three minute thesis competition 2021

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2021 3-Minute Thesis Competition

On April 17, 2021, Yale celebrated the diverse and innovate research of Ph.D students who presented their work in just 3 minutes using a single slide in Yale’s 3-Minute Thesis Competition.  This year, we welcomed the following panel of judges:

• Lynn Cooley, Dean of Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
• Victoria Bjorklund, ’77 PhD Medieval Studies, Chair, Robin Hood Foundation
• Bhaskar Ghosh, ’94 PhD Computer Science, Partner & CTO, 8VC

Seventeen Ph.D. students, including six of the finalists, completed   the Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning’s Public Communications Certificate as part of their training for the competition.

2021 Winners

First Place – Matthew Ellis (Cellular & Molecular Physiology):   Using Stem Cells to Model and Treat Cardiovascular Disease

* TIE* Second Place & Audience Selection:  Best in STEM – Malena Rice (Astronomy):  Searching for Planet Nine with the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite

* TIE* Second Place – Jake Heinlein (Chemical and Environmental Engineering):  From Waste to Fuel – Discovering How to Utilize a Greenhouse Gas

Third Place & Audience Selection:  Best in Humanities & Social Sciences – Dana Hayward (Sociology):  The Social Impact of Close Votes

You can view all of our finalists’ videos, as well as the awards ceremony, via the Office of Career Strategy YouTube channel .

This annual event is sponsored by the Yale Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, with generous support from the Graduate School Alumni Association (GSAA) through a gift by GSAA board member Kemal Ciliz ’95 MA (International and Development Economics). It is modeled on the 3MT® competition founded by the University of Queensland.  

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Visiting yale.

/images/cornell/logo35pt_cornell_white.svg" alt="three minute thesis competition 2021"> Cornell University --> Graduate School

Biochemistry, molecular and cell biology ph.d. candidate wins three minute thesis competition.

“My thesis explores the blueprint behind building a small intestine. I call it ‘to be or “knot” to be’,” began Bhargav Sanketi, a doctoral candidate in biochemistry, molecular and cell biology, at the sixth Cornell University Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition.

Alongside seven other finalists, Sanketi presented his dissertation research in just three minutes to a panel of judges and an audience from across campus. Presentations were judged by how clearly and compellingly they summarized their research using only one static slide to a general audience.

His presentation, “To be or ‘knot’ to be: Blueprint for a small intestine,” earned him first place and $1,500. Second place and $1,000 was awarded to food science and technology doctoral candidate Rachel Allison for her presentation, “What CAN we do about stinky wine?”

After nearly 200 audience members cast their ballots, votes were tallied and the People’s Choice Award and $300 were presented to entomology doctoral candidate Kara Fikrig for her presentation, “Are mosquitoes picky eaters?”

Having enjoyed the 3MT as an audience member in the past, Sanketi appreciated the opportunity to participate in – and win – this year’s competition.

“I think as scientists, we get so lost in our work that it’s easy to lose sight of what’s important,” he said. “I had attended previous editions of 3MT and always found them really entertaining. The idea of getting a diverse audience excited about a pretty heavy academic topic forces you to zoom out and see the big picture.”

For Allison, undertaking the challenge of distilling a dense topic into accessible and engaging content was a primary motivator for her participation.

“Going through the job interview process, I realized how challenging it could be to communicate my research experience to a non-specialist audience,” she said. “My career goal is to one day combine technical and business consulting in the wine industry, and adaptable communication skills will be essential. As a result, I have been trying to practice by taking advantage of more speaking opportunities.”

The 3MT competition was first held in 2008 at the University of Queensland and has since been adopted by over 600 graduate schools in over 65 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. The event has grown steadily since that time and this year, Cornell’s winner will compete in the Northeastern Association of Graduate Schools regional competition next month, and the top two winners from that event will showcase their research at the Council of Graduate Schools annual meeting in December 2021.

“I am so impressed with each and every one of this year’s competitors,” said Jan Allen, associate dean for academic and student affairs. “They are all to be recognized for their successful presentations. In addition to presenting their complex research in just three minutes, everyone rose to the challenge of doing so in a virtual format. These skills will prove beneficial in academic work as well as in future careers.”

Understanding the importance of communicating scientific topics clearly, Fikrig looked at the 3MT as a way to learn techniques for getting and holding listeners’ attention when sharing her research broadly.

“I value science communication and recognize the importance of being able to explain my science in a way that is both comprehensible and interesting to the public. This is especially true since I study mosquitoes – the threat of disease transmission underscores the need to effectively communicate about my study system,” she said. “After watching videos of past 3MT presenters, I thought that the competition would be a great opportunity to learn and practice science communication skills. And I was not disappointed!”

Cornell’s sixth 3MT final round competition was held on Thursday, March 18, 2021 at 4:15 p.m. on Zoom.

This story is also available on the Cornell Chronicle website .

Spring 2021 3MT Finalists

Watch the 2021 Three Minute Thesis competition finale .

First Place: Bhargav Sanketi, biochemistry, molecular, and cell biology doctoral candidate

Watch Bhargav Sanketi’s 3MT presentation .

