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Friday 7 March 2014 1:22pm

3MT-montage-imageThree Minute Thesis judge Professor Rachel Spronken-Smith (left) and PhD section winner Jenny McDowell at the competition finals. Photos Sharron Bennett.

Accounting and forensic anthropology ruled the day at the recent Otago Three Minute Thesis Finals.

Ten Master's and PhD research students took just 180 seconds to explain their thesis topics to an "intelligent but non-specialist audience", Graduate Research School Manager Claire Gallop says.

Approximately 1800 seconds and some judging later, PhD candidate Jenny McDowell won the PhD section with her explanation of "Time related taphonomic alteration to juvenile skeletal remains in a marine environment: The effect of seawater on bone preservation over time".

Master's student Nicola Beatson was then presented with the Master's award for her three minutes on "Motivation and Satisfaction at Work: Is it the Money or the Job? A study of IT professionals".

Both students were awarded a $1000 research grant, and a trip to their respective national and Australasian finals; Jenny will compete in the Trans-Tasman 3MT competition in Queensland and Nicola at the first Inter-University 3MT final for Master's candidates, Ms Gallop says.

An audience award of a $500 research grant was awarded to Gilles Marciniak, who described his PhD research, "Making the Intangible Tangible: Eliciting Landscape Values at a Community Level".

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