Why — and how — I condensed 3 semesters of research into a 3-minute talk

Ignacio Guarachi is a second-year master of global affairs student from Ecuador who is majoring in governance and policy. He will graduate from Notre Dame with his master’s degree on May 16, 2026.

In February, I participated in the Notre Dame Graduate School’s Shaheen 3MT® Competition, an event where grad students present their original research in three minutes using a single slide. If you had to condense your research work over three semesters into three minutes, how would you approach it? Which parts would you choose to keep or cut? Why does biodiversity matter? Should I assume the audience knows what biodiversity is, or explain basic introductory concepts to them? I was challenged by these questions as I prepared to present my research. Although I have been trained in public speaking through debate competitions in Mexico and later as a debate coach at the University of Notre Dame, I was certainly not expecting to present my own research for a competition. There is extra pressure to make the content both clear and engaging.

The Integration Lab (i-Lab) is a strategic course designed for master of global affairs students to conduct

research for a partner organization, providing them with tools to foster collaboration while managing a research project. During the summer of 2025, my team and I travelled across the U.S. and the U.K. collecting data through interviews about biodiversity. We tried to understand the perspectives of city planners, ecologists, researchers and developers regarding local or national policies that attempt to increase urban biodiversity. Everyone has a different approach to the concept, yet, in simple terms, biodiversity is defined as the variety of living organisms in an area.

Here’s the complexity of the problem: a United Nations forecast estimates that in the next 25 years, more than seven billion people will live in urban areas. For the U.S. alone, this represents 95 percent of the entire population. People living in cities will depend on biodiversity for benefits such as water purification, climate regulation and even natural disaster prevention. Access to biodiversity is a key component of integral human development, especially for those in urban areas.

In 2024, England introduced Biodiversity Net Gain, a mandatory nationwide policy that quantifies the value of habitats through a metric called “biodiversity units.” So, how does it work? Developers are now required to increase biodiversity units, by at least 10 percent over a 30-year period, for the areas affected by their construction.

In contrast, the U.S. has not yet implemented a nationwide policy resembling the one in England. Programs attempting to increase biodiversity are centered at the state or city level. Their focus is on preserving the current state of nature or increasing the tree canopy in a specific area. Unfortunately, these programs are often vulnerable to lack of funding or support from the federal authorities. In short, our findings show that biodiversity initiatives work. In the U.K., there is a surge in habitat banks, an increase in revenue for local planning authorities, and a higher demand for ecologists in the public and private sector. Additionally, U.S. cities with strong biodiversity programs are associated with high levels of community participation and engagement.

Condensing this research into three minutes was a challenge, so I sought input from Notre Dameprofessors who teach the course Effective Communication, Speech and Data Storytelling. This moment was pivotal because it allowed me to test my material with an audience unfamiliar with my research or biodiversity policies, and they helped me deliver the message in a clear and effective way. Under these professors’ guidance I managed to produce a refined, more impactful presentation, and I will always be thankful for their support.

Here are some of my takeaways from the Shaheen 3MT® Competition:

• Use platforms like this competition to practice your communication skills. As important and groundbreaking as your research may be, you must be able to disseminate it to a general audience. While standing in front of an audience is nerve-racking, the more you practice, the more confident you become. After all, no one is born with perfect public speaking skills.

• Take advantage of workshops provided by the Notre Dame Graduate School and the Hesburgh Libraries to improve your presentation skills. A slide that condenses all your research needs to be clear so that the audience focuses on you rather than on the screen. A good presentation helps you engage with your audience as they listen to you and “connect the dots.”

• Do not be afraid to reach out to people in different departments to practice your presentation. At Notre Dame, we are a community that supports each other and we all have three minutes to spare and listen. I hope this experience motivates you to apply for the Shaheen 3MT® Competition in 2027.

Originally published by Ignacio Guarachi at keough.nd.edu on May 14, 2026.