UGA Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition – Fall 2024
Three Minute Thesis is a professional and highly engaging international research communication competition. Better known by the acronym 3MT®, the competition requires contestants to explain their thesis or dissertation topic and its significance in three minutes or less using only a single static presentation slide.
The competition supports their capacity to effectively explain their research in three minutes, in a language appropriate to a non-specialist audience. This event is free and open to the public.
Fall 2024 Final Competition:
Thursday, November 14, 2024
Morton Theatre
Doors open at 6:00 pm
Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is an academic competition developed by The University of Queensland (UQ), Australia.
Become a participant
This competition challenges graduate students to explain their research to non-specialist audiences in the space of just three minutes. The winner takes home $1,000 and can represent UGA at the regional 3MT® competition. Master’s and Doctoral students are eligible.
The preliminary rounds will be held from September 16 through September 27, 2024. Competitors are narrowed down to a field of ten for the finals.
Finals will be held November 14, 2024, Morton Theatre.
Registration has closed for Fall 2024.
About
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.
Master’s and doctoral students have three minutes to present a compelling oration on their thesis or dissertation topic and its significance. 3MT® is not an exercise in trivializing or ‘dumbing-down’ research but forces students to consolidate their ideas and crystalize their research discoveries.
Eligibility
Currently enrolled master’s and doctoral students at the University of Georgia will be eligible to participate in 3MT®. Graduates are not eligible. Students must present on the research that will culminate in either their master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation. Previous winners of the 3MT® competition are not eligible to participate.
Prizes
- Winner: $1,000
- Runner-up: $750
- People’s Choice: $500
Rules
- A single static PowerPoint slide is permitted. No slide transitions, animations or ‘movement’ of any description are allowed. 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 (eg. 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 either movement or speech.
- The decision of the judging 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
Interested in learning more about how to make the most of your 3 minutes? Here’s a guide that that will help you to prepare and deliver an effective 3MT™ presentation.
Spring 2024 Competition Winners:
First Place: Hannah Ericson (Genetics) – Catalyzing Change: What Helps Department Heads Be Successful?
Runner Up: Jordan Parker (Comparative Biomedical Sciences) – Stem Cells In: The Journey to Sites of Injury
People’s Choice: Viviana Bravo (Odum School of Ecology) – Tiny Clues, Big Discoveries: Harnessing Envirionmental DNA to Study Macroinvertebrates Communities
Spring 2024 Finalists:
Viviana Bravo – Odum School of Ecology, “Tiny Clues, Big Discoveries: Harnessing Environmental DNA to Study Macroinvertebrates Communities”
Keiko Bridwell – Department of Linguistics, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, “The Influence of Culture, Community, an d Identity on Individual Southern Accents”
Hanna Ericson – Department of Genetics, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, “Catalyzing Change: What Helps Department Heads Be Successful?”
Jouman Hassan – Department of Food Science and Technology, Center for Food Safety, College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences, “Dangerous Liasons: Antibiotic Resistance Genes and Seafood”
Abarna Murugan – Comparative Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, “The Road to Early Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease”
Jordan Parker – Comparative Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, “Stem Cells In: The Journey to Sites of Injury”
Colin Peterson – Odum School of Ecology, “Cultivating Avian Conservation in Paddy Fields in Madagascar”
Rachel Rackers – Institute of Plant Breeding, Genetics, and Genomics, College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences, “Plant Powered Planes: Harnessing Biofuel Sorghum for Sustainable Aviation”
Breanna Timani – Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, “Zika: Coming to a Neighborhood Near You”
Mikaela Warner – Department of English, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, “Henry VIII and Disability Studies”
Spring 2024 Judges:
Lemuel LaRoche, Author, Poet, Speaker, UGA PT Instructor in Social Work, Founder and Executive Director of Chess and Community Inc.
Dana Nichols, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Student Success for the University System of Georgia
Becky Winkler, Member of the University of Georgia Foundation Board of Trustees, Industrial-Organizational Psychologist and Business Consultant
