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11 tips for the 3 minute thesis competition.

After coaching both the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) and 3-minute post doc competitions at the University of Buffalo, here are my 10 tips for taking 1st   place in the competition:

Start with “Why,” end with “Why.”

As researchers interacting with our peers, we develop a methods-centric style of speaking. This style is based on the assumption that the person you are speaking with already understands the larger context of your research, an assumption which is often incorrect when speaking to a layperson. Instead, start by explaining the problems you are solving so the significance of your work can be clearly understood. Then, end your talk by reiterating this point and offer a “vision of the future” – a world which is different (presumably better) because of your work today.

Lose the details.

There is no such thing as a research subject that is too boring or obscure for 3MT. It’s the challenge of this competition that you must find what is interesting and exciting about your work and convey it succinctly. This information should be in your opening lines so you can hook the audience in. Many students will instinctively start by offering a detailed lecture on their research subject, citing case numbers and describing mechanisms – this is guaranteed to confuse the layperson who will be unable to put these facts and figures into their pre-existing understanding of the world. Start with broad, accessible ideas, work slowly towards the general details of your work, and then finish with more broad, accessible ideas. It should be apparent to the audience at every point what you are saying and why it makes sense. This will make the listener feel all the smarter for having understood you and, consequently, they will be excited for your research.

Tell a story.

You are the storyteller. You need to enthrall your audience so they can understand your research and its significance. Use drama to your advantage. Establish the scene and present the struggle which your research hopes to understand or resolve. A brilliant example of this comes from a student I coached for the 2018 3MT finals at UB, Camila Consiglio, in her talk on sex difference in immune responses. She begins by explaining healthy immunity as a finely tuned “thermostat.” As she explains, “a healthy immune system is strong enough to fight infections and prevent the development of cancer but not so strong that it can attack the body.” She then points out an unexpected finding: “Men are thought to be the stronger sex… but, when it comes to immune responses, men have weaker immune responses and develop more cancer and more infections than women… And women have too strong of an immune response and they develop autoimmunity.” These contrasting ideas of strength vs weakness in immunity between men and women creates a dramatic tension: “why does immunity differ between the sexes?” She then excitedly resolves the tension, saying that “the hand which controls the thermostat is sex hormones .” However, this leads to a new mystery: “which sex hormones? And how do they influence immunity?” The cycle of posing and answering questions through research keeps the listener interested and engaged throughout the remainder of the talk. In my experience, most science-based 3MT talks can implement a similar pattern to enthrall the listener with their research.

The PowerPoint slide is a trap. Do not fall for it.

The PowerPoint slide has long been the downfall of 3MT competitors because it plays upon the most basic instinct of the researcher: the desire to convey complex technical information in PowerPoint form. You must resist this urge. Watch the international 3MT competition – notice that the finalists have little or no information on their slides. That is because they know that, in 3MT, the speaker is the ultimate source of information. When a slide is overloaded with information (especially any significant amount of text), it is a distraction from the speaker. A typical slide on a winning presentation uses the slide to set a mood or tone or to convey a main talking point from which the speech draws upon. An example of this can be found in the slide used by another student I coached, Naila Sahar, in her talk on the contradictions between depiction and reality for Muslim women. Her PowerPoint shows 6 prominent Muslim women who have been depicted as deranged or downtrodden by various media sources. She points out the stark contrast between these “false narratives” and the reality of their inner strength and great accomplishments. The noble and dignified images of these women highlight this point succinctly.

Use The Slide As A Prop.

Additionally, some speakers use their slide as a prop in their talk. My favorite example of this comes from another student I coached, Anne Marie, in her presentation for the 2018 3MT finals at UB. She uses the slide to present a complex and confusing work of modern art in order to generate dramatic tension and mild discomfort for the listener. But, as she talks, the audience actively gains great appreciation for the art and comes to understand its value.

Take the listener on a journey.

Good 3MT talks are interesting. Great 3MT talks are a revelation. The former conveys ideas to the listener. The latter transforms the listener’s world view.  I again return to Anne Marie’s 3MT talk . She challenges the listener’s preconceived notions about modern art, teaches them to understand and appreciate it like she does, and, by the end, the listener has embodied a new outlook on art which will serve them for the rest of their lives. Another superb example comes from another student I coached, Philip Odonkor, with his 1 st place 3MT talk on his research in electrical sensors. His provocative title, “Is your house smarter than a mud hut?,”  encapsulates his challenge to the listener: to recognize that, despite our immense technological advances, our homes are typically as “dumb” as a mud hut. He paints a vision of the future for his audience in which they see themselves living a life of pampered luxury in their smart home. By the end of his talk, the listener believes deeply in the future Phil’s research will create.

Breathe and speak slowly.

Every time you practice your speech, take a few seconds to breathe deeply before you begin. In the competition, the clock does not start until you begin speaking – so you have time to catch your breath and center yourself. If you practice breathing every time, you will remember to do it when you are in the real competition. Also speak slowly – about 50%-65% of your typical speaking speed. In the competition, you will speed up naturally because of anxiety. If you have practiced talking slowly, then you will not speed up too much when under pressure. Additionally, you may forget a line or stumble during the competition. If you have given yourself plenty of breathing room, you can take a moment to re-center without any fear of going overtime.

Don’t tell.

An interesting facet of human learning: we are generally much better at understanding and retaining visual information than information which we hear. If you want to win 3MT, the audience has to see your ideas, not just hear them. That is why the restriction to one slide is there – it forces you to make people see your ideas using only your words, your tone, and your body language. Once you have a final script for your talk, start styling it. Techniques you can easily employ involve pausing, speeding up/slowing down, and getting louder/quieter. These verbal cues add a layer of additional context that helps your audience understand the picture you are painting. Additionally, use your body language to indicate concepts. Your hands and the orientation of your face are the strongest cues. Phil’s 3MT talk is again a wonderful example of all these techniques executed masterfully. At one point, he says “make sense of the world around them, and the people living within ”. On the word “around” he gestures in a wide circle with his hands and then on the syllable “-in” he brings them back into his chest. While the audience is unlikely to consciously notice the motions, they are painting a deeply vivid picture all the same.  Again, notice the hands as he says “as you crawl out of bed , the light automatically adjusts to complement the natural light coming in ” – for each of the italicized words in that sentence, Phil essentially mimed out the concept using his hands and head orientation. See if you can find ways to similarly mime out aspects of your speech as well.

Practice. Win.

Some of you might be thinking you can speak extemporaneously and win 3MT. Think again. A great 3MT presentation combines three layers: (1) the words, (2) the way in which the words are spoken, and (3) the gestures and facial expressions used to help convey meaning. All three must be polished. The words and tone can both be polished by speaking them aloud, recording yourself, and playing it back so you can adjust. When you feel the urge to say “Um” or “Uh”, pause instead. The facial expressions and gestures can be practiced in the mirror or by video recording yourself. In my experience, before you can truly master the tone, timing, and gestures, the words must be committed to memory entirely. Then, once you have your final words, speaking style, and gestures, you can begin to practice over and over until you can consistently do your speech perfectly within the target time limit. 3MT winners often practice at least 50 times over the span of several days before the competition.

Stand on the shoulders of giants.

Watch previous year’s 3MT finals at Queensland University. Emulate aspects of these talks which you like within your own speech. TED talks are another great resource (though few are 3 minutes or less). Additionally, check out great books such as Simon Sinek’s “Start with Why” and Chris Anderson’s “TED Talks: The Official Guide to Public Speaking”. I have personally read both books and found them to be immensely valuable resources for prepping for competitions like 3MT.

Remember that you have the opportunity in 3MT to tell your audience about your awesome, exciting research so they can get just as jazzed up about it as you are. Ultimately you are giving them a gift, one that will improve their lives and bring them the joy which comes with learning something new and understanding something complex. A strategy employed by many professional presenters before they begin to speak is to say to themselves “I love my audience, and they love me”. While perhaps a bit egotistical, such rituals are centering for 3MT presenters too because it helps them get into the right headspace: you are here to give the gift of knowledge and understanding, so your audience is going to enjoy hearing your talk and learning about your research.

While 3MT can feel daunting and scary, the simple act of participating and doing your best will make you a better scientist and communicator regardless of whether you win. Also, do not forget that there are many resources to get help if you want it. You can schedule an appointment to speak with me by emailing me at [email protected]  and there are many resources available online for learning the skills to win 3MT such as those provided by Queensland University .

Best of luck!

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Brilliant ideas conveyed in three minutes or less.

What is the 3MT® Competition?

The  Three Minute Thesis  (3MT®) is an academic research communication competition developed by The University of Queensland (UQ), Australia. This event challenges graduate students to present a compelling speech about their research and its significance to non-academic persons in just three minutes using only one presentation image. 3MT® commenced in 2008 and is currently held in over 900 universities across more than 85 countries worldwide. In 2020, the 3MT® competition moved to a temporary virtual format due to COVID-19 and continues to be held around the world in either a virtual or live format (depending on local COVID-19 restrictions).

The goals of the competition are to (1) highlight the excellent research conducted by graduate students and (2) improve graduate students’ communication of research to non-specialist and non-academic audiences. The judges of the competition are educated professionals in a variety of positions in corporate, government, and non-profit industries. 

3MT® Timeline

March-april.

Graduate students are invited to register for the 3MT® Competition.

Graduate students registered for the 3MT® Competition will be required to participate in workshops to prepare them for the competition.

The Preliminary Heats usually take place in the first week of November to determine the graduate students that will advance to the final round of the competition one week later.

The KU winner moves on to represent KU at the regional 3MT® Competition, which takes place in late March or early April during the annual meeting of the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS). 

RELATED LINKS

• MAGS 3MT® Competition
• University of Queensland 3MT® Competition

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• Nov 21, 2022

How to write a winning 3MT script

That’s how many words are in a typical PhD thesis. Years of gruelling research, sleepless nights, and history-making breakthroughs… culminated into one VERY thick book. To present something of this scale would take you approximately 9 hours. 🤯

But what do you do when you only have 3 minutes? ⏰

Well, that’s exactly what thousands of PhD students worldwide do each year in the 3 Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition. Not only do they explain their super complex research in the time it takes to make a coffee, but they do it in a way that can be understood by a non-specialist audience.

But we know what you’re thinking…

So, how do you even win a competition like that? Well first of all, you’re going to need a 3MT script. And we’re about to teach you how to write a WINNING one. 🏅

Not only that, but this blog post marks the beginning of a multi-part series that will cover all the important aspects of preparing a winning 3MT – from writing a captivating speech, to creating an effective slide, and of course, nailing your delivery.

What is the 3MT competition?

The Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) Competition is an annual public speaking competition, where PhD candidates describe the impact and scope of their research in 3 minutes to a non-specialist audience. It was launched by the University of Queensland in 2008 and has since gained traction in over 85 countries around the world! 🌍

Put simply, it’s a fancy elevator pitch. Just imagine that it’s a really slow elevator.

Like any good competition, the 3MT has some rules. Here’s a run-down of some of the big ones:

Rules of the 3MT® competition:

You must use a single static PowerPoint slide with no transitions or animations.

