Three minutes to present years of research. Are you up to the challenge?

In the international Three Minute Thesis competition, you’ll present your work in minutes, and learn effective communication skills that will last a lifetime.

The Three Minute Thesis

We are excited to announce the 2023 3 Minute Thesis Competition for School of Graduate Studies students. Created in 2008 by the University of Queensland, the Three Minute Thesis Competition (3MT®) has become an acclaimed national and international research competition. 

The Three Minute Thesis competition celebrates the exciting research conducted by doctoral students at SGS. It cultivates students’ presentation, and research communication skills and offers an opportunity for interdisciplinary networking and possible collaboration. The competition supports the students’ capacity to effectively explain their research in three minutes, in a language appropriate to a non-specialist audience. As such, it offers an excellent avenue for professional development of our students whether they are planning to pursue a career in or beyond academia.

Eligible students must be active School of Graduate Studies Ph.D. candidates who have successfully passed their qualifying exams by the date of their first 3MT presentation (the preliminary round on March 9).

SGS faculty, please consider encouraging your eligible students to take part in this year’s competition.  Interested students should attend a 3MT information session (if you attended one of the information sessions last semesters, be on the lookout for a Canvas course invite).

The first-place winner will be invited to compete in a regional 3MT competition hosted by the Northeastern Association of Graduate Schools (NAGS).

This will be an online 3MT competition following the virtual competition rules. Register in advance for these events using the links below. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

If you have any questions, please contact Assistant Deans Dr. Ramazan Gungor (Ramazan.gungor@rutgers.edu and Dr. Doreen Badheka doreen.badheka@rutgers.edu.

3MT Info Session I

When: Feb 14, 2023 03:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

https://rutgers.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0oceqpqT0vHtOLqvmGRddTBHnYizsWC24A

 

3MT Info Session II

When: Feb 16, 2023 03:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

https://rutgers.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0tcumgpj4vHdCwWwEix--_TDKCL9G6sMhR

 

Preliminary Round

When: Mar 9, 2023 04:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

https://rutgers.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwqdeitrzgsHNDMlNjFRgfE9Wtcyqsc79f4

 

Feedback Session

When: Mar 23, 2023 03:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

https://rutgers.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0sc-qprTwsEtQ1jTECd1Cm0KUkZy-Fm2ah

 

3MT Final TBA for Early April

 

The 3MT competition will teach you how to communicate effectively to specialists and non-specialists alike, preparing you to present your research at scholarly conferences and to take part in both academic and professional job markets.

The competition also promotes the value of doctoral research to a wider community and strengthens scholarly engagement and collaboration across the disciplines.

Eligible students must be active School of Graduate Studies Ph.D. candidates who have successfully passed their qualifying exams by the date of their first 3MT presentation.

Interested students are strongly encouraged to attend a 3MT information session as well as the 3MT preparation workshops*. Students will need to register for the competition online and participate in the preliminary round.

The top eight candidates from the preliminary rounds will advance to the final round of competition, which will take place on Tuesday, March 26, 2019, at the Kathleen W. Ludwig Global Village on Douglass Campus.

Top presenters will receive cash prizes:

  • $500 for first place
  • $250 for the runner-up
  • $250 for the audience choice

The first place winner will be invited to compete in a regional 3MT competition hosted by the Northeastern Association of Graduate Schools (NAGS).

*Please note that 3MT Preparation workshops are not mandatory for interested participants. However, it is strongly recommended that students attend one of our workshops. Students that are not interested in 3MT but would like to further develop their scholarly presentation skills are welcome to attend either workshop.

Contact Assistant Dean Ramazan Gungor to determine eligibility

Get directions to the competition location

If you’re planning to participate in this year's 3MT competition, we encourage you to check out these videos for helpful information.

See the tips video

See the most common mistakes video

See a sample 3MT Coaching Session

See the 3MT video archive

Rules

Student presenters are permitted a single, static power point slide to enhance their presentation, and the slide cannot contain any sound or video files.

Presenters are strictly limited to three minutes of presentation time. No props of any kind are permitted, and notes cannot be used during the presentation.

Presentations must be spoken word and must commence from the stage. Presentations are considered to have commenced when the speaker starts the presentation through movement or speech.

The decision of the adjudicating panel is final.

 

Judging Criteria

A panel of non-specialist judges will evaluate all student presentations.

Presentations will be evaluated based on comprehension, content, engagement, and communication.

3MT 2020 WINNERS & FINALISTS

Please join us in congratulating our 3MT 2020 Winners and finalists! To view video recordings of student presentations, please click here.

1st Place Winner:
Christina Verhagen, Earth & Planetary Sciences
3MT Title: Magnetic Clocks in Crater Rocks

2nd Place Winner:
Franklin Halprin, Planning and Public Policy
3MT Title: The Bear Truths: Power, History, and Conflict in New Jersey Black Bear Policy

3rd Place Winners:
Rachel Dickler, Education
3MT Title: Using Artificial Intelligence to Support Struggling Students in STEM

Sasha Leidman, Geography
3MT Title: The Mystery of Greenland’s Dark Streams: How Microbes Melt the Greenland Ice Sheet

Finalists:

Analia Albuja, Psychology, How Does Discrimination Affect Bicultural People?

Kate Douthat, Ecology and Evolution, Can a Ditch by the Side of the Road Save Butterflies?

Robert Dowden, Kinesiology and Health, “Long Reads” Show Exercise Alters “Who’s There?” in Gut Bacteria

Serena DeStefani, Psychology, The Space Within

Shilpaa Mukundan, Biomedical Engineering, Bioengineering Miniaturized Tuberculosis (TB) Structures for Drug Discovery

Vinam Puri, Pharmaceutical Science, Topically Getting Rid of Nail Fungus

STUDENT TESTIMONIALS

3MT is a valuable experience for student participants. Past SGS students described their experiences stating:

"This is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to express the complete research work in limited time to layman audience which otherwise I would have never thought of doing!"

"The condensed format really made me think carefully about what parts of my project are the most important. Putting together my presentation helped me refine my "elevator pitch" for conferences and interviews and it also helped me become a more concise speaker as I got a lot of practice editing out unnecessary phrases from my 3MT drafts."

"It helped me to organize my thoughts in a concise and logical manner, which was important for writing my full length thesis."

"It was both a unique experience and a challenging quest that uninhibited me to share my passion for all my work and my efforts."

Additional resources

If you need more information, use the resources below:

Ramazan Gungor at the New Brunswick/Piscataway campus

Contact Ramazan 

Doreen Badheka at the Newark campus

Contact Doreen

 

Find out more on the 3MT website

Visit the site

STUDENT TESTIMONIALS

3MT is a valuable experience for student participants. Past SGS students described their experiences stating

Testimonial Items
Headline
One-of-a-kind opportunity
Testimonial
This is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to express the complete research work in limited time to layman audience which otherwise I would have never thought of doing!
Headline
Helped me refine my "elevator pitch"
Testimonial
The condensed format really made me think carefully about what parts of my project are the most important. Putting together my presentation helped me refine my "elevator pitch" for conferences and interviews and it also helped me become a more concise speaker as I got a lot of practice editing out unnecessary phrases from my 3MT drafts.
Headline
Helped me to organize
Testimonial
It helped me to organize my thoughts in a concise and logical manner, which was important for writing my full length thesis.
Headline
Unique experience and a challenging quest
Testimonial
It was both a unique experience and a challenging quest that uninhibited me to share my passion for all my work and my efforts.