“让大学生用英语讲科研”系列讲座2

从国际3分钟论文演讲到中国大学生5分钟科研英语演讲

 

大家听说过Three Minute Thesis（3MT）比赛吗？这是近年来国际高校中具有较高声誉的“3分钟论文演讲”比赛，其目的是创造学术交流的平台、培养学术沟通的能力。比赛的选手主要是博士研究生，他们要在3分钟内，使用一页PPT，向非专业听众介绍自己论文的主要内容与研究意义。

 

3MT比赛于2008年在澳大利亚的昆士兰大学发起。据说昆士兰洲曾经遭遇旱灾，市民们准备了３分钟的记时器，安在浴室墙上，以控制淋浴时间，达到节水的目的。昆士兰大学研究生院的院长受此启发，提出了3MT比赛的想法。3MT比赛很快进入到澳大利亚和新西兰的其他高校中，然后又迅速在国际高校中流行起来，目前65个国家的600多所大学都在举办该项赛事。2013年开始，U21大学联盟开始组织其成员学校进行3MT比赛；2016年，亚太地区高校联合组织该项赛事；自2014年起，我国多所高校，如上海交通大学等也开始举办3MT比赛活动。

 

想想看，参赛选手们至少进行了３年的科研工作，现在要在３分钟内用外行能够理解的语言介绍自己的研究，难度可想而知，但是谁不想让别人了解自己的研究工作呢？这项比赛因而显得激动人心、充满挑战。参赛者要展示出对研究的热情，激发听众的兴趣，提供生动、充分的背景信息，完整地介绍自己的研究内容，并且避免使用行话与专业性过强的信息，让没有专业背景的听众理解研究话题、研究的方法、主要结果以及意义。3MT比赛的具体规则和获胜选手的视频等信息，可以参考澳大利亚昆士兰大学所属网站https://threeminutethesis.uq.edu.au。

 

今年，中国学术英语教学研究会引进了3MT比赛，并针对我国学生的具体情况，对赛事进行了本地化处理，根据中国实际情况，把演讲时间延长到5分钟、参赛选手扩展到本科生，设计了“中国大学生5分钟科研英语演讲”的全国大赛，即Five Minute Research Presentation（5MRP）大赛。为了使更多的中国学生可以参加比赛，我们把现场演讲变成了视频演讲。参赛者除了可以介绍自己已经完成的论文，也可以介绍正在撰写的论文或自己的研究计划。这么好的机会，你一定心动了吧，赶快报名参加5MRP比赛吧！报名网址为：http://www.ceapa.cn/c.asp?id=58。

 

附件

 

1. 2012年新南威尔士大学3MT比赛获奖选手Sumaiya Ahmed的演讲稿件以及简析（见稿件每段段末的汉语说明）

 

The waiting time in the movie industry: Timing decisions for DVD release

 

1. You don't have to be a stand-up comedian or a Sydney bus driver to know that timing is critical. Whether it be Samsung launching a new smart phone or Unilever introducing a new shampoo, companies must decide how long to wait before releasing the new version of a product. While a new release may mean new sales, it can also hamper the sales of existing products. ［用大家熟悉的话题开篇，逐步引出研究话题。注意这个开篇不仅内容贴近日常生活，语言上也比较口语化。］

 

2. My research examines these timing decisions, focusing on the motion picture industry. And in particular I ask how long must studios wait before releasing a DVD after a movie has been launched at the box office. ［简洁明快地提出自己的研究内容］

 

3. Each year studios make $9 billion at the box office and $24 billion through DVDs. Both these channels are interrelated. Releasing a DVD too early may mean people would defer their purchases at the theater, and just buy the DVD, leading to lower sales of box office. Releasing too late, once the excitement surrounding the film has dissipated, may lead to lower DVD sales. Thus managers need to strike a balance between these two in order to maximize total revenue. ［提供具体的研究背景，说明研究的意义。］

 

4. These graphs illustrate the random approach to timing decisions currently adopted by studios. Consider Mr and Mrs Smith and Harry Potter, both of which stayed at the box office for over 20 weeks and grossed over $100 million. However, the waiting period for the release of the DVD was 24 weeks for Mr and Mrs Smith, while only 15 weeks for Harry Potter. This suggests a need for a more systematic approach to making timing decisions. ［结合一页PPT, 用具体的实例说明目前研究的不足之处。］

 

5. Using a modeling approach that allows me to balance between these two channels, I find that on average the waiting period for the release of DVD is 13 weeks, but the optimal time varies across movies, depending on characteristics, such as critical ratings, genre, star power and so on. ［简洁明快地提出自己的研究方法与研究结果。］

 

6. A key benefit of my model is to inform specific managerial decision-making. Recall that for Mr and Mrs Smith the waiting period for the release of the DVD was 24 weeks. However, my model suggests the optimal time to be four weeks earlier, which would have resulted in an increase in DVD sales by 5.7%. This can mean that for the studios and for many other businesses managing a portfolio product a stitch in time will save a lot more than nine. ［总结研究意义。根据上文提出的实例，具体阐明研究的价值，并且用俗语生动形象地进行概括。］

 

2. 2012年新南威尔士大学3MT比赛获奖选手Sumaiya Ahmed的演讲视频

注：作者系北京航空航天大学外国语学院的教师，中国大学生5分钟科研英语演讲赛事主要组织者。