You are limited to 3 minutes maximum. Competitors exceeding 3 minutes are disqualified.

Presentations are to be spoken word (e.g. no poems, raps or songs)… Sorry to all the aspiring rapper-researchers out there.

You can find a comprehensive list of the rules on the official UQ 3MT website.

Well, now that’s out of the way, let’s get into our tips on how to write a winning 3MT script! In this article, I’ll discuss some strategies that I used to craft my own winning 3MT script, but I’ve also watched lots of other award-winning 3MT presentations and identified some common features they share, so that you don’t have to. 😉

#1 : The hook 🪝

Every great 3MT presentation starts off with an attention-grabbing opener, otherwise known as ‘the hook.’ It’s a storytelling essential, and is undoubtedly one of the most important components of the 3MT script.

One clever way to hook the audience in a 3MT presentation is to start off by asking a question , which creates a sense of open dialogue with the listener. For instance, these 3MT finalists began their presentations by asking:

Full videos: Sarah Mokrzycki | Merryn Baker

You can see how the simple act of asking a question makes us reflect on our own personal views and encourages us to engage with the presentation. 💭 Another way to achieve a similar effect is to begin your talk by prompting the audience to act. An effective example of this is presented here:

Full video: Amanda Khamis

Prompting the listener to act is a powerful way to immerse the audience into a particular scenario by making use of their senses. It can be easily achieved by asking the audience to look around the room, visualise a scene using their imagination, or simply taking a deep breath. 😮‍💨

Finally, several fantastic 3MT presentations also begin with a hook that startles the reader by making an unusual, interesting, or thought-provoking statement. This can be done numerous ways, such as through the use of:

Oxymoron: A figure of speech that combines two contradicting words (i.e., ‘deafening silence’ and ‘old news’).

Paradox: A self-contradictory statement that may actually be true (i.e., ‘less is more’).

Irony: Use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning (i.e., telling a rude customer to ‘have a nice day’).

Here are some good 3MT examples where the presenter has opened with a startling hook:

Full videos: Sophie Jano | Kylie Sturgess

The success of this technique arises from its element of surprise, which keeps the listener intrigued and curious. Basically, the more shocking or unexpected the hook, the better. 😲

However, with all this being said, there’s certainly no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to begin your 3MT, and that’s the beauty of creativity. But in case you’re stuck for ideas, here are a few sentence starters to give you some inspiration for creating a compelling hook for your 3MT script:

Once you’ve got the crowd hooked, it’s a prime opportunity to reel them in for your story. 📖

#2 : Tell a story

If you watch all the award-winning 3MT presentations, you’ll notice that they have one thing in common: they all tell a story. And they do it well.

But how do we turn our own complex, and often niche, research into a compelling story? Well, thankfully, we don’t have to reinvent the wheel. We can stand on the shoulders of SciComm giants... 👣

No one is more of an expert at the ins and outs of storytelling than Dr Randy Olson ; scientist-turned-filmmaker, and co-author of the book Connection: Hollywood Storytelling meets Critical Thinking ( a.k.a. our SciComm holy bible). Many of the principles discussed in this section come straight from this remarkable work, which made it to our top 5 must-read science communication books . 📚

As we know from pretty much every Hollywood blockbuster, all good stories have a beginning, middle, and end. In Connection , Randy further develops this idea by outlining what he calls the ‘ABT Template’, which stands for ‘And, But, Therefore.’ These represent the three key components that make up every good story. We’ve talked about the ABT template before , and how it can be used to elevate your storytelling. But, in case you missed it, I’ll use my own research as an example as we work through this concept.

Typically, in the beginning of a story, there’s some exposition. These are facts that help set the scene and ensure that the speaker and audience are all on the same page (pun intended). 😉 These facts can be connected using the word AND. For example:

“Cancer is deadly and traditional chemotherapy is one treatment option.”

Any statements we connect with ‘and’ are typically things that everyone would agree with, so you can quality-check your ‘and’ section by making sure you agree with all the facts you are connecting.

Okay, so we’ve set the scene. But this isn’t really a story yet, is it? The actual story doesn’t begin until there’s a source of tension or conflict , and the simplest word to make this happen is the word BUT:

“Cancer is deadly and traditional chemotherapy is one treatment option, but it comes with a lot of side effects.”

You can see that the ‘but’ is what makes things interesting. It’s what keeps the audience wanting more and makes them ask “Well, what happens next?”

It doesn’t have to be the word ‘but’ either – there are a lot of words that essentially do the same thing, such as however, although, except , and unfortunately, to name a few… (The thesaurus could be your best friend here). What these words have in common is that they create this critical sense of tension.

Following this, is the outcome , which is where the THEREFORE comes in.

“Cancer is deadly and chemotherapy is one treatment option, but it comes with a lot of side effects. Therefore , in our research, we load these drugs into tiny carriers called nanoparticles, which can help to reduce their adverse effects.”

‘Therefore’ is the word that brings everything together. It marks the beginning of a journey of discovery, which eventually leads to the resolution.

You can see how, by simply including these three key words: and, but and therefore , we have generated the foundations of a good story. Your 3MT script will obviously need to be longer than two sentences, but the ABT template provides a useful scaffold that you can build from to ensure that your story is compelling. If you’re interested in reading more on the ABT template and how it can be utilised, make sure to give Connection a read. 📖

To help you shape your story using the ABT template, here are some questions you can aim to answer in the beginning, middle, and end of your 3MT script:

Hopefully this outline can help you create a captivating and persuasive story to communicate your research effectively. Because, in the wise words of Dr Randy Olson, “Tell a good story and the whole world will listen.”

So, we’ve got our story. But what other strategies can we use to make it a little more interesting? Let’s unpack our storytelling toolkit to see how we can spice things up. 🌶

#3 : Your storytelling toolkit: analogies, humour & creation of a character

In addition to using the ABT template to write a compelling narrative structure, there are also several other tools that you can use to connect with your audience and make your story as easy to understand as possible.

One powerful way to do this is to relate your research to a more common experience by using an analogy . Analogies allow us to compare similarities between two seemingly different things. For instance, when I did the 3MT, I used an analogy to compare nanoparticles – a topic that’s not very common – to cars, something that almost everyone is familiar with:

Full video: Cintya Dharmayanti

As you can see, this works because the analogy serves to provide a simpler, more easily understood explanation using concepts and examples from everyday life. 🚗

Besides analogies, another useful tool to create a captivating story is the use of humour . Because who doesn’t like a good laugh, right? 😂 Comedic relief can help you create a bond with the listener and provide some emotional reprieve for what may otherwise be a serious presentation.

Humour is used well in this winning 3MT presentation:

Full video: Trevyn Toone

In this example, humour helps to keep us engaged with the presentation and gives us a good impression of the presenter. However, some care does need to be taken with the use of humour, so as to not devalue the presentation. Don’t worry if you’re not a comedian though (or if your research topics are too grim to joke about), there are still other effective ways to make your story shine.

Some of the most immersive 3MTs are those that introduce a character , fictional or not, and follow that character’s story. This is a particularly useful tool if your research involves a topic that strikes a strong emotional response. The following example executed this well, where the speaker refers to a photo of an adorable young infant with a feeding tube:

This is so effective because it encourages us to empathise with the character and persuades us to see the importance of the presenter’s research. Whether it’s analogies, humour, or the creation of a character, there are lots of ways to make your story relatable and more easily understood.

Now that we’ve got some ideas from our storytelling toolkit, let’s move on! 🙌

#4 : Goodbye technical jargon 👋

Imagine being in a different country, where you don’t speak the native language. You’re chatting with a local, but they can’t speak your language very fluently. The conversation is interspersed with foreign words that you can’t quite understand, so the meaning of the exchange ultimately becomes lost.

That’s what it’s like trying to understand complex research when it’s filled with terminology and jargon only an expert in that field would know. 🤓

Remember that the 3MT is for a non-specialist audience, which is very different to a conference presentation that’s mostly filled with experts in the field. As scientists, it’s our job to make sure that we are speaking the same language as our audience, and for the 3MT, that means avoiding the use of language that’s too niche or technical. We can still explain complex concepts using language that’s easy to understand!

But how do you do that, when you’ve spent years in academia doing the opposite? 😅

The best way to avoid the overuse of jargon is to simply seek the help of a non-specialist. Ask someone that’s not in your field of research to listen to your presentation and provide feedback. Perhaps this is a friend, family, or fellow student from a completely different department. Does your story make sense to them? If not, it probably won’t make sense to many people in the 3MT audience.

I remember when I was preparing my 3MT script, I went through this exact process! Reading it aloud to my mum, sister, and pretty much anyone who would listen, to make sure each sentence was easy to follow and understand. It’s actually what helped me come up with the idea of the car- analogy in the first place! So, keep iterating and tweaking your presentation until it makes sense to the mailman, the bus driver, and the neighbour down the road.

Also, make sure to keep your story focused on the big picture, rather than getting bogged down in the details and data. Not only will this make your presentation hard to understand, but it’s also more likely to make it B.O.R.I.N.G. and lead to blank stares !

When you’ve ticked all these boxes – great! You’re ready to move on.

#5 : The finisher: Coming full circle

Good job! You’re almost done. Time to add the finishing touch. We can all agree that a strong finish makes for a more memorable presentation. One trend that’s very common amongst winning 3MT presentations is the way that they finish: by bringing their story full circle. As the name suggests, this essentially means that the presenter refers back to the beginning of the story, especially if a particular character, scenario, or analogy is used.

For instance, in this winning 3MT example, the presentation begins with:

Then, as the presentation comes to a close, the final segment ends by referring back to the opening sentence:

Full video: Matthew Shaw

By bringing the story full circle, the audience gains a sense of satisfaction and closure as the cycle returns to its beginnings and the status quo is restored.

Take-away messages

The thought of distilling years of research down to just 3 minutes can be daunting, especially when it’s a competition. 😰 However, if you:

Create an attention-grabbing hook

Tell a captivating story using the ABT template

Use tools such as analogies, humour, and characters

Get rid of technical jargon, and

Bring your story full circle

You’re well on your way to writing a fantastic 3MT script! So, what are you waiting for? Let’s tell your story. Time is ticking. 😉⏰

And remember – if you want to further master your storytelling and public speaking skills, we’d love to show you how in one of our online or in-person science communication workshops .

Feel free to contact us to find out more!

Cintya Dharmayanti

Dr Juan Miguel Balbin

Dr Tullio Rossi

Illustration

Alvin Yanga

Related Posts

What does it mean to be a science communicator?

5 tips for improving your public speaking skills as a researcher

How to write effective analogies for communicating research

The Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is a research communication competition developed by The University of Queensland. Ph.D. researchers have three minutes to present a compelling oration on their thesis and its significance. The idea behind it is to increase researchers’ academic, presentation, and research communication skills, capacities needed to effectively explain a research topic in three minutes and in a language appropriate to a non-specialist audience .

Since its first launch by The University of Queensland in 2008, 3MT® has been held in over  600 universities across more than 85 countries worldwide .

