3MT^TM is a university wide competition for Queen’s Masters (thesis only) and doctoral students in which participants present their research and its wider impact in 3 minutes or less to a panel of non-specialist judges.  The challenge is to present complex research material in an engaging, compelling way, using only one slide.

The three minute thesis competition provides graduate students with an opportunity to refine skills that can be transferred after graduation to diverse career paths.  Distilling research into a clear form, without over-simplifying or making overly-complex, and highlighting the wider implications of this research are important skills to carry into post-graduate employment and public service.

The competition also enables students to showcase their research to a wider audience, across disciplines within the university and to the broader public.  The heats and the final are open to the public, and are advertised within the community.  The audience will be able to cast a vote for The People’s Choice award in the final.  Videos of the speeches will be posted on the SGS website. This is a unique opportunity to communicate the innovative and significant research undertaken by graduate students at Queen’s University to our community and beyond.  

The Three Minute Thesis (3MT^TM) competition was initially developed by The University of Queensland in 2008 to promote effective communication of research.  The success of the first Queensland competition prompted other Australian and New Zealand universities to run their own competitions, culminating in the first Trans Tasman competition held in 2010.3MT^TMhas spread internationally: Queen’s is the first University in Ontario to host a 3MT^TMcompetition.

Heats

• The competition for 2012 will consist of 3 heats of 20 participants
• The top three participants will go forward to the SGS finals
• All presentations will be videoed and available for viewing after the competition via the School of Graduate Studies website.

Rules

• a single static PowerPoint slide is permitted (no slide transitions, animations or 'movement' of any description)
• 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
• the decision of the adjudicating panel is final

Judging Criteria

Presentations will be judged on the basis of three criteria:

1. Communication style: was the thesis topic and significance communicated in language appropriate to an intelligent but non-specialist audience? For example

• did the title of the talk give a clear picture of the topic and its importance?
• were all technical or specialist words clearly explained for a non-specialist audience?
• was the communication style clear enough so that any intelligent person could now sum up the topic and its significance?

2. Comprehension: did the presentation help the audience to understand the research? For example

• did the speaker deliver their presentation at an appropriate pace?
• was there a storyline that helped the audience understand the research problem, its importance and how the research would or did address that problem?
• did the PowerPoint slide help the audience better understand the topic and its significance?

3. Engagement: did the oration make the audience want to know more? For example

• did the speaker engage the audience with eye contact?
• did the speaker engage interest in the problem being researched?
• Would you now like to join this research for further discussion about their work?

Eligibility

• To participate in3MT^TM 2012 @ Queen's you must currently be registered in a Masters (thesis only) or PhD program at Queen’s and have made substantial progress on research and analysis (for example, PhD students will have passed their qualifying examination).
• PhD students who have defended but have not yet graduated are eligible.
• Presentations must be based on research that is directly related to the student’s graduate program thesis.
• Master's students registered in an 898 class with a research essay do not qualify for the3MT^TM Competition.
• Presenters must agree to be video-taped.
• Presenters must have registered via moodle and received confirmation of a place from the School of Graduate Studies, who will confirm your eligibility with your department and supervisor.
• Presenters must be available to present, in person, on the day of their heat.  To advance in the competition, heat winners must also be available to present, in person, at the School of Graduate Studies final.

Prizes

Heats - Prizes for the top three participants in each heat, compliments of the Campus Bookstore.

Finals

• Winner: $1000 cash
• Runner-up: $500 cash
• People's Choice: 32 gig iPod Touch

Accessibility

If you have any accessibility requirements or special needs, call Colette Steer at 613-533-6000 ext 78776 or email grad.recruitment@queensu.ca

Resources

To see how competitions in Australia, New Zealand and at UBC have fared, plus some hints on how to do your presentation in 3 minutes and still get your point across, go to our Registration page (at the bottom of the page) OR our Resources page.

 

The Three Minute Thesis (3MT™) is an academic competition developed by The University of Queensland (UQ), Australia for research students.