To unveil a documentary about the “Three Minute Thesis” competition, the Graduate School and the Graduate Student Association are hosting a watch party with free food and door prizes on Thursday night.

Three-Minute Thesis is a competition that began about five or six years ago in Queensland, Australia, and spread throughout the world. There are over 100 universities in America that do a Three Minute Thesis competition, said Cori Perdue, graduate school programs director.

The documentary will be playing on Alabama public television and WVUA. The graduate student presenting the thesis only has three minutes to talk about the research and why others should care. She said part of the challenge in the competition is for graduate students to explain their complex research without using too much scientific or educational jargon so that it is relatable to the audience.

Perdue said for junior or senior students debating graduate school, watching these documentaries teach a lot about the type of research graduate students do.

“And it’s pretty invigorating for anybody in the audience, but I can see how it would be a great spark for an undergrad to say ‘I want to do that type of stuff,’” she said.

WHO: Open to public, typically for graduate students and upperclassmen over 21 years old

WHAT: Three-minute Thesis Watch Party

WHEN: Thursday, April 27 from 6-8 p.m.

WHERE: Separate room inside Houndstooth Bar

WHY: “We want the city of Tuscaloosa, and then the county of Tuscaloosa, and then more of Alabama, to really understand the awesome things that grad students are doing,” Perdue said. “So it’s a vehicle for exposing people to the really cool stuff going on at the University.”