The 3MT® competition organised at the EUI is open to the Ph.D. researchers of all four EUI disciplines who have completed the 1 st year of their studies and who have a clear outline and plan for their research.

The 3MT® competition will not be organised until further notice

How does it work.

• Prepare a presentation of minimum 2 and maximum 3 minutes of your research topic. Only 1 static slide can be used to support the presentation.
• Send a sample video of you speaking for 3 minutes to [email protected] .
• The presentations are held live at the EUI.
• They will be evaluated by a  jury according to an established set of criteria   and also by the audience (“people’s prize”).
• The presentations will be filmed.
• Certificates and prizes will be awarded to the top three winners.
• The videos of the top three winners will be published on the EUI website and widely distributed through the institute’s social media channels.

Why participate?

• To develop your ability to explain your work effectively to a non-specialized audience, a core skill when working in both academic and non-academic environments.
• To help you identify your strengths and weaknesses when communicating a subject as complex as your research, in a clear and concise manner.
• The video of your presentation can be added to your online profile and shared with people interested in your work.
• Last but not least, you might win a prize!

  Watch a 3MT® presentation example

The European Commission supports the EUI through the European Union budget. This website reflects only the views of the author(s), the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is an academic research communication competition developed by The University of Queensland (UQ), Australia.  While the original competition was for graduate students, a number of colleges are now sponsoring undergraduate competitions. The Writing Center sponsored Harvard's first undergraduate Three-Minute Thesis competition in April 2019. 3MT offers seniors the opportunity to create an accessible and interesting presentation of their senior thesis research for an audience of non-specialists.  

First Prize

LyLena D. Estabine (Sociology): Shaping Chicago: How Trust and Ownership Influence Community Engagement

Second Prize

Justin Hu (Romance Languages/Literature; History): Studying with Césaire: How a Colonial High School Helped Change the World

Third Prize

Jacob Winter (Economics): Doctors or Dealers? Investigating the Link Between Prosecuting Overprescribing Doctors and Opioid-Involved Deaths

Hemanth Asirvatham (Economics): The Dynamo Is Not The Computer: A Historical Exploration of What Makes Tech Adoption Faster

Rebecca Buehler (Romance Languages/Literature; Government): "Women and Children First": The Problem of Gender Essentialisms in Humanitarian Media

Steven Cho (Electrical Engineering): Transceiverless Radio Frequency Based Human Rescue in Avalanche Disasters

Mira-Rose Kingsbury Lee (History; HEB): The Forgotten Microbes: Reconsidering the 'Golden Age' of Microbiology (Video unavailable)

Nikita Nair (Integrative Biology/Astrophysics): "Your Brain on Space: Examining the Effects of Microgravity on the Cerebellum

Yasmine Omri (Electrical Engineering): Towards a Real-Time Image to Speech Tool for the Visually Impaired: Efficient Hardware for On-device Machine Learning

June Park (Government): "Teach Me Why and How to Vote. Then I’ll Vote": The Effects of High School Voter Registration Drives

Mireya Sanchez-Maes (TDM/English): Writing the New Mexican Comedy Play

Erik Zou (HAA/Statistics): Painting by Pixels: Exploring Digital Color in Claude Monet's Rouen Cathedral Paintings

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Preparing your 3MT presentation

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NOTE: Familiarise yourself with the 3MT rules and judging criteria  before starting your preparation. This guidance is taken from the University of Queensland's  official 3MT competitor resources .

Even the world’s best public speakers prepare before important presentations. To assist you with your preparations, please find a few suggestions below that will help you in writing your presentation, creating your slide and practising your verbal presentation.

Drafting your 3MT

Write for your audience The judges will look for evidence that you can explain your research to a non-specialist audience. You may like to:

• avoid jargon and academic language
• explain concepts and people important to your research - you may know all about Professor Smith’s theories but your audience may not
• highlight the outcomes of your research, and the desired outcome
• imagine that you are explaining your research to a close friend or fellow student from another field
• convey your excitement and enthusiasm for your subject

Tell a story

• You may like to present your 3MT as a narrative, with a beginning, middle and end.
• It’s not easy to condense your research into three minutes, so you may find it easier to break your presentation down into smaller sections.
• Try writing an opener to catch the attention of the audience, then highlight your different points, and finally have a summary to restate the importance of your work.

Have a clear outcome in mind

• Know what you want your audience to take away from your presentation.
• Try to leave the audience with an understanding of what you’re doing, why it is important, and what you hope to achieve.
• Proof your 3MT presentation by reading it aloud, firstly to yourself and then to an audience of friends and family.
• Ask for feedback.
• Ask your audience if your presentation clearly highlights what your research is  about and why it is important.

Creating your 3MT slide

Before you start work on your slide, you should take the following rules into account:

• one single static PowerPoint slide is permitted;
• no slide transitions, animations or 'movement' of any description are permitted;
• your slide is to be presented from the beginning of your oration; and
• no additional electronic media (e.g. sound and video files) are permitted.

Suggestions

You may like to consider some of the following suggestions:

• Less is more : text and complicated graphics can distract your audience – you don’t want them to read your slide instead of listening to your 3MT. 
• Personal touches : personal touches can allow your audience to understand the impact of your research.
• Creativity drives interest : do not rely on your slide to convey your message – it should simply complement your oration.
• Work your message : think about how your slide might be able to assist with the format and delivery of your presentation – is there a metaphor that helps explain your research?
• An engaging visual presentation can make or break any oration, so make sure your slide is  legible, clear and concise .

Practising your 3MT presentation

Practice, practice, practice Feeling nervous before you present is natural, and sometimes a little nervousness can even be beneficial to your overall speech. Nonetheless, it is important to practice so you can present with confidence and clarity. Practicing will also help you gauge the timing of your 3MT so that you keep within the time limit.

Vocal range

• Speak clearly and use variety in your voice (fast/slow, loud/soft).
• Do not rush - find your rhythm.
• Remember to pause at key points as it gives the audience time to think about what you are saying.

Body language

• Stand straight and confidently.
• Hold your head up and make eye contact.
• Never turn your back to the audience.
• Practise how you will use your hands and move around the stage. It is okay to move around energetically if that is your personality, however it is also appropriate for a 3MT presentation to be delivered from a single spot on stage.
• Do not make the common mistakes of rolling back and forth on your heels, pacing for no reason or playing with your hair as these habits are distracting for the audience.

Record yourself

• Record and listen to your presentation to hear where you pause, speak too quickly or get it just right.
• Then work on your weaknesses and exploit your strengths.

Look to the stars!

• Watch your role models such as academics, politicians and journalists, and break down their strengths and weaknesses.
• Analyse how they engage with their audience.
• Visit  the Queensland 3MT website , the Vitae 3MT webpages or search YouTube to view presentations from previous 3MT finalists.
• While there is no dress code, if you are unsure of how to dress you may like to dress for a job interview or an important meeting. It is important that you feel comfortable so you can focus on your presentation.
• If you are presenting on a stage that has a wooden floor, be aware of the noise your footwear might make.
• Do not wear a costume of any kind as this is against the rules (as is the use of props).

Further resources

There are many resources available online for further help. Useful ones might include:

Presenting your research effectively and with confidence - By previous 3MT finalists (Taylor & Francis resource)

How a competition changed my academic life - By Jamie Khoo, 2018 UK People's Choice winner

Is it worth doing the three minute thesis?  - By Mary Woessner, Victoria University

How to win the 3 minute thesis  - By Dr Inger Mewburn (aka @thesiswhisperer)

Making the most of your 3 minutes  - Simon Clews, University of Melbourne

Talk nerdy to me  - Melissa Marshall's TED talk

Vitae's 3MT webpages

These guidance pages are part of the University of Queensland's official 3MT competitor resources

E : [email protected]

Copyright © 2024, University of Sussex

FSU | The Graduate School

Main navigation Pulldown

The graduate school, three minute thesis (3mt™).

The Three Minute Thesis (3MT™) is a research communication competition developed by The University of Queensland, Australia. The exercise develops academic, presentation, and research communication skills and supports the development of students' capacities to effectively explain their research in language appropriate to an intelligent but non-specialist audience.

Doctoral students have three minutes to present a compelling oration on their dissertation topic and its significance. 3MT™ encourages students to consolidate their ideas and crystalize their research discoveries.

Congratulate the 2023 3MT Winners!

1st Place:  Hyosoon Yim

Sport Management Promoting Sport Participation among Older Adults: Application of the Socioemotional Selectivity Theory

2nd Place:  Tania Sultana

Biomedical Sciences ZIKV NS3 Drives Assembly of a Viroplasm-Like Structure (VLS)

3rd Place:  Meng Tian

Communication The Stereotypes of Female eSports Players

People's Choice:  John Akintola

Chemistry and Biochemistry Functional Polyelectrolyte Complexes

2023 3MT Competition Finalists!

Sima Sabbagh

Neuroscience Unmasking the Architects of the Brain: Marvelous FMRP

Art Education Art May Facilitate Community Building to Alleviate Chinese International Students' Alienation

Andre Juliao

Condensed Matter Experimental Physics Nb3Sn for Axion Detection

Hemant Goswami

Molecular Biophysics Development of an Ultrasensitive and Rapid Virus Detection Method Based on CRISPR-Cas Enzyme

Toshiaki Kanai

Physics  Quantum Computer on Solid Neon 

Qiushan Liu

Developmental Psychology Investigating Strategy Flexibility in Algebra

Click here to read the FSU News Article

Click here to see the 2023 3MT Competition Gallery

Your graduate research. 3 minutes. 1 slide.

Why Participate?

Skills development for research candidates Participating in 3MT develops academic, presentation and research communication skills, while developing research candidates’ ability to effectively explain their research in language appropriate to a non-specialist audience.

Building external relations for the university 3MT winners go on to represent FSU at regional and national competitions which provides an excellent networking and professional development opportunity. 

Are you eligible?

Currently enrolled doctoral students at Florida State University are eligible to participate in the 3MT™. 3MT® presentations must represent the primary research the student has conducted in their graduate program.

Master's students are not eligible.

What are the prizes?

• 1st Place -  $1,000
• 2nd Place -  $750
• 3rd Place -  $500
• People's Choice (selected by the audience): $250

What are the judging criteria?

At every level of the competition each competitor will be assessed on the judging criteria listed below. Each criterion is equally weighted and has an emphasis on audience.

Comprehension and content

• Presentation provided clear background and significance to the research question
• Presentation clearly described the research strategy/design and the results/findings of the research
• Presentation clearly described the conclusions, outcomes and impact of the research

Engagement and communication

• The oration was delivered clearly, and the language was appropriate for a non-specialist audience
• The PowerPoint slide was well-defined and enhanced the presentation
• The presenter conveyed enthusiasm for their research and captured and maintained the audience’s attention

What are the rules?

• A single static PowerPoint slide is permitted (no slide transitions, animations or 'movement' of any description), and the slide is to be presented from the beginning of the oration and remain in view for the duration of the oration.
• No additional electronic media (e.g. sound and video files) are permitted.
• No additional props (e.g. costumes, musical instruments, laboratory equipment) are permitted.
• Presentations are limited to 3 minutes maximum, and competitors exceeding 3 minutes are disqualified.
• The decision of the judging panel is final.

