Guanxiong Qi, international student from China pursuing a master’s degree in religion, won first place in the Graduate School’s Master’s in Four (Min4) Competition this spring. Additionally, Quishan Liu, international student from China concurrently pursuing a master’s and a doctorate in the field of psychology, was awarded the People’s Choice Award.

Graduate students have four minutes to present four slides and must clearly and simply explain their specialized research to a diverse audience. Judges assess the effectiveness of each presentation based on numerous criteria, such as the strength of the introduction, how evidence-based information is presented in an easily understandable format, and the overall quality of oral communication.

This year’s first-place winner, Guanxiong Qi, presented ‘How Buddhist Monasteries Became Tourist Destination in the 17th Century China,” which you can view here.

“I feel really fortunate to participate and share my research in the Master's in Four competition, and I feel grateful for winning first place,” Qi said. “I think the Grad School's Min4 Competition is a unique and precious platform for me to communicate with a general audience. Most of time academic studies tend to be exclusive, and one only has dialogue within one's disciplinary field. Participating in the Min4 enhanced my ability to convey my research to non-specialists in a short period of time, and it is my honor to be recognized in the contest.”

Quishan Liu, this year’s People’s Choice Award winner, believed participating in the competition provided her with a valuable opportunity to present her research in a format that was more accessible to a general audience. Liu’s presentation titled, “How does inhibition play a role in math?” can be viewed here.

“Winning the People’s Choice Award encourages me to continue to improve my communication skills and make my research more accessible,” Liu said. “I am very grateful for the support I have received from my colleagues, my advisor, my friends, and family. I certainly could not win this award without their support.”

Master's students who have earned at least 18 hours of graduate coursework toward their degree program are eligible to compete in Min4.

Participating in Min4 not only serves as a great way for graduate students to develop their communication and presentation skills, but it also provides them with a new way to showcase their research online. Videos created for Min4 can also be submitted to GradWorld, the Graduate School’s interactive mapping website that uses personalized video presentations to highlight the extraordinary work of FSU graduate students, postdocs, alumni, and faculty across the globe.

For a list of all winners and finalists and for more information about the competition, visit gradschool.fsu.edu/mi4.