EPSRC CDT Thesis Twitter Conference 2023

The EPSRC CDT Fluid Dynamics at Leeds will be hosting a Thesis Twitter Conference on  6th November 2023, 9am to 5pm. You can catch the action at Twitter.

The Thesis Twitter Conference provides a platform for you to engage an audience outside of your research field. It also allows you the opportunity to hone your skills in communicating your research concisely and clearly. Hopefully you will receive feedback and make new connections that you will maintain throughout your research career. See below for details on how to take part.

The Rules

• You must be a University of Leeds EPSRC CDT Postgraduate Researcher in one of the following CDTs: Bioenergy, Molecules to Product, Fluid Dynamics, Soft Matter, Water-WISER (Waste Infrastructure and Services Engineered for Resilience) and A.I.-Medical Diagnostics and Care.
• You must register for the event by 5pm on Friday 3rd November.  Register for the twitter conference.
• On the day you are allowed a maximum of 3 tweets. Each tweet can be a maximum of 280 characters.
• Number each of your tweets
• End each tweet with #CDTTweCon
• The first tweet should include the title of your thesis
• The final tweet should include a summary of your work to date
• You can tweet about a part of your research or your full project
• Links to extra text explaining your research is not allowed
• Links to videos, images and bibliographical information may be included
• Postings will be stored and displayed online after the competition
• The EPSRC CDT in Fluid Dynamics at Leeds will be overseeing the event and retweeting entries as they come in

Using Twitter
Check out this useful video if you are unsure how to use twitter. If you have any queries please contact Claire Savy ([email protected])

The Prize!

Two – £50 Amazon Vouchers
One prize will be awarded by a judging panel. There are three criteria through which each thesis twitter paper will be judged:

1. Communication style: was the thesis topic and its significance communicated in language appropriate to a non-specialist audience?
2. Comprehension: did the thesis twitter paper help the audience understand the research?
3. Engagement: did the thesis twitter paper make the audience want to know more?

The second prize will also be awarded to the crowd favourite. This will be decided by a vote which will be open after the conference ends at 5pm. Voting will remain open for 24 hours. When voting please select your favourite Thesis Twitter paper.

• Voting to be opened in due course.

Winners Announcement

The winners will be announced via email and Twitter.

#CDTTweCon Tips

• You can tweet your thesis any time within the competition (9am-5pm).

• It is helpful to give a tweet prior to your thesis tweet entry to announce it is beginning. This can also stop two papers being tweeted simultaneously.
• To ensure your tweets are in the right order, draft them in advance in word and then copy and paste them into twitter.
• Make sure you send all of your tweets out immediately after each other, leaving a gap between tweets increases the chance of your entry being interrupted by another, making it harder for the reader to see your entry in its entirety.
• Your tweets cannot be read if your account is private and your tweets protected.
• Follow thesis tweets via the hashtag #CDTTweCon or follow https://twitter.com/CDTFluidsLeeds
• Discussion of papers is encouraged. Any questions should include the hashtag #CDTTweCon

An Example

This mock #CDTTweCon paper is an example from the University of Canterbury. The brevity removes the subtlety of the thesis (this is to be expected!), but it pretty much represents the gist of their case.

1. Running with the beat: The relationship between running pace and music tempo. Do people run faster when listening to faster (higher cadence) music? Do people match the rhythm of their feet to the rhythm of the music? #CDTTweCon
2. Recreational runners completed a fixed course while listening to music of their choice. Running speed and cadence and music tempo recorded. Runners did match foot speed to music tempo – faster tempo, more foot strikes (more steps taken). But faster tempo was correlated with slower speed. #CDTTweCon
3. Listening to fast tempo music resulted in runners taking more footsteps but running more slowly overall. If music is to benefit training, runners need to work on foot speed and long stride length when listening to fast tempo music. #CDTTweCon

Further examples of Tweets submitted during the 2018 conference.

Important Information – Please Read

Whilst as a general rule, it is important to raise the profile of research through public dissemination, there can be situations where it may be inappropriate or even dangerous to publicise research. For instance, in some cases when working with vulnerable people the dangers of publication to the individuals or general group involved, might outweigh any benefits. In addition, the University is obliged to consider reputational risk and risk to students and researchers. It is also important not to disclose any information that is subject to a confidentiality agreement. Please consider carefully whether it is appropriate to tweet your research, and if uncertain please ask for further advice. We are grateful to the University of Canterbury for sharing their information.  The organisers reserve the right to cancel this competition or alter any of the rules at any stage, if deemed necessary in its opinion, and if circumstances arise outside of its control.