Helpful Resources

• Click here to view the Three Minute Thesis Virtual Competition Handbook.

3MT Recording/Editing Links

• OpenShot Editing Video
• Kapwing Website
• 3MT Workshop Recording of Kapwing Editor: this video is a demonstration of the software
• Kapwing Tutorial
• FSU Canvas Support Center Tutorial : Best Practices for Student Video Production (iMovie and Movie Maker)
• Vimeo Website

Past 3MT™ Competitions

Fall 2023 3MT™

Doctoral student in Sport Management, Hyosoon Yim took first place at this year's 3MT competition and won $1,000. Read more .

Fall 2022 3MT™

Doctoral student in Science Education, Dionne Wilson took first place at this year's 3MT competition and won $1,000. Read more .

Fall 2021 3MT™

Doctoral student in Art Education, Chris Omni took first place at this year's 3MT competition and won $1,000.  Read more.

Fall 2020 3MT™

Mark Duslak (Educational Leadership & Policy Studies) and Matthew Martenson (Nutrition, Food, and Exercise Sciences) finished first this year. Read more.

Fall 2019 3MT™

Judges selected Alyssa Henderson (Physics)and Sara Jones (Biomedical Sciences) as this year’s first-place winners. Read more.

Fall 2018 3MT™

Doctoral student in biological science, Eve Humphrey took first place at this year's 3MT competition and won $1,000. Read more.

Fall 2017 3MT™

For the first time, a student from the College of Education, Shannon Gooden (Teacher Education), won the $1,000 prize. Read more.

Fall 2016 3MT™

Madhuparna Roy (Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering)won first place in this year's competition. Read more.

Fall 2015 3MT™

Aniket Ingrole (Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering) won first place in the 3MT™ competition. Read more.

Fall 2014 3MT™

Kimberly Smith (Neuroscience) won first place in this year's 3MT™ competition. Read more.

View the past 3MT competition galleries

Graduate School

• Request Information
• Three-Minute Thesis

What is the 3MT?

An 80,000 word thesis would take 9 hours to present. The 3MT time limit ... 3 minutes.

• The 3-Minute Thesis (3MT®) is a research communication competition that challenges students to communicate the significance of their projects without the use of props or industry jargon, in just three minutes.
• Originally established by the  University of Queensland (UQ) in 2008 , the competition challenges research students to communicate the significance of their projects in just three minutes, with the aid of a single, static slide.

3MT develops academic, presentation, and research communication skills and supports the development of research students' capacity to quickly explain their research in a language appropriate to a non-specialist audience leaving them wanting to know more. 

Competitions at the University of Minnesota

Collegiate-level 3MT Competitions

• Inquire with your Graduate Program Coordinator (GPC) to find out if your college hosts a 3MT competition. 
• Collegiate-level 3MT winners advance to the University-wide competition. 
• All collegiate-level participants receive a Maroon Digital Badge from the Graduate School. 

University-wide 3MT Competition

• The Graduate School hosts a University-wide competition held every November .  
• All active graduate students who have advanced from their collegiate competition are eligible. 
• Previous 3MT winners  (first prize, runner-up, and people's choice) are not eligible to compete a second time.
• The 1st place winner advances to a 3MT competition hosted every March by the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS).
• All finalists may be invited to present to the University's Board of Regents. 
• All University-wide competitors receive a Gold Digital Badge from the Graduate School. 

3MT Competition Rules

• Single static PowerPoint slide. No slide transitions, animations, or “movement” of any description are allowed. The slide is to be presented from beginning of oration.
• No additional electronic media (e.g. sound and video files) are permitted.
• No additional props (e.g. costumes, musical instruments, lab equipment) are permitted.
• Presentations are limited to 3 minutes maximum, and participants exceeding 3 minutes are disqualified.
• Presentations are to commence from the stage.
• Presentations are to be spoken word (e.g. no poems, raps, or songs).
• Presentations are considered to have commenced when a presenter starts her presentation through either movement or speech.
• The decision of the adjudicating panel is final.

3MT Preparation Resources

• Prepare with  the Graduate School's 3MT e-course
• 2021  
• 2022  
• 2023 - Watch competition in its entirety

Who can I talk to about 3MT?

Please contact Dr. Noro Andriamanalina, Assistant Vice Provost, Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Initiatives: [email protected]

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Centre for Graduate Professional Development

Three minute thesis (3mt), what is the three minute thesis (3mt).

Your graduate research. 3 minutes. 1 slide.

Every year the University of Toronto hosts the Three Minute Thesis Competition (3MT®), a competition in which graduate students present their work to a generalist audience in 3 minutes using only one static slide.

2024 3MT Winners and Finalists

Congratulations to the 2024 3MT winners and finalists!

First Place and People’s Choice Daniil Lisus Institute of Aerospace Studies, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering “Helping Autonomous Cars See What Our Eyes Can’t”

Second Place Emaad Paracha Department of Physics, Faculty of Arts & Science “Detecting Dark Matter in Galaxy Clusters from the Stratosphere”

Third Place Angel Badewole Department of Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering “Assessing the Environmental Impacts of an Innovative Chemical Production Pathway” Read more about this year’s competition.

3MT Final Program

Watch / Listen to the 2024 3MT Winners

3MT in the News

2023 U of T 3MT winner Emily Majaesic wins first place at the Ontario Regional competition

Emily Majaesic with SGS Dean Joshua Barker at the Ontario Regional final held at Queen’s University

2025 3MT Competition Schedule: Coming Soon

Why You Should Participate in the 3MT

Improve your oral presentation skills, profile your research, and learn about our community’s cutting-edge ideas.

• Present your 3MT to generalist audiences at the University of Toronto.
• Winning the University of Toronto 3MT finals will allow you to compete at the provincial level.
• You can even advance to showcase your research at the national and international level.

In addition to the opportunity to improve your communication skills and showcase your research, there are prizes for 3MT winners: $1000 for first place, $500 for second place, $250 for third place, and $200 for the people’s choice winner, paid into your student account.

Ready to Apply?

Learn more about the 3MT competition.

Complete the registration form and take part in a preliminary heat.

Attend and cheer on your peers in the U of T 3MT Heats, Semi-Finals, and Finals.

Eligibility, Rules, and Judging Criteria

Eligibility.

• A single static PowerPoint slide is permitted (no slide transitions, animations or ‘movement’ of any description, the slide is to be presented from the beginning of the oration)
• No additional electronic media (e.g., sound and video files) are permitted
• No additional props (e.g., costumes, musical instruments, laboratory equipment) are permitted
• Presentations are limited to 3 minutes maximum and competitors exceeding 3 minutes are disqualified
• Presentations are to be spoken word (e.g., no poems, raps, or songs)
• Presentations are to commence from the stage
• Presentations are considered to have commenced when a presenter starts their presentation through movement or speech
• The decision of the adjudicating panel is final

Judging Criteria

Presentations will be assessed according to the criteria listed below. Please note that each criterion is equally weighted.

• Comprehension and content
• Engagement and communication
• Presentation provided clear background and significance to the research question
• Presentation clearly described the research strategy/design and the results/findings of the research
• Presentation clearly described the conclusions, outcomes, and impact of the research
• The oration was delivered clearly, and the language was appropriate for a non-specialist audience
• The PowerPoint slide was well-defined and enhanced the presentation
• The presenter conveyed enthusiasm for their research and captured and maintained the audience’s attention

How 3MT Works

Competitors progress from the preliminary heats to the semi-finals and then to the finals. The judges will award first, second, and third place, while the audience’s favourite presentation is awarded the people’s choice.

Competition Levels at a Glance

• This 3MT competition is hosted by the School of Graduate Studies. Competitors begin in the preliminary heats and may advance to the semi-finals and finals.
• The winner of the University of Toronto 3MT competes at the Ontario provincial competition, hosted by a different Ontario university each year.
• The Canadian Association for Graduate Studies (CAGS) hosts the top finalists from each of the provincial competitions (Western, Ontario, Eastern) to compete in an online format. The video recordings of the finalists’ presentations are played and judged.
• The winner of the University of Toronto 3MT competes internationally. The NAGS competition brings together the 3MT winners of universities across the provinces of New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island and Quebec, and the American states of Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington, D.C. Competitors present live in front of a panel of judges.
• The Council of Graduate Studies hosts a North America-wide 3MT showcase with the winners from the southern, western, midwestern, and northeastern regions presenting their 3MT orations and participating in a roundtable discussion. The audience is then given a chance to confer a People’s Choice Award.

Frequently Asked Questions

Other questions? Contact us at [email protected]

I’ve registered but don’t know which heat I’m in. How can I find out?

We will email you your heat date and a link to submit your slide. But you are encouraged to begin working on your slide and practicing your presentation before then. 

Can I change my slide and presentation between rounds (e.g., for the semi-finals or finals)?

Yes! We encourage you to make changes and incorporate judges’ feedback as you advance through the stages of the competition.

I participated in my department’s 3MT this year. Am I also allowed to participate in the University-wide 3MT?

Yes, all graduate students may participate in the preliminary heats subject to meeting the eligibility requirements.

I am a post-doc. Can I participate in 3MT?

Post-docs are not eligible to take part in the main 3MT competition. We are working on a new program that will allow post-docs to participate in a similar initiative. Stay tuned!

Training and Resources

• University of Toronto Resources
• External Resources
• Workshop: Preparing Your 3MT Presentation by Dr. Cristina D’Amico, 2016 U of T 3MT winner
• GCAC Oral Presentation Skills Courses – Courses are available in different formats and for different audiences
• U of T Libraries Workshop: Visual Literacy: Interpreting and Evaluating Images (Maps, Charts, Diagrams, Photographs) for Research and Publishing
• Making the Most of Your Three Minutes by Simon Clews, Director, Writing Centre, University of Melbourne
• How to Talk About Your Thesis in 3 Minutes by Inger Mewburn (RMIT)
• Communicating Your Research in Lay Language by Christian A Linte,  IEEE Engineering in Medicine & Biology Magazine , May / June 2009
• 3MT Presentation: Now You See It by Rosanna Stevens, ANU TV, 2014
• 3MT: Three Tips to Help You Prepare a Winning Presentation by Rosanna Stevens, ANU TV , 2015

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Three Minute Thesis (3MT®)

• Past Winners
• Competitions
• Three Minute Thesis®

Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is a research communication competition developed by The University of Queensland. The competition develops academic, presentation, and research communication skills and supports the development of students' capacities to effectively explain their research in language appropriate to an intelligent but non-specialist audience.

During each competition, graduate students will have three minutes to present a compelling discussion on their research topic, including its significance and relevance, to the general public. 3MT® is not an exercise in trivializing or "dumbing down" research, instead, it forces competitors to consolidate their ideas and crystallize their research discoveries. This is a fast-paced competition where the top 10 finalists compete by summarizing their two to three-plus years of research in only three minutes with only one slide.  Cash awards are given to the winner, runner-up, and People's Choice Award winner.