Special Committee Chair: Natasza Kurpios

Area of Research: Developmental biology of the small intestine

Biography: Bhargav Sanketi is a Ph.D. candidate in the Kurpios lab studying how the small intestine obtains its looped structure during development. His investigations use a combination of chicken embryology, mouse genetics, and single cell genomics. Bhargav is from Bangalore, India and spends his free time cooking, writing music, or watching international cinema. 

Favorite Thing About Cornell: All the waterfalls and gorges nearby.

What did you learn from the 3MT? How did it help you?

I think as scientists, we get so lost in our work that it’s easy to lose sight of what’s important. I had attended previous editions of 3MT and always found them really entertaining. The idea of getting a diverse audience excited about a pretty heavy academic topic forces you to zoom out and see the big picture. It feels nostalgic, like the first time I started thinking about the project and the analogies I used to understand it better.

Second Place: Rachel Allison, food science and technology doctoral candidate

Watch Rachel Allison’s 3MT presentation .

Special Committee Chair : Gavin Sacks

Area of Research: Wine flavor chemistry

Biography:  Rachel Allison is a Ph.D. candidate and aspiring consultant in the field of food science. With a focus in wine flavor chemistry, her research looks at the development of reductive off-aromas during wine storage, particularly related to the stability of enological treatments with copper and interactions between wine and aluminum can packaging.

Favorite Thing About Cornell: Curiosity is always encouraged.

Going through the job interview process, I realized how challenging it could be to communicate my research experience to a non-specialist audience. My career goal is to one day combine technical and business consulting in the wine industry, and adaptable communication skills will be essential. As a result, I have been trying to practice by taking advantage of more speaking opportunities.

I credit my lab group for helping me to develop my presentation skills over the last few years. I have always received insightful feedback from my friends and colleagues, and they encouraged me to participate in the 3MT. I received many different perspectives so I learned to interpret and condense a lot of presentation lessons alongside building the thesis story. Every comment helped me to construct an effective final product. I’m sure the experience will help me as I write my thesis.

People’s Choice: Kara Fikrig, entomology doctoral candidate

Watch Kara Fikrig’s 3MT presentation .

Special Committee Chair: Laura Harrington

Area of Research: Mosquito feeding ecology

Biography: Kara Fikrig studies mosquito feeding behavior and hopes that her research will help public health efforts to reduce global suffering from mosquito-borne diseases. She believes that science communication is critical to achieve that goal. As such, she is dedicated to ensuring that science is understood and valued by the public and elected representatives.

Favorite Thing About Cornell: The easy access to beautiful nature!

First, I would like to thank my family, friends, and lab for their support, both during this competition and throughout my development as a scientist.

I decided to participate in the 3MT competition because I value science communication and recognize the importance of being able to explain my science in a way that is both comprehensible and interesting to the public. This is especially true since I study mosquitoes – the threat of disease transmission underscores the need to effectively communicate about my study system.

After watching videos of past 3MT presenters, I thought that the competition would be a great opportunity to learn and practice science communication skills. And I was not disappointed! I learned new techniques, such as portraying enthusiasm despite being nervous, and had the opportunity to practice techniques that I had learned previously, like employing a hook to grab the listeners’ attention and using relatable metaphors. It was challenging to condense my project into three minutes – but the process of doing so helped me to realize that many of the details that I considered crucial were in fact unnecessary to understand the overarching message. The skills that I developed through participating in the 3MT competition will help me to more effectively and confidently communicate my science in the future. And I’m sure that the condensed explanation of my work will come in handy once social gatherings begin again! 

Xiangkun (Elvis) Cao,  mechanical engineering doctoral candidate

Watch Xiangkun (Elvis) Cao’s 3MT presentation .

Special Committee Chair: David Erickson

Area of Research: Artificial photosynthesis, solar fuels, CO2 conversion

Biography: Xiangkun (Elvis) Cao is a Ph.D. candidate in mechanical engineering working on artificial photosynthesis at Cornell University. He is a Lindau Nobel Alumnus (2020), UNICEF Young Changemaker on Sustainable WASH Solutions (2020), Forbes 30 Under 30 Honoree (2019), and BP Future Energy Leader (2019), among others. 

Favorite Thing About Cornell: The ice cream at the Cornell Dairy Bar.

Olivia Graham,  ecology and evolutionary biology doctoral candidate

Watch Olivia Graham’s 3MT presentation .

Special Committee Chair: Drew Harvell

Area of Research: Marine ecology, disease ecology, community ecology

Biography: Olivia Graham is a Ph.D. candidate in Drew Harvell’s lab. By combining field and laboratory approaches, she studies the role of environment and biodiversity—host genetics, herbivores, and microbes—on disease dynamics in seagrass. Outside of all things marine, Olivia enjoys baking, adventures with her puppy, and science communication.

Favorite Thing About Cornell: Cornell is truly an institution where anyone can study anything. The opportunities are boundless, creating a diverse, collaborative learning environment and community.

Jessica Maya,  genetics, genomics, and development doctoral candidate

Watch Jessica Maya’s 3MT presentation .

