Even though the auditorium in Georgia State University’s Centennial Hall remains closed, honors students will still have a spotlight for their undergraduate thesis projects.
Instead of having students present their research live on stage, the Honors College is hosting its Spring 2020 Thesis Pitch competition as a virtual event.
“We felt that it was important to continue the Thesis Pitch as a virtual event this semester because it is very popular with the students and we did not want them to miss out on the many benefits,” said Marise Parent, professor of neuroscience and psychology and Honors College Faculty Associate for Research and Theses. “Past presenters have told us that it gave them a big boost to their confidence in public speaking and allowed them to learn to talk about their research in an interesting and compelling manner to a variety of people.”
During the Spring 2020 Thesis Pitch, seven students will compete to explain their undergraduate research projects in a compelling and relatable way in just three minutes—but with an added twist. Students will record and upload their timed presentations to a video sharing platform to be evaluated by judges between April 28 and May 1. Students competing in the Spring 2020 Thesis Pitch represent a variety of majors, including psychology, biology, neuroscience, English and music education.
This semester’s panel of Thesis Pitch judges are Raeda Anderson, assistant professor and quantitative data specialist with the University Library; Jessie McCrary, scholarship coordinator in the Honors College’s Office of National Scholarships and Fellowships; and Jose Rodriguez, Honors College librarian.
“In addition to valuable preparation for future job and school interviews, there are other tangible benefits to competing, including a presentation that students can list on their resumes, complimentary binding of their theses, and cash awards,” Parent said.
The first prize winner will receive $100; the second prize winner will receive $75. On May 1, the presentations will be made available to all Honors College students to select their favorite for the $50 People’s Choice Award, sponsored by the Center for the Advancement of Students and Alumni.
Another new feature of the Spring 2020 Thesis Pitch is the matching of student presenters with faculty coaches. In addition to Parent, the coaches this semester are:
- Jaye Atkinson, associate professor and associate chair for the Department of Communications
- Jacob English, director of the Office of National Scholarships and Fellowships
- Mary Fernandes, Ph.D. candidate in clinical neuropsychology and first place and People’s Choice winner of the 2019 Georgia State Doctoral Three Minute Thesis competition
- Kyle Frantz, director of Georgia State’s Center for the Advancement of Students and Alumni (CASA) and professor of neuroscience and biology
The Spring 2020 Thesis Pitch is co-sponsored by CASA.