3MT® at Purdue

Enrolled graduate students in all disciplines at Purdue University are eligible to participate in 3MT®. Research presented must have been conducted at Purdue University, not from a previous degree, and should be in the final stages so students have some sound conclusions and impacts to present. Purdue Alumni are not eligible to participate.

Purdue holds its annual 3MT® competition early each spring. It is a celebration of the discoveries made by graduate students and will allow the broader community to learn about ongoing research at Purdue. It is free and open to the public. Cash awards are given to the winner, runner-up, and People's Choice Award winner.

2024 Competition Timeline

• Friday, February 9, 11:59 PM -  Faculty Nominations Due
• Monday, March 3, 11:59 PM - Student Submissions Due
• Monday, April 14  - Rehearsal, Fowler Hall 5:00 p.m. EST - mandatory
• Tuesday, April 15 -  Competition, Fowler Hall, 7:00 p.m. EST

 Cash Awards

• 1st place $5,000 
• 2nd place $3,000 
• People's Choice $2,000 

A panel of judges will select the first and second-place winners, while the People's Choice Award will be selected by the audience.

2024 Winners

First place: kevin alessandro bautista, engineering.

Second Place: Thomas Clarke, Science

People’s Choice: Jeanine Arana, Agriculture

Graduate Student Submissions

The Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Scholars welcomes submissions from all Purdue University disciplines. 

Please read the 3MT® competition rules in the drop-down button below.

Video Competitor Guide

• A single static PowerPoint slide is permitted (no slide transitions, animations or "movement" of any description).
• No additional electronic media (e.g., sound and video files) are permitted.
• No additional props (e.g., costumes, musical instruments or laboratory equipment) are permitted.
• Presentations are limited to three minutes maximum, and competitors exceeding three minutes are disqualified.
• The decision of the judging panel is final, and People's Choice voting results will not be released.
• All presentations will be videotaped and will appear on the graduate school 3MT® website.
• Students who are over the cost of attendance allowance may not be eligible for prizes.

Each 3MT® presentation will be judged based on communication style, comprehension, and engagement. Please view our archive of video presentations made by past winners .

Please email the program administrators at  [email protected]  if you have any questions!

University of South Florida

Office of Graduate Studies

Main navigation, three minute thesis (3mt®) at usf.

The Office of Graduate Studies and the Graduate and Professional Student Council are proud to present USF's 3 Minute Thesis Competition (3MT®)!

The Three Minute Thesis, or 3MT®, is an annual competition held at over 200 universities world wide, open to graduate students who present their research in less than 3 minutes, with only one static slide.

Winning presentations are engaging stories that are understood by the broader audience, requiring little expertise in the research area. The competition cultivates students’ academic, presentation, and research communication skills. The idea is for students to orally present the significance of their dissertation or thesis using a single static slide in just three minutes.

WORKSHOP: Preparing a Winning 3MT® Presentation

Date: October 4, 2023 (Most recent)  Time: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Description

Presented by Ruth Bahr, PhD, Dean, Office of Graduate Studies and Tracy Costello, PhD, Director, Office of Postdoctoral Affairs

The Three Minute Thesis , or 3MT® , is an annual competition held at over 200 universities worldwide, open to graduate students who present their research in less than 3 minutes, with only one static slide.  Winning presentations are engaging stories that are understood by the broader audience, requiring little expertise in the research area. 

This lecture is designed to help you understand and develop your best 3MT® presentation so that you're prepared to enter the USF competition in October 2023.  We'll share tips for success including how to frame your research for any audience and considerations for your slide's design. 

The winner and runner-up of the USF competition receive travel awards and are additionally supported to travel and present in the Council of Graduate Schools 3MT® competitions at the 2024 Council of Florida Graduate Schools Conference and the 2024 Council of Southern Graduate Schools Conference, schedule and funding permitting.  

Pictured from left to right: Asim Waqas, Anna Gonzalez, Reham Abuemira (People's choice) , Indira Goldman, Darrail Abercrombie, Alex Seigel, William Cromwell (Runner-up) , Martha McAlister, Alexandra Zamitalo (First Place), Dean Ruth Bahr. 2023 3MT® Competition.

Pictured: 2023 Participants compete with 3MT® presentations during the USF Finals Heat held on the Tampa campus. 

Judges will rate the student's ability to effectively present their research to a multidisciplinary audience in accessible and engaging non-technical language. Developed by The University of Queensland in 2008, enthusiasm for the concept and its adoption in numerous universities has also led to the development of an international competition.

Now, 3MT® is held in over 900 universities across more than 80 countries worldwide.

Why Participate?

Skills Development

Participating in 3MT® develops academic, presentation and research communication skills, while developing research candidates’ ability to effectively explain their research in language appropriate to a non-specialist audience.

Culture of Research

3MT® provides a valuable opportunity for researchers to come together (live or virtually), get to know one another and talk about their research. It also provides a supportive environment in which schools, institutes and universities can provide presentation skills training.

Networking Opportunities

3MT® winners may go on to represent their university at national and international 3MT® competitions which provides an excellent networking and professional development opportunity. Previous 3MT® finalists have benefited from invitations to a variety of other networking events following their participation in the competition.

A single static PowerPoint slide is permitted (no slide transitions, animations or 'movement' of any description, the slide is to be presented from the beginning of the oration).

No additional electronic media (e.g. sound and video files) are permitted.

No additional props (e.g. costumes, musical instruments, laboratory equipment) are permitted.

Presentations are limited to 3 minutes maximum and competitors exceeding 3 minutes are disqualified.

Presentations are to be spoken word (e.g. no poems, raps or songs).

Presentations are to commence from the stage.

Presentations are considered to have commenced when a presenter starts their presentation through movement or speech.

The decision of the adjudicating panel is final.

JUDGING CRITERIA

Comprehension & Content

Presentation provided clear background and significance to the research question.

Presentation clearly described the research strategy/design and the results/findings of the research.

Presentation clearly described the conclusions, outcomes, and impact of the research.

Engagement & Communication

The oration was delivered clearly, and the language was appropriate for a non-specialist audience.

The PowerPoint slide was well-defined and enhanced the presentation.

The presenter conveyed enthusiasm for their research and captured and maintained the audience’s attention.

PEOPLE’S CHOICE

An important aspect of the competition is the People’s Choice prize. Following all presentations, the audience is asked to vote on who they thought gave the most convincing 3MT® presentation (based on their understanding of the criteria outline above). A finalist can be the winner or runner-up and still receive the People’s Choice award.

ELIGIBILITY

Active Ph.D. and Professional Doctorate (Research) candidates who have successfully passed their confirmation milestone (including candidates whose thesis is under submission) by the date of their first presentation are eligible to participate in 3MT® competitions at all levels. Graduates are not eligible.

• 3MT® Competitor Guide
• FAQs for Competitors

USF holds a series of heats during the fall semester. Winners of the heats go on to compete in the USF 3MT® Finals, which typically take place in early November. 

• First Place: $300
• Runner-up (Second Place): $200
• People's Choice: $100

The First Place Winner moves forward to represent USF at the regional 3MT® competition the following spring.

VIEW: USF 3MT® Winners

First Place: Alexandra Zamitalo Title: Intraocular Marvels: Revolutionizing Techniques for Studying the Eye College: College of Engineering Program: Medical Engineering

Runner-up: William Cromwell Title: The ABOs of Cerebral Malaria College: College of Medicine Program: Medical Sciences

People's Choice: Reham Abuemira Title: Telecollaboration as an Approach to Facilitating Intercultural Communicative Competence and Exposure to Arabic Varieties in Arabic as Foreign Language Classrooms in the US: Exploring Teachers' Perspectives and Practices College: College of Education Program: Technology in Education and Second Language Acquisition

First Place: Kanchana Karunarathne Title: Coloring In Memory: Fluorescent Dyes as a Candidate for Oligomer Detection in Alzheimer’s Disease College: College of Arts and Sciences Program: Physics

Runner-up: Efrain Gonzalez Title: Know the Unknown College: College of Arts and Sciences Program: Mathematics and Statistics

People's Choice: Shelby Kell Title: One-size-fits-all: Pharmaceuticals For Human Health Care College: College of Arts and Sciences Program: Chemistry

First Place: Aditya Chakraborty Title:  A Data-Driven Analytical Process to Monitor Pancreatic Cancer Survival Time College: College of Arts and Sciences Program: Mathematics and Statistics

Runner-up: Jing Chen Title:  Membrane Proteins: Starting From a Binary Switch College: College of Arts and Sciences Program: Cell Biology, Microbiology and Molecular Biology

People's Choice: Minglu Sun Title:  The Effect of the Drug Abuse Prevention Programs on Domestic Violence College: College of Arts and Sciences Program: Economics

First Place: Tiffany Miller Title:   Sniffing out COVID-19 with a Gas Sensor Array College: College of Engineering Program: Electrical Engineering

Runner-up: Celine Atkinson Title:  Climate Change, Gut Microbes, and You College: College of Arts and Sciences Program: Cell Biology, Microbiology and Molecular Biology

People's Choice: Poonan Lathiya Title:   Biotelemetry College: College of Engineering Program: Electrical Engineering

First Place: Aya Elmarsafawi Title:   Long Live Memory Cells College: Morsani College of Medicine Program: Molecular Medicine (Immunology)

Runner-up: Zeinab Motawe Title:   Having a Stroke? Take a Chill Pill! College: Morsani College of Medicine Program: Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology

People's Choice: Sandra Hornung Title:   Respiratory Syncytial Virus Accessorizes Human Proteins College: Morsani College of Medicine Program: Integrated Biomedical Sciences

First Place: Christian Brown Title:   Salamanders in the Sky and How They Try to Fly College: College of Arts and Sciences Program: Integrative Biology

Runner-up: Abhijeet Iyer Title:   Air Pollution – Think Inside the Box College: College of Engineering Program: Chemical Engineering

People's Choice: Wainella Isaacs Title:   The Social and Technical Life of Drinking Water Tanks College: College of Engineering Program: Civil and Environmental Engineering

First Place: Karena Nguyen Title:   Parasites, People and the Changing Climate College: College of Arts and Sciences Program: Integrative Biology

Second Place: Earnest Hansley Title:   Identification of Individuals from Ears College: College of Engineering Program: Computer Science and Engineering

People's Choice: Saurav Chakraborty Title:   El Niño Neutral Condition and its Influence on the Development of Hurricanes College: College of Arts and Sciences Program: Geography

First Place: Kevin Orner Title:   Nutrient Removal and Energy Recovery from Digester Effluent College: College of Engineering Program: Environmental Engineering

Second Place: Karena Nguyen Title:   A Mechanistic Framework for Temperature-Dependent Disease Dynamics: A Novel Approach with Dynamic Energy Budget Theory College: College of Arts and Sciences Program: Integrative Biology

People's Choice: Dagmara Monfort Title:   Self-Assembling Nanoparticles for Treatment of Genetic Diseases College: College of Engineering Program: Chemical and Biomedical Engineering

First Place: Simon Bello Title:   Development of an Implantable Pressure Regulating Pump for Glaucoma Studies College: College of Engineering Program: Electrical Engineering

Second Place: Elan Pavlinich Title:   Counterfeit Feminism in Disney's Maleficent College: College of Arts and Sciences Program: English

People's Choice: Parveen Bazard Title:   Plasmonic Stimulation of Electrically Excitable Biological Cells College: College of Engineering Program: Chemical Engineering

Three Minute Thesis (3MT™) is an international research and scholarly communication competition developed by The University of Queensland in Australia. The goal of the competition is to develop students’ academic, presentation, and professional communication skills. Doctoral students have three minutes – and a single PowerPoint slide - to present compelling and engaging talks on their dissertation topic and its significance. 3MT™ empowers students to consolidate their ideas and concisely explain their work to the public and scholars from other fields.