Special Committee Chair: Maureen Hanson

Area of Research: Immunology and metabolism of chronic fatigue syndrome

Biography: Jessica Maya is a fourth year graduate student originally from Birmingham, Alabama. She has been doing scientific research since high school and has worked on projects involving human diseases for the majority of that time. Maya comes from a big Colombian family, and when she’s not in lab, she enjoys painting, quilting, and salsa dancing. 

Favorite Thing About Cornell: My favorite thing about Cornell is how collaborative all of the labs and departments are with each other. The interdisciplinary approach that is fostered here allows for some amazing work to get done!

Seema Singh, city and regional planning doctoral candidate

Watch Seema Singh’s 3MT presentation .

Special Committee Chair: Michael A. Tomlan

Area of Research: Transport planning, gender-sensitive planning, and urban governance

Biography: Seema Singh studies gender and transport linkages in India. She hopes to reduce gender-based inequalities in cities by mainstreaming women’s needs in transport planning and policymaking. She is enthusiastic about sustainable living and was selected as a Young leader in Sustainable Transport in 2019.

Favorite Thing About Cornell: Cornell’s motto: “… an institution where any person can find instruction in any study.”

Alan Sulpizio,  biochemistry, molecular, and cell biology doctoral candidate

Watch Alan Sulpizio’s 3MT presentation .

Special Committee Chair: Yuxin Mao

Area of Research: Biochemistry and structural biology

Biography: Alan Sulpizio is interested in learning about proteins of unknown function. He considers the infectious bacteria Legionella an excellent organism to study because they use many alien-like protein weapons to hijack our cells. By discovering how these unique legionella proteins act, we can learn more about our biology and potential therapeutics.

Favorite Thing About Cornell:  Hiking through the beautiful nature surrounding campus.

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JMU’s Fourth Annual Three Minute Thesis competition was held Friday, January 22, 2021. This was a unique competition because it was the first time the event was held virtually on our campus! Students not only had to present; but create videos, slides, and learn how to edit them together. They did a wonderful job and their videos are viewable below.

After deliberation, the judges decided that Dominique Lockwood won the first place prize with their presentation. In second place was Rania Zaied, and in third Julian White. Allison Pingston’s presentation won the People’s Choice award based on votes from the audience.

Gabe Gilmore

Program: M.A. in Psychological Sciences

Advisor: Dr. Jeff Dyche

"The Effect of SSRIs and SNRIs on Circadian Rhythms and Cognitive Performance" 

"Voluntary Alcohol Consumption and Sleep Deprivation in Adult Rats"

Dominique Lockwood

Program: M.S. Biology

Advisor: Dr. Louie Wurch

Brenna Matlock

Program: M.A. in Writing, Rhetoric, and Technical Communication

Advisor: Dr. Cathryn Molloy

"The Rhetorical Significance of Women Deminers and Female Participation in Post-Conflict Operations"

Allison Pingston

Program: Masters of Physician Assistant Studies

Advisor: Dr. Abby Massey

"Peer Support Wellness Groups In Physician Assistant School"

Julian White

Program: Ph.D. in Communication Sciences and Disorders

Advisors: Dr. Cynthia O'Donoghue

"Does side-lying position improve swallow safety for at-risk infants?"

Rania Zaied

Program: M.A. in Communication and Advocacy

Advisor: Dr. Kathryn Hobson

"Comedy and Muslim Representations: A Rhetorical Analysis of Ramy Youssef: Feelings"

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2021 U-Wide Three Minute Thesis Competition

The 3-Minute Thesis (3MT®) challenges students to communicate the significance of their projects without the use of props or industry jargon, in just three minutes. The competition develops academic, presentation, and research communication skills and help students' learn to quickly explain their research to a non-specialist audience leaving them wanting to know more.

Date: Friday, November 12, 2021 Time: Presentations: 10 a.m. | Winner Selected & Announced: 11-11:30 a.m. Place:  Virtual via Zoom

Participants: Courtney Boucher Kinesiology, Ph.D., College of Education & Human Development Who hires women coaches? Holding athletic directors accountable Katie Cassidy Water Resources Science, M.S., Duluth Campus Environmental Impacts of the Application of Potassium Acetate as a Deicer

Yaling Liu Mechanical Engineering, College of Science & Engineering Transparent Solar Panel: Luminescent Solar Concentrator Marissa Milstein Veterinary Medicine, Ph.D., College of Veterinary Medicine Understanding Pathogen Spillover from Wildlife to Humans in the Amazon Taz Mueller Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Ph.D., College of Biological Sciences Using Leaf Microbes to Untangle the Five Drivers of Community Assembly Jack Rabe Conservation Sciences, M.S., College of Food, Agricultural & Natural Resource Sciences Age Isn’t Just a Number: Why Different Predators Killing Different Elk Matters Zack Roloff Rehabilitation Science, Ph.D., Medical School Disrupting the Super-Relaxed State of Myosin through Physical Activity Vrishali Salian Pharmaceutics, Ph.D., College of Pharmacy Identifying Early Signs of Alzheimer’s Disease: An Attempt to Color Lives Walter Wu Psychology, Ph.D., College of Liberal Arts Pandemic, Visual Impairment, and Social Isolation Judges

• Dylan Galos, Ph.D., Senior Evaluator, Minnesota Department of Health
• Sue Gens, Executive Director, Minnesota State Arts Board
• Mike O. Kenyanya, U of MN Regent, Consulting Analyst, Accenture
• Mark Kief, Ph.D., Senior Director and Technologist, Seagate Technology
• Yagna Pathak, Ph.D., Staff Research Scientist, Applied Research, Abbott Neuromodulation

We invite you to check out the  presentations from last year’s participants . 

