The Three Minute Thesis (3MT®)
The College of Graduate Studies hosts the annual Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition to provide graduate students with the opportunity to gain valuable skills and network with fellow graduate students. Read below for more information about the competition!
About the 3mt®
The Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is an academic competition during which students must effectively explain their graduate research in three minutes or less to an audience of specialists and non-specialists alike.
History
The idea for the 3MT® competition came about at a time when the state of Queensland was suffering severe drought. To conserve water, residents were encouraged to time their showers, and many people had a three minute egg timer fixed to the wall in their bathroom. The then Dean of the UQ Graduate School, Emeritus Professor Alan Lawson, put two and two together and the idea for the 3MT® competition was born.
The first 3MT® competition was held at UQ in 2008 with 160 Research Higher Degree students competing. In 2009 and 2010, the 3MT® competition was promoted to other Australian and New Zealand universities and enthusiasm for the concept grew. Due to its adoption in numerous universities, a multi-national event was developed, and the Inaugural Trans-Tasman 3MT® competition was held at UQ in 2010. Since 2011, the popularity of the competition has increased and 3MT® competitions are now held in over 600 universities and institutions across 63 countries worldwide.
In November 2013, the first Universitas 21 (U21) 3MT® competition was held with several universities from around the world competing in a virtual competition. 2016 brought an expansion of the Trans-Tasman 3MT® competition to include a select number of Asian universities. The competition is now called the Asia-Pacific 3MT® competition.
Why should I participate?
- The competition builds presentation and communication skills.
- This is an opportunity to expand your network and develop new friendships!
- Participants learn to craft their very own elevator pitch that emphasizes why their research is so important!
- You'll be able to explain your research to potential employers who may not be experts in your research area.
Past Winner Testimonials
Read what past participants have shared about their experiences below!
“In a practical sense, the 3MT® competition successfully bridges the gap between academia and the public, an enormously beneficial task considering today’s surging population and exponential growth of information sharing."
Andrew Fialka, University Of Georgia, 2015 Winner
"It's very important to be able to explain your research in 3 minutes in a way that is easy to understand and conveys the general goal of your project...Being able to talk about my research in a few minutes has been very helpful for job interviews as well."
- Gilbert Castillo, North Carolina State University, 2016 Winner
"Preparing for and participating in the 3MT® competition was an incredible chance to develop my presentation skills and my research ‘pitch’. I had the opportunity to think very carefully about the ‘big picture’ aspect of my research."
- Erin Macri, University Of British Columbia-Vancouver, 2014 Runner-Up And People's ChoiceWinner
Watch Past 3MT® Winners
Watch Rachel's (College of Medicine and Life Sciences alumna) winning presentation from 2020!
Watch competitors share their research from all over the world!
Rules
Read below for rules of the competition and how judges evaluate challenger presentations!
Who Can Participate?
All graduate students in good academic standing who have successfully passed their qualifying exams and are working on a thesis, dissertation, or scholarly project may participate.
Presentation
Challengers must present their research in three minutes or less in a spoken word format and can have a single, static presentation slide if they wish (most contestants opt for one!). They can't use any props, videos, or audio to present.
The timer starts once the challenger makes a movement or begins speaking. If they go over three minutes, they lose!
Judging
A panel of 3-5 judges from different areas of speciality will evaluate the presenters based on the criteria below. Each of the below items is weighed equally and places emphasis on the audience's experience. The decision of the judges is final.
Comprehension & Content
- Did the presentation provide an understanding of the background to the research question being addressed and its significance?
- Did the presentation clearly describe the key results of the research including conclusions and outcomes?
- Did the presentation follow a clear and logical sequence?
- Was the thesis topic, key results, and research significance and outcomes communicated in a language appropriate to a non-specialist audience?
- Did the presenter avoid scientific jargon, explain terminology and provide adequate background information to illustrate points?
- Did the presenter spend adequate time on each element of their presentation? Did they elaborate for too long on one aspect or was the presentation rushed?
Engagement & 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 presenter have sufficient stage presence, eye contact and vocal range; maintain a steady pace, and have a confident stance?
- Did the presentation slide enhance the the presentation - was it clear, legible, and concise?
How Does the Competition Work?
Wondering how it all works? Here's a quick timeline from preparing our challengers all the way to the final competition!
1. Prep 4 Success 4 the 3MT® Workshop Series
Excited to participate, but don't quite know where to begin? We've got you covered. We'll be kicking off October 2024 with a series of preparatory workshops designed to help you develop your very own presentation and confidently present it at our qualifying round!
Writing a Recipe for a Tasty 3MT®
How do you transform your research into a concise, meaningful, and engaging verbal presentation that fits within 3 minutes? Where do you start? During this workshop, we equip you with a worksheet that helps you build the foundation of your presentation, but that's not all! In this workshop, we also share tips and tricks for "seasoning" your presentation to make it truly unique and yours. If you're new to Three Minute Thesis, you especially won't want to miss this!
Telling Your Visual Story for the 3MT®
Three Minute Thesis challengers get to have one, static presentation slide to accompany their presentation. What makes an impactful slide? We can help. This workshop will take you through useful tenets of design while providing you with effective and not-so-effective slide examples.
Presentation Skills for the 3MT®
Delivery is an essential part of a successful Three Minute Thesis presentation. During this workhshop, we share our favorite bits of advice for confidently explaining your research.
3MT® Practice Labs
We always advise challengers to practice, practice, practice! You'll have the opportunity to put your script to the test while receiving feedback on compositon and delivery.
2. Qualifying Round
The following applies to all but Judith Herb College of Education graduate students, as the college hosts its own qualifying round via the THInC-3M Research Competition!
On the week of November 4, 2024, the College of Graduate Studies will hold a qualifying round and 10 challengers (including two from the THInC-3M Research Competition) will advance to the final round.
Challengers, keep an eye on your Rockets email! You will receive a message from the 3MT® competition coordinator with your qualifying round time slot based on the preferences you shared in the registration form.
Following the final qualifying round presentation, scores will be tallied and all participants will receive an email within the same week with the results as well as the judging sheets with feedback. Even if you do not advance to the final competition, we invite you to come and cheer on your fellow Rockets!
3. Final Competition
The final competition will take place in front of a public audience comprised of the various members of the challengers' support systems! This is a celebration of the hard work all participants have put into the competition and we invite all students, staff, faculty, and community members to attend.
A panel of judges will select a first-place winner, runner-up, and honorable mention while the audience will select a People's Choice Award winner. The competition will commence and be followed by a reception. Then, everyone will return and winners will be announced!
2024 competition
The Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) Final Competition will take place on Thursday, November 21, 2024 on Main Campus in Memorial Field House Room 2100.
Questions?
Contact Competition Coordinators Teri Green & Yasmeen Hamdah!
Email: GradSuccess@utoledo.edu
Telephone: 419.530.2633 (Option 2)