• Information
• Past Competitions

Training Opportunities

Eligibility.

• Rules and Judging Criteria

Empower Your Pitch is a doctoral communication competition that develops the research communication skills of participants, enabling them to deliver diverse pitches to diverse people. The competition empowers presenters to communicate the value of their research at any stage of development and across all disciplines – including STEMM, Humanities, Education, and Social Sciences – in a maximum time frame of three minutes. Presenters may rely on assorted strategies to capture the audience’s attention, convey the essence of their research, and explain its relevance to their listeners. The competition will take place throughout March and April with training sessions to help develop your communication skills. It is hosted by the JHU PHuters Office and will run instead of the 3MT this year.

Unlock the power of communication to share the full potential of your ideas – click here to learn more and register!

More Information

A selection of videos of award-winning presentations from a variety of universities are available on the 3MT™ website .

For questions about the JHU competition, please contact Kate Bradford at [email protected] .

2021 3MT Competition

2020 3mt competition.

The JHM Professional Development and Career Office is hosted the 2021 Three Minute Thesis Competition on March 25. Ten Hopkins Doctoral students had three minutes – and a single, static PowerPoint slide - to present compelling and engaging talks on their dissertation topic.

2021 Winners

Congratulations to Chad Hicks: 2021 JHU Three Minute Thesis Champion!

• First Place: Chad Hicks , School of Medicine How Bookmarks Help Cells Pass Their Leukemia Test
• Second Place and People's Choice: Brooke Jarrett , Bloomberg School of Public Health In South Africa, What Interventions Can Improve Care For People With HIV?
• Third Place: Benjamin Zaepfel , School of Medicine Sandwiches out of Sand
• Alumni Choice: Yun-Fei Liu , Krieger School of Arts and Sciences The Brain Mechanism for Code Reading is Associated With Both Language and Logic

2021 Finalists

• Rebecca Chisholm , School of Education Early Childhood Educator Instructional Practices for English Learners
• Oscar Reyes Gaido , School of Medicine Illuminating the Future of Heart Failure Therapy
• Suraj Kannan , School of Medicine Growing a Heart in a Dish
• Monica Lee , Bloomberg School of Public Health Hibernating Legionella: Silent but Deadly
• Crystal Perez , Bloomberg School of Public Health Healthier Kids’ Meals and Less Tantrums?
• Utkarsh Sharma , Krieger School of Arts and Sciences Scaling Behavior of Neural Networks: Human Language and Job Displacement at the Dawn of Automation

The full recording of the competition can be viewed at the JHU Alumni Association Facebook Page. Individual videos of each finalist will be available in a few weeks.

Thank you to our 2021 3MT Final Competition Judges:

• Dr. Nancy Kass, Vice Provost for Graduate and Professional Education and Pheobe R. Berman Professor of Bioethics and Public Health at the JHSPH
• Dr. Denis Wirtz, Vice Provost for Research and Theophilus Halley Smoot Professor of Engineering Science in the WSE
• Dr. Mona Shattell, Associate Dean for Faculty Development and Professor at the SON
• Dr. Gregg Semenza, 2019 Nobel Laureate and Professor at the SOM
• Dr. Judy Keen, JHU Alumni Association Council Member and Alumnus of KSAS, JHSPH, and SOM
• Eduardo Martinez-Montes, 2019 JHU 3MT Champion and PhD Candidate at the SOM

2019 3MT Competition

The JHM Professional Development and Career Office hosted the fourth annual Three Minute Thesis Competition April 17, 2019 in Mountcastle Auditorium located on the School of Medicine Campus. Thirty-two doctoral students competed in the preliminary heats and twelve finalists were chosen to present their 3MT talks in the final competition.

The 2019 judges had a diverse background of research and communication experience and represented the university’s top leadership, including:

Dr. Nancy Kass Vice Provost for Graduate and Professional Education and Pheobe R. Berman Professor of Bioethics and Public Health at JHSPH Dr. Denis Wirtz Vice Provost for Research and Theophilus Halley Smoot Professor of Engineering Science in the WSE Dr. Patricia M. Davidson Dean of the School of Nursing Dr. William Egginton Director of the Alexander Grass Humanities Institute and Decker Professor in the Humanities Dr. Allyson Handley President of the JHU Alumni Association Sarah Attreed 2017 JHU and Maryland State 3MT top finalist, PhD Candidate in JHU Bloomberg School of Public Health

Congratulations to all those students participating and the competition winners:

First Place: Eduardo Martinez-Montes, School of Medicine, Biochemistry, Cellular and Molecular Biology The Lazy Librarian

Second Place: Katie Overbey, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Environmental Health and Engineering Application of Novel Laboratory Methods to Identify Infectious Norovirus in the Environment

Third Place & Alumni Choice: Benjamin Ackerman, Bloomberg School of Public Health Biostatistics Clinical Trials: How Do Their Results Translate to the Real World?

People’s Choice: Jarrett Venezia, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Molecular Microbiology and Immunology Why Do Good Macrophages Go Bad?

Tyler Ames, School of Education Measuring the Promise of Career Education Sarah Kim, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Biophysics Opening Doors into Cells Binu Koirala, School of Nursing The First Step in Preventing Deaths from Heart Failure in Nepal Claire Konieczny, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, German and Romance Languages and Literatures Emblems and Reading in the Renaissance Celia Litovsky, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Cognitive Science Why Do Some Stroke Patients Recover Better than Others? Pramuditha Perera, Whiting School of Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering Teaching Machines to Say "I'm not sure" Allen Scheie, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Physics Quasiparticles in Magnetic Crystals Derek VanDyke, Whiting School of Engineering, Chemical and Biomedical Engineering Biasing the Immune System

2018 3MT Competition

The JHM Professional Development and Career Office hosted the third annual Three Minute Thesis Competition April 18, 2018 in Mountcastle Auditorium. Twenty-seven PhD Candidates competed in the preliminary heats and ten finalists were chosen to present their 3MT talks in the final competition.

The 2018 Judges had a broad background of research and communication experience and represented the university’s top leadership, including:

•   Ronald J. Daniels, President of Johns Hopkins University •   Dr. Nancy Kass, Vice Provost for Graduate and Professional Education •   Dr. Patricia M. Davidson, Dean, School of Nursing •   Dr. Roy Ziegelstein, Vice Dean for Education, School of Medicine •   Dr. Catherine Hueston, Associate Director of the Wharton Communications Program, UPenn •   Joseph Shin, IGM PhD Candidate and 2017 JHU & Maryland State 3MT Competition Champion

First Place and People’s Choice: Caroline Vissers, Department of Neuroscience, Biochemistry, Cellular and Molecular Biology Graduate Program, School of Medicine Notes on Brain Health

Second Place: Valerie Rennoll, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Whiting School of Engineering Tunable Acoustic Transducers: Harnessing the Power of Sound

Third Place: Sarah Attreed, Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Bloomberg School of Public Health Building a Better Vaccine

Nikhil Anand, Department of Physics, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences New Methods in Particle Physics Sunjae Bae, Department of Epidemiology, Bloomberg School of Public Health The Right Drug for the Right Patient Kenneth Feder, Department of Mental Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health Children in the U.S. Opioid Crisis Talia Henkle, Department of Pathology, Graduate Program in Immunology, School of Medicine Helping Mice Help Cancer Patients Joseph Rehfus, Department of Biology, Cellular, Molecular, and Development Biology and Biophysics Graduate Program, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences Force as a Probe for "Hidden" Enzyme Shapes Tamar Rodney, School of Nursing The Wound We Cannot See! Dominic Scalise, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Whiting School of Engineering Things Besides Number

2018 State Competition

All three winners from the 2018 Hopkins 3MT Competition competed in the Maryland State Competition Wednesday, May 2 at the University of Maryland, Medical Center. Sarah Attreed placed second and Valerie Rennoll won People’s Choice in the Maryland State Competition.

2017 3MT Competition

The JHM Professional Development and Career Office hosted the second annual Three Minute Thesis Competition April 5, 2017 in the Turner Auditorium.

First Place: Joseph Shin, Institute of Genetic Medicine Scleroderma: An Opportunity for New Therapy and New Perspectives in Biology

Second Place: Kelli DePriest, Nursing The Power of Greenspace

Third Place and People’s Choice: Jarrett Smith, Molecular Biology and Genetics Oil and Water: Separating the Cell

Tim Al-Khindi, Neuroscience Finding the Right Partner: The Role of Semaphorins and Neuropilins in the Retina Jonathan C. Grima, Neuroscience Traffic Jams in Neurodegeneration Hyejeong Hong, Nursing Predicting TB Treatment-related Hearing Loss Anand Malpani, Computer Science Automated Virtual Coaching for Surgeons Emily A. Margolis, History of Science and Technology Space Tourism in Cold War America Julian B. Munoz, Physics and Astronomy A New Dark Matter Candidate Digvijay Singh, Biophysics Editing Life: Gene Editing Tools in Real-time Action

2017 State Competition

Winners from the 2017 Hopkins 3MT Competition competed in the Maryland State Competition Tuesday, May 9 at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. Joseph Shin placed first in the Maryland State Competition. Hyejeong Hong, who was a finalist from the School of Nursing, placed second.

2016 3MT Competition

The JHM Professional Development and Career Office sponsored the inaugural 3MT™ Competition April 20, 2016 ; congratulations to all participating students and competition winners:

First Place and People’s Choice: Alexandra Pucsek, Immunology Cancer Unmasked: How Inhibiting a Small Protein Could Boost Anti-Tumor Immunity (VIDEO)

Second Place: Amanda Edwards, Biomedical Engineering Tricking the Brain into Exceeding Its Abilities (VIDEO)

Third Place: Ken Estrellas, Cellular and Molecular Medicine Stem Cell Treatments to Restore Missing Muscle Protein (VIDEO)

The JHMI winners competed in the Maryland state-wide 3MT Competition May 5 against students from the University of Maryland-College Park, University of Maryland-Baltimore and University of Maryland-Baltimore County. Congratulations to JHMI students for placing in the state competition:

First Place in Maryland Competition: Ken Estrellas, Cellular and Molecular Medicine (Second from the left)

Third Place in Maryland Competition: Alexandra Pucsek, Immunology (Far left)

The PDCO offers multiple in-person training opportunities to teach PhD students how to professionally present their academic work. Participation in these sessions is not required for competition, but it is highly encouraged. In past years, students who participated in 3MT training opportunities were more likely to make it to the finals and place. Doctoral students interested in participating in 3MT can view all information, rules, and presentation tips in the JHU 3MT Student Handbook .