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2021 Three Minute Thesis Competition

Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Event Recap

The Graduate School and Marquette University held the 3MT® competition on February 26, 2021.  The Three Minute Thesis is a global research communication competition developed by The University of Queensland in Australia.  It is an academic competition for doctoral and master’s degree students that require each participant to explain his or her research effectively in three minutes, using one slide, with no animation.

After competing in a qualifying round, the finalists were chosen to compete for the coveted prize of $500.  Additionally, $250 was awarded to the Runner-Up.

The final competition was judged by Dr. Judy Yin Shih, Retired Mental Health Clinician and Health Policy Analyst, Dr. Kimo Ah Yun, Acting Provost, Marquette University; Kelly McShane, Trustee at Marquette University; and Ms. Devi Shastri, Statewide Higher Education Reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Congratulations to this year's winner Adam Knier and runner-up Joey Avila!

Adam Knier, a doctoral student in Biological Sciences, emerged as the Three Minute Thesis competition winner with his presentation, “Potential Oxidative Protection from Transthyretin Amyloidosis (ATTR)”.  Adam will move on to represent Marquette University at the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools regional competition.

The Runner-Up was awarded to Joey Avila, a doctoral student in Biomedical Engineering, with his presentation, "Crashing into Spine Safety".

Congratulations and thank you to our winners and competitors from this year’s competition!  It was incredible to learn about the research from our graduate students. 

First Place Winner: Adam Knier - Biological Sciences

Thesis: potential oxidative protection from transthyretin amyloidosis (attr), runner-up winner: joey avila - biomedical engineering, thesis: crashing into spine safety, jesey gopez - psychology, thesis: the beginning of friendship: teaching individuals to identify common interests, xie jiayu - electrical and computer engineering, thesis: predictions for robots: so, what’s next, nasim maghboli balasjin - biological sciences, thesis: plant growth: promoting bacteria that contribute to the success of cold tolerant rice, timothy radke - electrical and computer engineering, thesis: keeping uavs safe through hardware security.

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3 Minute Thesis Competition

Sample Slide Images Below:

Submit your Accepted Abstract for the 3-Minute Thesis Competition! 

3 Minute Thesis

The 3 Minute Thesis (3MT®) is a national competition celebrating the exciting research conducted by PhD candidates.

PhD candidates have just three minutes and one slide to effectively explain their research to a non-specialist audience. In the best interests of public health, the 2021 3MT Competition has moved to a virtual format, and competitors have submitted a pre-recorded video of their 3MT presentation.

The University of Adelaide 3MT Finals was held on Tuesday, 14 September 2021.

UoA 3MT final winner

Trang Nguyen Faculty of the Professions Help that banana peel rot in the right place – the Green bin

People's choice winner

Tassia Oswald Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences Green views for screen blues

Student's choice winner

Help that banana peel rot in the right place – the Green bin

Trang Nguyen - Winner Faculty of the Professions

Green views for screen blues

Tassia Oswald - People's and Student's Choice Award Winner Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences

• Alana Delaine -  This is the house that wasps built
• Caitlin Adams -  Spotting the difference in online video
• Chye Yi Leow -  Plastic recycling reimagined
• Ella Roberts -  Where do ghosts come from? Understanding the sources of high energy neutrinos
• Harry Carpenter -  The silent pandemic
• Jennifer Stokes  -  Enabling hope: building confidence, capabilities and knowledge through university pathway
• Janine Tam -  Silencing the alarm of an inflammation invasion
• Sara Qanti -  It is what it is: Women’s participation in agricultural decision making

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.

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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

• Enroll & Pay
• 2022 3MT® In-Person Competition
• 2021 3MT® Virtual Competition
• 2020 3MT® Virtual Competition

3MT at the University of Kansas

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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• 2020 KU 3MT® Competition

3MT® Competition @ KU

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Biology, engineering students win Three Minute Thesis competition

Three graduate students walked away winners from the 2021 Ohio University Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition finals hosted by the Graduate College on March 24.

"The Three-Minute Thesis competition showcases the phenomenal research our OHIO graduate students are doing," said Becky Bushey-Miller, director of communications and professional development in the Graduate College.

This is the sixth year that OHIO has participated in 3MT, which is now a worldwide phenomenon.

"At some point in their careers, graduate students will need to explain to others what their research includes. This competition helps these graduate students by requiring them to prepare professional presentations succinctly for a non-expert audience. No one knows their research like they do. The challenge is describing its purpose and importance to someone else in a limited amount of time with a single PowerPoint slide," Bushey-Miller said.

