Three Minute Thesis (3MT)

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The Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is a research communication competition which challenges graduate students to present a compelling oration on their research and its significance in just three minutes in language appropriate to a non-specialist audience. ​The 3MT is NOT an exercise in trivializing or ‘dumbing-down’ research but forces students to consolidate their ideas and crystallize their research discoveries. Check out the video below (from the UA 2019 competition) to learn more or visit the 3MT University of Queensland site.

The 2021 UA 3MT finals were held on Monday November 15, 2021 at 7pm in the UA Digital Media Center. The event will be aired on Alabama Public TV early in the new year.

2021 UA 3MT Winners

2021 UA 3MT Winners

 

Name

Department

Title

Prize

1st Place

Carmen Foster

School of Social Work

Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 and Race-Based Trauma on the Mental Health of Black Social Work Professionals

$1,500

2nd Place

Miranda Rouse

Communication & Information Sciences

Academic ResponsAbilities: Challenging Ableist Perspectives in Public Speaking Programs

$1,000

3rd Place

Viprav Raju

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Image-Based Food Portion Size Estimation

$750

4th Place

Jacob Miranda

Psychology

Can Learning about the Subjectivity of Our Senses Reduce Overconfidence?

$250

People’s Choice Winner

Spenser Brown

Chemical and Biological Engineering

Engineering Dynamic Cancer Models

$750

Eligibility

Anyone who is currently registered and enrolled in a Masters or Doctoral program will be eligible to participate in 3MT. Graduates are not eligible.

Rules (from The University of Queensland 3MT website)

  • 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 (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 either movement or speech.
  • The decision of the adjudicating panel is final.

Judging

Each competitor will be judged on the criteria listed below. Click HERE for a copy of the ballot that will be used by our judges.

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

ONLINE  3-Minute Thesis Practice for students

Practice your 3MT presentation online using CrimsonCareers.  Follow these directions:

  1. Students login to CrimsonCareers and complete their free account.
  2. On the student homepage of CrimsonCareers, select the Resources tab to find the option for Mock Interviews.
  3. Search for “3-Minute Thesis” on the list of customized interviews.
  4. If students have a computer with a built-in webcam, they can select the 3MT interview and do a trial run of their 3MT presentation as many times as they would like. If students do not have access to a webcam, students are welcome to contact the Career Center (348-5848) to use their Mock Interview space.

Students can watch their own recordings as well as submit their recordings to have them critiqued online. This is a great tool we recommend all graduate students to try.

Past Winners

Watch three minute presentations by past winners and learn more about 3MT at http://threeminutethesis.org.

Questions

Contact Tierney Jenkins at tjenkins2@ua.edu