Students will learn all about the 3MT competition, including key dates, preliminary heat logistics, and filming tips. Students will learn how put together a winning 3MT talk. We will cover how to condense your dissertation into three minutes, choosing a visual that enhances your talk, and presentation tips for public speaking. Students will get the chance to work on their talks in small breakout rooms.

• Thursday February 11th, 3 - 4:30pm. Register on Handshake This session will be recorded and available to those who cannot attend live.

Students should come with a draft of their three-minute presentation and ready to present their talk. Past 3MT judges and communication experts will offer immediate feedback to students to help them further improve their talk. The session will be done in an open forum, where you will be able to listen to other students’ presentation and hear feedback from everyone presenting. Practice rounds will not be recorded.

• February 22, 3 - 4:30pm EST. Register on Handshake
• February 25, 10 - 11:30am EST. Register on Handshake

The PDCO also offers one-on-one sessions to practice your presentation for additional feedback. Please email [email protected] to schedule an appointment.

All currently enrolled JHU doctoral students are eligible*. We encourage students from all disciplines to participate! Students who have not yet had their degree conferred are eligible to compete**. Past competitors may compete again.

* 2021 3MT Competition: All doctoral students who graduated in 2020 are eligible to compete due to the cancellation of the 2020 3MT Competition. Participants must present talks covering work that was done during their dissertation and cannot include work completed post-graduation.

** Eligibility rules for the Council of Graduate School's Three Minute Thesis competition may differ.

Prize Information

Prizes for the 2021 JHU 3MT Finals Competition are as follows:

• Winner: $1000
• Second Place: $500
• Third Place: $250
• People's Choice: $250
• Alumni Choice Award (Sponsored by the JHU Alumni Association): $250
• Remaining finalists will be awarded $100
• Students must present a talk on their dissertation work.
• Presentations are limited to 3 minutes and competitors exceeding 3 minutes are disqualified.
• Presentations are considered to have commenced when a presenter starts their presentation through speech (timing commences from when the competitor starts speaking, not the start of the video).
• Filmed on the horizontal;
• Filmed on a plain background;
• Filmed from a static position;
• Filmed from one camera angle;
• A single static 16:9 slide is permitted in the presentation (no slide transitions, animations or ‘movement’ of any description). This can be visible continuously, or ‘cut to’ (as many times as you like) for a maximum of 1 minute. Alternatively, the slide may be submitted via email if not included in the video presentation.
• The 3-minute audio must be continuous – no sound edits or breaks.
• No additional props (e.g. costumes, musical instruments, laboratory equipment and animated backgrounds) are permitted within the recording.
• Presentations are to be spoken word (e.g. no poems, raps or songs).
• No additional electronic media (e.g. sound and video files) are permitted within the video recording.
• The decision of the adjudicating panel is final.

Please note: competitors *will not* be judged on video/recording quality or editing capabilities (optional inclusions). Judging will focus on the presentation, ability to communicate research to a non-specialist audience, and 3MT PowerPoint slide.

Judging Criteria

Presentations will be judged based on the following criteria:

• Did the presentation provide an understanding of the background and significance to the research question being addressed while explaining terminology and avoiding jargon?
• Did the presentation clearly describe the impact and/or results of the research, including conclusions and outcomes? (for early-stage students: predicted impact/results)
• Did the presentation follow a clear and logical sequence?
• Was the thesis topic, significance, results/impact and outcomes communicated in language appropriate to a non-specialist audience?
• Did the presenter spend adequate time on each element of their presentation - or did they elaborate for too long on one aspect or was the presentation rushed?
• Did the oration make the audience want to know more?
• Was the presenter careful not to trivialize or generalize their work?
• Did the presenter convey enthusiasm for their research?
• Did the presenter capture and maintain their audience’s attention?
• Did the speaker have sufficient stage presence, eye contact and vocal range; maintain a steady pace, and have a confident stance?
• Did the PowerPoint slide enhance the presentation - was it clear, legible, and concise?

Preparation

The JHM Professional Development and Career Office (PDCO) will organize a number of events and training opportunities to ensure students are adequately prepared to participate in the JHMI competition and state-wide competition. Events are open to all students, regardless of their participation in 3MT in order to ensure broader inclusion in training opportunities that enhance research communication skills. Faculty and training directors are also invited to attend the information sessions.

Upcoming Deadlines and Important Dates

Feb. 1: Registration opens Feb. 15: 3MT Information Session Feb. 18: 3MT Information Session March 1: Communication Workshop March 7: Deadline to register for 3MT March 21: Critique Session March 22: Critique Session

April 5: Preliminary Competition April 6: Preliminary Competition April 12: Communications Workshop April 13: Judges’ Feedback will be collated and distributed to all participants April 15: Deadline for all finalists to submit finished slide for inclusion in Finals slide deck April 20: JHMI Finals (Competition, Reception and Awards Ceremony) April 22: Judges’ Feedback will be collated and distributed to all participants May 4: State-wide 3MT Competition at University of Maryland-Baltimore

Three Minute Thesis (3MT®)

Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is a research communication competition. Graduate students present their thesis in just three minutes to a non-specialist audience. ​The challenge is to present complex research material in an engaging, compelling way, using appropriate language and only one static PowerPoint slide.

3MT® is an excellent opportunity to gain practical experience communicating your research and to network across disciplines.

Eligibility

To be eligible, you must:

• be enrolled in a UVic master's or PhD program in the spring term (January-April) of the competition

produce a 3MT ®  presentation that directly relates to your graduate program research

• agree to have your 3MT ®  presentation videotaped
• be available to present in-person on the day of your heat and, if you advance in the competition, the following stages. If you are unable to attend, the runner-up will proceed to the next round of the competition in your place.

Confidentiality and intellectual property considerations

The 3MT ®  competition is open to the public at large. Any data or information discussed should be considered public. Judges and staff involved in the competition will not be required to sign non-disclosure statements.

If your research is being conducted in conjunction with an outside agency, we advise you to investigate the potential for any confidentiality or intellectual property issues. You should discuss your participation in the competition with your supervisor(s) before registering for the 3MT ®  competition.

If your research includes any confidential or culturally sensitive material, you should discuss your entry in the competition with your supervisor(s) before registering.

Registration & schedule

Three Minute Thesis returned to UVic in March 2024 for the first live in-person competition since 2020.  The next opportunity to compete will be March 2025 with registration opening in January. 

To help students prepare, public speaking workshops and practice sessions will be offered.   Participants will be required to attend at least one practice session and may attend as many as they like to receive constructive feedback and tips to perfect their presentation.   

How to prepare

On-campus resources.

The Faculty of Graduate Studies offers preparatory workshops for 3MT ®  participants each year . 

• How to win the 3 Minute Thesis - Dr. Inger Mewburn
• How to sell your thesis in 3 minutes (or less) - short blog post by Dr. Inger Mewburn
• Videos of 3MT ® winners from around the globe

Rules & judging criteria

Competition rules.

• A single static PowerPoint slide is permitted. No slide transitions, animations or "movement" of any type are allowed. The slide is to be displayed from the beginning of the presentation.
• No additional electronic media (e.g. sound or video files) are permitted.
• No additional props (e.g. costumes, musical instruments, laboratory equipment) are permitted.
• Presentations are limited to three minutes maximum and competitors who exceed three minutes are disqualified.
• Presentations must be in lecture format (i.e. no poems, raps or songs).
• The three minutes starts when a presenter begins their presentation through either movement or speech.
• The decision of the adjudicating panel is final.

Judging criteria

At every level of the competition each competitor will be judged on the criteria below. Each criterion is equally weighted and has an emphasis on audience.

Comprehension and content

• Did the presentation provide an understanding of the background and significance to the research question being addressed while explaining terminology and avoiding jargon?
• Did the presentation clearly describe the impact and/or results of the research including conclusions and outcomes?
• Did the presentation follow a clear and logical sequence?
• Were the thesis topic, research significance, results/impact and outcomes communicated in language appropriate to a non-specialist audience?
• Did the presenter spend adequate time on each element of their presentation? (Did they elaborate for too long on one aspect? Was the presentation rushed?)

Engagement and communication

• Did the oration make the audience want to know more?
• Was the presenter careful not to trivialize or generalize their research?
• Did the presenter convey enthusiasm for their research?
• Did the presenter capture and maintain their audience's attention?
• Did the speaker have sufficient stage presence, eye contact and vocal range? Did they maintain a steady pace and have a confident stance?
• Did the PowerPoint slide enhance the presentation? Was the slide clear, legible and concise?

Prizes & sponsors

Cash prizes are awarded for each heat and the finals.

Winners & finalists

43 Graduate students entered UVic's 2024 3MT competition. From that group 8 semi-finalists competed at a live event March 14 for $1000 first place prize and a chance to compete in the western regionals.  If you missed that live event you can watch videos of their presentations. Congratulations to all the participants!

Maheyer J. Shroff, Physics and Astronomy - Winner and People's Choice Award recipient

Talen Rimmer, Biology - Second place winner

Eva MacLennan, Biology - Finalist

Jamal Mohammad Khani, Physics and Astronomy - Finalist

Brandon Justus, Psychology - Finalist

Amit Sharma , Gustavson School of Business - Finalist

Elisa Do , Psychology - Finalist

Sean Morgan , Psychology - Finalist

3MT® was developed by the University of Queensland in 2008 and has continued to grow exponentially. The competition has been adopted in over 80 countries .

The University of Victoria's first 3MT® took place in 2013-2014. We acknowledge the support of the University of Queensland in this initiative.

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/images/cornell/logo35pt_cornell_white.svg" alt="3 minute thesis topics"> Cornell University --> Graduate School

Computer science and statistics ph.d. candidates win three minute thesis competition.

For the first time in Graduate School history, two doctoral candidates tied for first place in the eighth Cornell Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition, held on March 30, on Zoom.

Yurong You, a doctoral candidate in computer science, and Kim Hochstedler, a doctoral candidate in statistics, wowed the judges and took home co-first place for their presentations, “Can Autonomous Vehicles Learn from Their Own Memories?” and “The Heart of Misdiagnosis,” respectively. Each were awarded the top prize of $1,500.

Alongside six other finalists, Hochstedler and You presented their dissertation research in just three minutes to a panel of judges and a virtual audience from across campus and around the world. Presentations were judged by how clearly and compellingly students summarized their research to a general audience, using only one static slide.

Second place and $1,000 was awarded to entomology doctoral candidate Lidia Komondy for her presentation, “Seeing is Believing, if You Know Where to Look,” and after nearly 100 audience members cast their ballots, votes were tallied and the People’s Choice Award and $250 were also presented to You.

This year’s judges included Eldora Ellison, Ph.D. ‘94, a member of Cornell’s Board of Trustees; Kim Wagner ‘85, a member of Cornell’s Board of Trustees; Bruno Shirley, an Asian literature, religion, and culture doctoral candidate and 2022 first place winner; and Matt Ranieri ‘06, M.S. ’09, Ph.D. ‘13, president of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Alumni Association.