Fourteen students competed this year, using their three minutes to present a compelling oration on their thesis or dissertation to a panel of OHIO judges. Cash prizes were given to the top three competitors: $300 for first place, $200 for second place and $100 for third place.  

First place went to Cassandra Thompson for her project on "Pesticides: The Good, The Bad, The Frogs."

"I've always had a passion for SciComm, which made this a great exercise to put communication skills to work!" said Thompson, who is working on finishing her dissertation and then hitting the job market in 2022. 

"When giving a presentation, it's important to gauge your audience ahead of time so you know how to set the stage and what jargon is appropriate. It's always challenging to articulate your research in a way that anyone, without your background, can understand, but it's such an important skill to have! The end goal for our research is to publish and share results with the community. I don't want my research to be limited to scientists in my field, but to be widely available and accessible, which is where science communication exercises like this come into play. It is especially difficult to fit your research into three minutes, though. It's essentially an elevator pitch!" she said.

"Invasive species are unfortunately pervasive across our landscape. One in particular that has made its way into Ohio is the Hemlock Wooly Adelgid, which has killed millions of Eastern Hemlocks across North America. The most common practice to combat this invasive is through the use of a neonicotinoid pesticide called Imidacloprid, which is often sprayed around the base of infected trees, leading to runoff into nearby bodies of water, where amphibians may be breeding,” she said about her research topic. 

Thompson studied the pesticide's effect on a common North American amphibian, the wood frog.

"My 3MT was titled ‘Pesticides: The Good, The Bad, & The Frogs.’ So, the good is that imidacloprid is effective at controlling the spread of hemlock wooly adelgid, but the bad  is that it can negatively affect amphibian populations at multiple and critical life stages. Luckily, there is something we can do for the frogs. We can better manage the type of pesticide application by using tree injections in place of the more common soil drenching method, which not only has more effective uptake of imidacloprid by the hemlocks, but also has little to no runoff into nearby bodies of water. But it is a more expensive practice to consider in management decisions. The premise of this research is understanding that yes, invasives are bad, but realizing that we have to understand the tradeoffs of using a pesticide like imidacloprid and the effects it can have on vulnerable species, like amphibians, in order to better inform management decisions in the fight against invasives like the hemlock wooly adelgid,” Thompson explained.   

Second place went to Marissa Dyck , who spoke about “Assessing population viability of Ohio’s recovering bobcats ( Lynx rufus ).”

Her three-minute thesis focused on her research assessing population viability of Ohio’s recovering bobcats. She incorporated road mortality, habitat suitability and estimates of demographic rates to model a current and a proposed trapping scenario for Ohio’s bobcats. Her results indicated that Ohio’s bobcat population appears to be growing, and neither scenario predicted extinction for Ohio’s bobcats in the next 40 years. Dyck and collaborators are working with the Ohio Division of Wildlife to explore additional scenarios that will inform management decisions.

"The hardest thing about synthesizing my research into a three-minute presentation was deciding what details of the process were crucial to understanding the research. With such a short presentation, you must leave some details out, and that was difficult because the modeling approach we used was very complex, with a lot of work and people contributing and collecting the data for it, and I unfortunately wasn't able to highlight everyone's contributions," says Dyck, adding that her 3MT presentation encompasses one chapter of her dissertation.

Both Thompson and Dyck are studying ecology and evolutionary biology in the College of Arts & Sciences and are mentored by Dr. Viorel Popescu , assistant professor of biological sciences .

Third place went to Xianlong Zeng for his project on "Medical Risk Prediction Using Deep Learning." Zeng is studying computer science in the Russ College of Engineering and Technology. His adviser is Chang Lui , professor of electrical engineering and computer science .

"My 3MT topic is about teaching AI to identify patients with high medical risk automatically—i.e., find patients who are likely to spend a lot of money in the coming future," said Zeng, who is currently preparing his dissertation.

"Hopefully, I can land a job on the West Coast in the near future and fly there with a 'Dr.' on the ticket,” he said.

His family grew by one recently, and Zeng said his new baby was part of his 3MT preparation.

"I wrote down the words in advance and kept rehearsing until I no longer needed to glance at the writing. I repeated it so many times that my baby's first word out of mouth might be 3MT," he added.

The judges for the final round were:

• Dr. Kelly Broughton, assistant dean, University Libraries
• Dr. Christopher Hayes, associate dean, College of Fine Arts
• Dr. Sara Helfrich, associate dean, Patton College of Education
• Dr. Brian McCarthy, associate dean, College of Arts and Sciences
• Dr. Joseph Shields, vice president of research and creative activity and dean of the Graduate College

• Schedule 2024
• Judging Criteria
• Eligibility
• Resources for Participants
• Testimonials
• 2023 Finalists
• 2022 finalists
• 2021 Finalists
• 2020 Finalists

• Winners of the 2024 3MT competition

Participate or join the fun in this year’s 3MT

Questions about participating in 3MT?

