LuxDoc 3MT: The complex made simple
The LuxDoc 3MT even has ended, and we’ve talked to the three winners – first we hear from runner up Laure Pauly!
Photo by Johan Ekström
Tell us about yourself and the research that you are working on.
I am Laure Pauly, I am from Luxembourg. I’ve studied Biology, in the sunny South of France, and I’ve done my Masters in Neuroscience and specialized after in clinical Neurosciences & Neuropsychology. I am currently in my 1st year as PhD Student in the Clinical and Experimental Neuroscience Group at the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB) [part of the University of Luxembourg] studying the retrograde procedural memory in Parkinson’s Disease and its early clinical marker.
How did you hear about the LuxDoc 3MT competition and what (or who) encouraged you to enter, why did you enter.
I heard about the LuxDoc 3MT competition through the UNI – Bureau des Etudes Doctorales that transferred your email to all the PhD students, but you were visible quite everywhere, in the LCSB-Newsletter, on Moodle, on Facebook, …
What encouraged me to enter the competition is the possibility to work on my communication skills, but especially it was my passion for Sciences that I wanted to share.
Please share the process of participating online and the experience you went through.
The process of participating online was quite interesting: after brainstorming, writing the script, incorporating feedback and trying to prepare a catchy PowerPoint Slide, you install yourself behind your camera and the recording can begin (at least 1000 times … you should see the bloopers). The only weird thing presenting online, was that there was no direct feedback from an audience, so I was the only one that laughed at my own jokes.
What did you do to ensure that you could present your research in 3 minutes?
I tried to simplify, to get only the main information together and to put them in easy and understandable words. But finally, it is no secret, repetition is the keyword with the timer next to you.
What is your biggest gain from LuxDoc 3MT competition and why?
The biggest reward was instilling curiosity in people and the possibility to spark their interest in my project and of course meeting all the team organizing the competition was an enrichment itself.
If you could tell other doctoral students one piece of advice who are considering entering LuxDoc 3MT competition next year, what would it be?
First of all – YES DO IT, it’s fun! But I would also like to tell them to keep it as simple as possible, as you would explain it to your grandparents. And the most important thing, let your passion for your project glow through your presentation.
What is the next step in your career?
As I am still at the beginning of my PhD-journey, I will concentrate on my project, try to collect as many learning experiences as possible and I will try to share my passion for Science.