Ms Hye Jung EUN, a SMU PhD in Business (Organisational Behaviour & Human Resources) candidate at SMU, has clinched the second place at the Singapore Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition held at the Singapore University of Technology and Design  on 29 May 2019.

The competition challenges participants from Singapore Management University, National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, and Singapore University of Technology & Design to explain their research thesis in a clear and engaging three-minute talk aimed at non-specialists.

Besides receiving the prize of EURO 1,000 trip sponsorship and SGD 500, Hye Jung will be representing Singapore and SMU at the Asia Pacific 3MT Finals, which will be held at the University of Queensland in Australia on 4 October 2019.

The other representatives from SMU at the Singapore 3MT 2019 were Ms LANG Tingting, a PhD in Business (Organisational Behaviour & Human Resources) candidate, and Mr Andrew LE Duy Dung, a PhD in Information Systems candidate. The trio were the three finalists selected to represent SMU at the Singapore 3MT competition on 3 May 2019.

Hye Jung presenting her research – “Emphasizing Creativity: At What Cost?”

In her talk entitled “Emphasizing Creativity: At What Cost?”, Hye Jung had addressed the tradeoff that comes with an over-emphasis on creativity, and asserted that this over-emphasis has brought about a lack of social awareness, as people have become largely motivated by self-interests when helping others.

On what she has learned from the 3MT experience thus far, Hye Jung said, “I think it is important not to be nervous when speaking in front of the audience. As someone who is usually not comfortable with public speaking, I know it is easier said than done. Before the competition, I took some time to reflect on what the competition meant to me and what I wanted to gain from this experience. I realised the competition was not just a competition for winning awards, but a good opportunity for me to share my research with others. Personally, this experience has been challenging, but it was also meaningful because it forced me to think harder about my dissertation, which is still in its preliminary stage. I was able to explore my dissertation from different perspectives. Therefore, I would encourage those who are in the preliminary stages of their dissertation to sign up for this competition.”

Looking ahead to the Asia Pacific 3MT finals, Hye Jung said, “I think the 3MT finals will be a challenge but I hope to enjoy the process. I wish to clearly communicate my dissertation and my passion for research in the finals. Although it has already been an amazing experience, I expect to learn more from the rest of the journey.”

As to how she will prepare for the finals, she shared, “3MT has motivated me to better understand the fundamentals of public speaking. I recently read in the Harvard Business Review an article “How to Become a Fearless Speaker” and was greatly inspired by it. I have gained a new interest in public speaking after the Singapore 3MT Competition, which will be a great asset for me at the finals. Besides working on my public speaking skills, I will also strive to develop my dissertation more fully before the finals so that I can share more about my research to the bigger audience.”

Featured photo: Speaker of Parliament Mr Tan Chuan-Jin (left) and SUTD Associate Provost of Graduate Studies Professor Kristin L. Wood presenting the Second Place award to SMU PhD in Business (Organisational Behaviour & Human Resources) candidate Hye Jung EUN. (Image Credit: SUTD via SUTD Facebook)