Latest News

• Graduate students compete in the Finals
• Watch the Semi-Final events
• Arts graduate student wins UBC 3MT competition
• Watch the 2023 UBC 3MT competition

In this section

• Graduate Program-Specific Contacts
• Doctoral Dissertation Guidelines and Procedures
• Dissertation Release and Embargo Procedures
• Guide to Enrolling in Master's Thesis
• Thesis Release and Embargo Procedures
• Graduate Studies Forms

Three Minute Thesis Competition

• Graduate Student Appreciation Week

The Three Minute Thesis (3MT)  is an academic research communication competition originally developed by the University of Queensland (UQ), Australia. The goal of the competition is for students to verbally summarize their master's thesis or doctoral dissertation research in a compelling way to a non-specialist audience in 3 minutes or less.

Competitor Details

WHAT:  Competition to verbally summarize your master's thesis or doctoral dissertation research in a compelling way to a non-specialist audience in 3 minutes or less.

WHEN:  Thursday, March 7, 2024 3-4 PM

WHERE: Borg Warner Auditorium, IAVS Building (1011)

DEADLINE TO REGISTER  Sunday, March 3, 2024 by midnight, EST

Why Participate?

• Share your work with the greater university community. 
• Develop academic, presentation, and research communication skills. 
• Each competitor will receive a $30 Amazon gift card. 
• The campus winner will receive an additional $200 Amazon gift card and go on to compete at the in-person  Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools regional competition  held April 5, 2024 in St. Louis, MO.
• Must be a currently enrolled UM-Dearborn master's or doctoral level student Winter 2024 term. Must have recently completed or be working on a master's thesis or doctoral dissertation. 
• One single static PowerPoint slide is permitted, but not required. Slide transitions, animations or ‘movement’ of any description of the slide content is not allowed.
• No additional electronic media (e.g. sound and video files) are permitted.
• No additional props (e.g. notecards, scripts, pointers, costumes, musical instruments, laboratory equipment) are permitted.
• Presentations are limited to 3:00 minutes maximum and competitors exceeding 3:00 minutes are disqualified.
• Presentations are to be spoken word (e.g. no poems, raps or songs).
• Presentations are considered to have commenced when a presenter begins through movement or speech.

JUDGING CRITERIA

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?
• Was 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 - or did they elaborate for too long on one aspect or 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; maintain a steady pace, and have a confident stance?
• Did the PowerPoint slide enhance the presentation - was it clear, legible, and concise?

2024 Three Minute Thesis Competition Contestants

Participants L to R : Elie Rizk, Siddhi Baravkar, Sai Santosh Reddy Danda, Kais Riani, Nilakshi Pokharkar, Lilit Avetisyan, Shahid Aziz Khan, Michael Dolan, Zachery Hurd, Venus Kakdarvishi, Dasol Han

Winner : Sai Santosh Reddy Danda

Program of Study : Electrical, Electronics, and Computer Engineering (PhD)

3MT Competition Title : "Driving Behavior on Ramp as a Marker for Early Detection of Alzheimer's Disease"

Thesis/Dissertation Adviser :Dr. Yi Lu Murphey

2023 Three Minute Thesis Competition Contestants

Winner : Hajira Baig

Program of Study : Psychology (MS)

3MT Competition Title : Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Post-Traumatic Growth Among Emerging Adults

Thesis/Dissertation Adviser : Dr. Pam McAuslan

Congratulations to the 2022 Three Minute Thesis Competition Winner: Katie Smith!

3MT Competition Title:  Parent and Child Adaption to COVID-19

Thesis Advisor:  Dr. Caleb Siefert

Full competitor list: Aishwary Pawar, Kais Riani, Srikanth Kolachalama, Mansi Girdhar, Rachel Routin, Ruslan Akhmedagaev, Megha Datta, Amanda Langolf, Alicia Forsythe

Check out the recording of the 2022 Three Minute Thesis Event!

Congratulations to the 2021 Three Minute Thesis Competition Winner: Charlie Giraud!

3MT Competition Title: Discrimination, Concealment, & Multiple Minority Status within LGBTQ+ Populations

Thesis/Dissertation Adviser: Dr. Michelle Leonard

Full competitor list: Bowen Zhang, Mrinal Jha, Hyunjae Park, Hyunjoo Park, Ruslan Akhmedagaev, Joyce Kuribayashi, Charlie Giraud, Gabrielle Alter, Sally Thrasher, JaLeshea Ligon

C heck out the recording of the 2021 Three Minute Thesis Event!

2020 Three Minute Thesis Competition Contestants

Winner: Malak Nasser - "Engineering Tumor Microenvironments for Drug Screening"

Check out last year's  video  for our 2020 Three Minute Thesis Competition!

2019 Three Minute Thesis Competition Contestants

Winner: Christin DeWit - "Treatment Related Stress in Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder"

Check out  this video  from our 2019 competition.

