Skip to main content

University of Leeds EPSRC CDT Thesis Twitter Conference 2017

Date
Date
Friday 19 May 2017

Following the success of previous Thesis Twitter competitions held by the University of Canterbury, the University of Auckland and, the University of Leeds, the EPSRC CDT in Fluid Dynamics at Leeds will be hosting a Thesis Twitter Conference on the 19th of May 2017, 9am to 5pm. Catch the action on the CDTFluidsLeeds Twitter account. 
The Thesis Twitter Conference provides a platform 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.

The Rules

  • You must be a University of Leeds EPSRC CDT Postgraduate Researcher in one of the following CDTs: Bioenergy, Complex Particulate Products and Processes, Fluid Dynamics, Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, Integrated Tribology, Soft Matter and Next Generation Nuclear
  • You must register for the event by 5pm on the 15th of May. Register for the event.
  • You are allowed a maximum of 6 tweets. Each tweet can be a maximum of 140 characters.
  • Number each of your tweets
  • End each tweet with #CDTTweCon
  • The first tweet should be the title of your thesis
  • The final tweet should sum up 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 CDT in Fluid Dynamics at Leeds will be overseeing the event and retweeting entries as they come in

The Prize!
A prize will be awarded by a judging panel. A prize will also be awarded to the crowd favourite (Prizes TBC). Crowd favourite will be decided by a poll. This poll will be open after the conference ends at 5pm. Voting will remain open for 24 hours. When voting please select your three favourite Thesis Twitter papers. A link will be shared nearer the time to place your vote.

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?
Winners will be announced at the CDT poster event on the 24th May. 

#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.
  • Your tweets cannot be read if your account is private and your tweets protected.
  • Follow thesis tweets via the hashtag #CDTTweCon or follow @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 # CDTTweCon
2. 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
3. Recreational runners completed a fixed course while listening to music of their choice. Running speed and cadence and music tempo recorded. # CDTTweCon
4. 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
5. Listening to fast tempo music resulted in runners taking more footsteps but running more slowly overall. # CDTTweCon
6. If music is to benefit training, runners need to work on foot speed and long stride length when listening to fast tempo music. # CDTTweCon
Read further examples.

Watch this useful YouTube video if you are unsure how to use Twitter. If you have any queries please contact Claire Savy (c.savy@.leeds.ac.uk)

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.