, PhD candidate in Archaeology and the Ancient World
Rocks, Drones and Instagram: The Interactive Dissertation