2018 Three Minute Thesis Competition Contestants

Winner: Chazlyn Miller -  "Understanding Perceptions of and Reactions to Sexual Assault"

2017 Three Minute Thesis Competition Contestants

Winner: Devon Kardel - "Mindfully Managing Life Experiences Together" 

2016 Three Minute Thesis Competition Contestants

Winner: Nevrus Kaja - "A Trust Model in Cloud Computing"

Related Resources

• Graduate Admissions
• Graduate Catalog
• Certificates
• Academic Calendar

Office of Graduate Studies

Three Minute Thesis Competition (3MT)® @ Mona: Winners 2021

• Rules and Judging Criteria
• Winners 2021
• Competition 2022
• Competition 2023

Help and information

• Ask a Librarian
• Email:                [email protected]

Main Library:                      (876)-935-8296

Mobile/whatsapp:              (876)-564-0344, become a 3mt contestant.

APPLY TO BECOME A CONTESTANT 

3MT Testimonial

Key Dates For The 2023 Three Minute Thesis Competition

Previous 3mt® winners.

From left to right: Kemmoy Lattibeaudiere (Runner Up - Faculty of Medical Sciences);  Mr. Jordan Freeman  (Winner- Faculty of Science and Technology);  Andre Bernard (People’s Choice - Faculty of Humanities)

• Dunne, Pierre, Barnett $100,000.00
• Graduate Studies $50,000.00
• EBSCO: $50,000.00

3MT® 2021 Winners and their Entries

• Jordan Freeman 2021 Winner
• Kemmoy Lattibeaudiere 2021 Second Place
• Andre Bernard 2021 People's Choice

• << Previous: Previous Competitions
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• Last Updated: Jun 19, 2023 5:09 PM
• URL: https://libguides.uwi.edu/3MTCompetition

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Graduate College

Uic graduate college three minute thesis 3mt competition 2021.

January 22 - February 22, 2021

Chicago, IL 60612

UIC Graduate students you are invited to enter the Graduate College’s Virtual Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition. The Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is an academic research communication competition developed by The University of Queensland (UQ), Australia.

The competition supports student’s capacity to effectively explain their research in three minutes, in a language appropriate to a non-specialist audience. They must condense their research into a brief, engaging presentation, using a single presentation slide. Students enrolled in either a Master’s or Ph.D. program with an original research project may compete.

Click Here for More Information

Date posted

Jan 22, 2021

Date updated

Three-Minute Thesis Grand Finale winners announced

Doctoral researcher Denis Ruto was awarded first place for his 3-minute thesis presentation on “Sustainable Nutrient Management Opportunities for Small Communities with Wastewater Lagoons.”

The Office of Graduate Education and Life announced the winners of the annual  Three-Minute Thesis Competition , which was held on April 3 during WVU Graduate Student Appreciation Week and Research Week.

Story by WVU Today Photos by WVU Today

Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources

For the first time in WVU 3MT competition history, two doctoral students tied for first place. Denis Ruto, from the Statler College , and Paige Zalman, PhD candidate from the College of Applied Human Services, received the same scores to win. Zalman also won the People’s Choice Award. 

Even though Ruto acknowledged that it was a great challenge to narrow down his dissertation and research to under three minutes, he impressed the judges on his presentation titled “Sustainable Nutrient Management Opportunities for Small Communities with Wastewater Lagoons.” 

Meanwhile, Zalman scored points with both the judges and audience members with her presentation on “Exploring Music Major Mental Health Using Photovoice and Narrative Inquiry.” She emphasized the importance of qualitative methodologies that can help people better understand the nature of problems people are researching today.

Second place was awarded to Kayla Steinberger, an immunology specialist in the School of Medicine, for her presentation on “Hypoxia Regulates Vessel-Modifying Macrophages and Vice Versa in Tumors.” She emphasized that, as a future scientist, it’s important to know how to best communicate her science to the public, so she takes every opportunity to get in front of people and “make stuff that's really hard, sound really easy.” 

Vaishakhi Suresh, an industrial and management systems engineering student in the Statler College, received third place for her research presentation on “Exploring the Challenges of Handling Mass Fatalities during the COVID-19 Pandemic.” When asked why she entered the competition, Vaishakhi said, “It's a great opportunity to talk about her research to the rest of the WVU community.” She was also excited to meet other students in different fields and learn more about their research.

This year’s judges included Ming Lei, senior associate vice president in the Office of Research and Graduate Education and vice dean of research in the School of Medicine; Rachel Morris, biology doctoral student in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences; Mikylah Myers, associate dean of artistic and scholarly achievement in the College of Creative Arts; Patricia Slagel, assistant director of advising and student operations of graduate programs in the John Chambers College of Business and Economics; and Daniel Totzkay, assistant professor of communication studies in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences. 

The internationally renowned 3MT competition, originally founded by the University of Queensland in Australia, challenges doctoral students to present their research topic and its significance in three minutes using a single PowerPoint slide. Competitors develop academic, presentation and research communication skills while gaining experience pitching their research succinctly to a non-specialist audience. 

Grand Finale prizes include: 

• First Place Prize: $1,000 

• Second Place Prize: $750 

• Third Place Prize: $500 

• People’s Choice Prize: $250 

Read more about all ten grand finale finalists and learn more about the WVU 3MT Competition.