“The presentations were fascinating and came from finalists with expertise in so many impressive and diverse research topics. It was amazing to see how impactful these research projects were to the world,” said Komondy. “This experience helped me realize how important scientific research is outside the lab and how important it is to keep the public updated on the implications of our research findings.”

Each of the winners agreed that participating in the 3MT was a great way to practice talking about their research in a way that engages and excites individuals outside of their fields and that the experience will influence the way they share their research going forward.

“The best way to explain things is to stand in the audience’s shoes and use simple words,” said You. “Participation in 3MT will undoubtedly shape my future presentations.”

Hochstedler said, “As I continue to communicate my research in future presentations and projects, I think these lessons of how to connect with an audience and explain my work succinctly will remain valuable. I now feel very prepared for the next family reunion when people ask me what I’m working on at Cornell!”

The 3MT competition was first held in 2008 at the University of Queensland and has since been adopted by over 900 universities in over 85 countries. 3MT challenges research degree students to present a compelling story on their dissertation or thesis and its significance in just three minutes, in language appropriate to a non-specialist audience.

Cornell’s Graduate School first hosted a 3MT competition in 2015 and the event has grown steadily since that time.

“The 3MT is an excellent way for our doctoral students to practice communicating complex ideas to a broader audience, which is a skill beneficial not only for their time as students but for when they enter the professional world as well,” said Kathryn J. Boor, dean of the Graduate School and vice provost for graduate education. “We are so proud of each and every one of this year’s finalists.”

2023 3MT Finalists

Watch the 2023 three minute thesis competition finale..

Co-First Place and People’s Choice Award: Yurong You , computer science doctoral candidate

Watch Yurong You’s presentation .

Presentation Title: “Can Autonomous Vehicles Learn from Their Own Memories?”

Special Committee Chair: Killian Weinberger and Bharath Hariharan

Area of Research: Machine learning, computer vision

Biography: Yurong You is a Ph.D. candidate in computer science, advised by Prof. Kilian Q. Weinberger and Prof. Bharath Hariharan. Before he came to Cornell, he received his bachelor’s degree from Shanghai Jiao Tong University (ACM honors class). His Ph.D. research focuses on enhancing 3D perception for autonomous vehicles, particularly through innovative methods.

Favorite Thing About Cornell: Amazing people at Cornell!

Co-First Place: Kimberly Hochstedler, statistics doctoral candidate

Watch Kimberly Hochstedler’s presentation .

Presentation Title: “The Heart of Misdiagnosis”

Special Committee Chair: Martin Wells

Area of Research: Correcting for misclassification/misdiagnosis in medical studies

Biography: Kim Hochstedler is a Ph.D. candidate in statistics. She received her M.S. in biostatistics from the University of Michigan in 2020 and graduated with her B.S. in statistics and psychology from Carnegie Mellon University in 2018. Her research involves developing statistical methods for misclassified outcome data in healthcare and criminal justice settings.

Favorite Thing About Cornell: The ice cream.

Second Place: Lidia Komondy, entomology doctoral candidate

Watch Lidia Komondy’s presentation .

Presentation Title: “Seeing is Believing, if You Know Where to Look”

Special Committee Chair: Brian Nault

Area of Research: Precision agriculture, insect vector ecology, integrated pest management

Biography: Lidia Komondy is a Ph.D. candidate in the field of entomology. Her research focuses on the vector ecology of insect-transmitted plant pathogens and the use of precision agricultural tools to solve modern problems in the ecological sciences. She hopes that her research will help alleviate the escalating challenges that growers are facing.

Favorite Thing About Cornell: The Big Red Barn!

Fangming Cui, psychology doctoral candidate

Watch Fangming Cui’s presentation .

Presentation Title: “An Upside to Disappointment in Close Relationships: Evidence for a Motivational, Relationship-Promoting Role”

Special Committee Chair: Vivian Zayas

Area of Research: Close relationships, emotion, motivation

Biography: Originally from China, Fangming is a Ph.D. candidate in psychology with an emphasis on social psychology. Her research mainly focuses on the downstream consequences of diverse emotional expressions in close relationships. She is fascinated with the idea of the “positivity of negativity,” wherein negative emotional expressions can, at times, exert positive relational outcomes.

Favorite Thing About Cornell: Taverna Banfi brunch and salads at the Terrace restaurant.

Sharada Gopal, biomedical and biological sciences doctoral student

Watch Sharada Gopal’s presentation .

Presentation Title: “Worming Our Way Through a Longer Life”

Special Committee Chair: Siu Sylvia Lee

Area of Research: Aging

Biography: Sharada Gopal am a third-year graduate student in Dr. Sylvia Lee’s lab, where she studies the molecular mechanisms that regulate aging. Originally from Bangalore, India, Gopal came to Cornell for her master’s degree before transitioning to the BBS program to pursue a Ph.D. Beyond her research, she enjoys swimming in Ithaca’s picturesque lakes, singing, and cooking.

Favorite Thing About Cornell: The BBS community.

Yuexing Hao, design and environmental analysis doctoral student

Watch Yuexing Hao’s presentation .

Presentation Title: “AI-Enhanced Patient-Centered Clinical Shared Decision-Making (SDM): A ‘Black Box’ Study with Older Adults”

Area of Research: Health intelligence, human-computer interaction

Biography: Yuexing Hao is a Ph.D. student in design and environmental analysis with a concentration in human centered design at Cornell University. She earned two computer science degrees from Rutgers University (B.A.) and Tufts University (M.S). Currently, her research focus is on health intelligence and human-computer interaction.

Favorite Thing About Cornell: P.E classes! I took ice hockey, squash, water skiing, and yoga, all of which were fantastic experiences.

Sangwoo Park, biophysics doctoral candidate

Watch Sangwoo Park’s presentation .

Presentation Title: “Sugar Barrier on the Cancer Cells”

Special Committee Chair: Matthew Paszek

Area of Research: Glycobiology, immunotherapy, biophysics

Biography: Sangwoo Park is from Changwon, South Korea. His current research focuses on developing new immunotherapies targeting the cancer cell glycocalyx. He has developed an optical microscopy method to understand the physical properties of glycocalyx. The ultimate goal of his research is to find treatment methods to eradicate cancers.

Favorite Thing About Cornell: Wineries and hiking.

Susannah Sharpless , English language and literature doctoral candidate

Watch Susannah Sharpless’s presentation .

Presentation Title: “How Did Maritime Trade Shape the Imaginations of American Women Writers?”

Special Committee Chair: Shirley Samuels

Area of Research: 19th-century American Literature

Biography: Susannah Sharpless is a Ph.D. candidate studying nineteenth-century literature. Her dissertation is titled, “‘Subtle Cargoes’: The Terraqueous Romantic in Nineteenth-Century Women’s Writing.”

2023 Final Round 3MT Competition

The live virtual Three Minute Thesis Competition Final Round took place at 3:00 pm ET on March 30, 2023. Eight finalists competed for first and second prize in the judging and People’s Choice Award winner. A post-event reception was held at the Big Red Barn starting at approximately 4:30 pm ET, and was open to the Cornell community and families and friends of the finalists and judges.

Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is a competition to help doctoral students develop and showcase their research communication skills. Cornell’s 3MT challenges graduate students to present their dissertation as a compelling story in just three minutes, with one slide, in language appropriate to a non-specialist audience.

Preliminary Round Events

• All competitors submitted a recorded presentation of their talk by noon ET on Monday, March 13, 2023 in order to compete in the Preliminary Rounds that selected finalists.
• We thank all of our wonderful preliminary round presenters for participation in the 2023 competition. Those who are still enrolled as doctoral students next year are welcome to enter the competition again.
• Thank you also to our preliminary round judges, including Evelyn Ambríz, Merry Buckley, Anitra Douglas-McCarthy, Christine Holmes, Janna Lamey, Nathan Lindberg, Heidi Marshall, and Christian Miller.
• Registration was opened from February – March 13, 2023, and an information was held on March 6. View the information session recording .
• Need assistance recording your video submission? Timeslots were available on Thursday, March 9 to record your preliminary round video in the Big Red Barn greenhouse with the help of a Barn staff member. Recording equipment was provided.

If you should have questions or concerns regarding the 3MT Competition, please email us at:  [email protected] . 

Sienna wins Griffith’s 3MT with a powerful visual insight

PhD candidate Sienna van Rossum entered Griffith’s Three Minute Thesis competition unsure if her topic could translate into an engaging presentation.

The Queensland College of Art and Design student came second in the Arts, Education and Law group heat, but went on to impress the judges enough to win the University 3MT final held at South Bank in August.

In her thesis, Ms van Rossum is investigating new ways in which we can better understand images and not take what we see at face value.

She used one of her oil portraits for her presentation slide and asked the audience to relax, absorb the image, and think about what they felt and how they responded to what they saw.

“What I was trying to do was have people take a moment to contemplate how they look, and how the way they look at the world affects them, how it has a profound influence as to how we shape today and tomorrow,” Ms van Rossum said.

“The act of looking is super important in my thesis, and we need to slow it down to know what we are doing and more importantly, where we are going.”

Ms van Rossum’s 3MT presentation titled ‘Making contact with images: a return to the art of looking’ was judged the best of the 11 finalists, with the judges saying it was ‘clear, understandable and engaging, with demonstrable research impact’.

The judges were also won over by her ability to put context behind her research and praised her originality for using a single image on her slide.

Ms van Rossum will now head to the Asia-Pacific 3MT final in October when she’ll look to become Griffith’s inaugural winner of the regional decider.

The presentation from Salvador Cantellano from the Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research and Climate Action Beacon was also highly praised and named runner-up, and also claimed the People’s Choice award.

His presentation was titled ‘Reshaping the world through documentary cinema’.

Media enquiries

Griffith media team, looking for similar content read on..., directing her own story.

A love for storytelling transformed Griffith Film School alumnus Maeve McKenna into a prominent director in advertising and reality TV....

New Sport Scholarships announced

Griffith University has announced a new partnership with the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) to further support Australia’s high performance...

Nearly $3 million in NHMRC grants for Griffith research

Griffith has been awarded nearly $3 million from the NHMRC 2023 Partnership Projects PRC2 round.

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2024 Three Minute Thesis Competition Finals

November 14, 2024 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm, about this event.

The 2024 Three Minute Thesis competition at Mississippi State University will be held in Foster Ballroom U on Colvard Student Union's second floor. Morning and afternoon sessions will take place Nov. 13, and the final round will take place Nov. 14. Winners will receive cash prizes. All sessions are open to the public and are  a great opportunity to learn about MSU research in a TED-talk style presentation. 

The 3MT is a research competition in which graduate students present their research work to a panel of judges   in less than three minutes. The goal of the 3MT is for students to learn essential verbal communication skills that will help them provide a successful “sales pitch." 3MT is not an exercise in trivializing or "dumbing-down" research. It challenges students to consolidate their ideas and crystalize their research discoveries. 

Click here for the competition schedules or to join virtually!  (Password: 3MT2024)

Light refreshments will be served.

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