Contact: Paige Nesbit Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources 304.293.4135, Paige Nesbit

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From left: Paul DiStefano, Dean Levon Esters, Auja Bywater and Aditya Sapra. Credit: The Graduate School. All Rights Reserved.

Chemical engineering graduate student wins first place at Three Minute Thesis contest

March 27, 2024

Editor’s note: A version of this article originally appeared on Penn State News .  

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Aditya Sapre, a doctoral candidate in chemical engineering, won first place in the final round of Penn State’s inaugural Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition, held on March 23 at the Penn Stater Hotel & Conference Center. He won a $1,000 cash prize and will advance to represent Penn State at the regional Three Minute Thesis competition at the Northeastern Association of Graduate Schools.    

“It’s very, very exciting,” Sapre said. “I have been practicing this for a long time and it’s all with the support of my group members and my professor who helped me trim the pitch in a particular way to convey all the points of our research and stay in three minutes.”   

Two other Penn State graduate students were honored as award recipients in the final round of the contest.  

“We have some extremely talented students,” said Levon Esters, vice provost for graduate education and dean of the Graduate School following the event's presentations. “It really makes me feel proud to be dean of the Graduate School at Penn State and know I’m going to come to work every day and be in the midst of talented students like yourselves. You all are going to do great things for years to come. A lot of the research we learned about today is going to change lives in so many impactful ways.”    

Auja Bywater, a doctoral student in food, science and technology, was awarded the $500 second-place prize. Paul DiStefano, a doctoral student in cognitive psychology, earned $500 and the People’s Choice Award, sponsored by the Graduate and Professional Student Association. Sapre and Bywater were selected by a panel of invited judges, and DiStefano’s award was chosen via in-person and online voting from the audience after the competition ended.    

The judges for the final round included Penn State alumnus Bimal Balakrishnan, professor and associate dean for research, College of Arts and Architecture, Mississippi State University; Kathy Drager, associate dean for research and graduate education, College of Health and Human Development, and professor of communication sciences and disorders; Esther Obonyo, associate professor of architectural engineering and director of Penn State’s Global Building Network; and Priyanka Paul, Penn State doctoral student in human development and family studies.    

The award recipients were three of 11 finalists that competed on March 23. That group came from a group of 60 students from 42 graduate programs who submitted videos as part of the first round of the competition earlier this year.   

Sapre’s presentation was titled “High Throughput and Cost-Effective Ways of Protein Identification,” and focused on one of the foremost challenges in drug discovery, pinpointing the specific target protein that can bind with the correct drug. Bywater’s presentation was titled “Improving Food Safety: Exploring Bacterial Diversity in Hydroponic Farming,” and shared her study that carried out a longitudinal assessment of microbial load of nutrient solution in different hydroponic farming systems. DiStefano’s presentation, titled “Is a Hotdog a Sandwich?: Measuring Overinclusive Thinking and Creativity,” provided an overview of a novel measure he developed that is designed to assess overinclusive thinking.    

The Three Minute Thesis is an academic research communication competition developed by the University of Queensland, Australia. Through the competition, graduate and professional students honed their academic and research presentation skills and their ability to effectively explain their research to a general audience. Each competitor had three minutes to speak and could use only one presentation slide.    

The Graduate School hosted the first University-wide 3MT competition in 2024 and plans to host another competition in the 2024-25 academic year. More information will be available on the Graduate School’s website in the fall 2024 semester.    

The event was live streamed and recorded, and community can view the competition on the Graduate School’s YouTube channel.

The Graduate School: 2024 Three Minute Thesis Competition. Credit: The Graduate School at Penn State

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Ericson takes Grand Prize at 13th Three-Minute Thesis competition

Hannah Ericson, a doctoral candidate in Genetics, is the Grand Prize Winner at this year’s University of Georgia Three Minute Thesis (3MT ® ) Competition for her presentation titled “Catalyzing Change: What Helps Department Heads Be Successful?”

A Ph.D. candidate studying biology education in the Genetics department in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, Hannah works with Dr. Tessa Andrews studying teaching evaluations at UGA :

To promote the use of evidence-based teaching practices, teaching evaluation needs to support, recognize, and incentivize their use. Teaching evaluation is inadequate in this regard at many institutions, relying solely on student surveys instead of multiple sources of evidence. Hannah’s research focuses on the changes to teaching evaluation that are occurring at UGA, as well as factors influencing these shifts in different STEM departments. Hannah is passionate about the use of evidence-based teaching practices, to provide the best possible experience for STEM students.  Originally from Illinois, she earned her bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Iowa. While there, her research centered around using fruit flies as a model to study epilepsy. She also helped in the description of a new species of parasitic wasp.

Congratulations to Ericson and all the participants for their successful [and succinct!] presentations! Very well done these outstanding graduate students.

Image: (l to r) Viviana Bravo, People’s Choice Winner; Jordan Parker, Runner-Up Winner;  Hannah Ericson, Grand Prize Winner

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Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition: results and videorecording

The University of Windsor 3MT Competition was held on April 9, 2024. Results and a videorecording of the Final are posted on the  UWindsor 3MT competition webpage .

— Published on Apr 12th, 2024

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