Distilling years of research and study into a three-minute presentation is no easy task. However, it can be immensely beneficial for graduate students as they work toward their master’s degree or doctorate.

In the annual Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition, participants have a mere three minutes and one static slide to convey their research to the judges and audience.

As a result, the 3MT helps graduate students hone skills they will need in the workplace after leaving university, such as presentation skills and decision making. And there is prize money for the winners.

“With only three minutes to spare, decisions need to be made about what information is most important for the audience to know in that short timeframe,” says Mary Chaktsiris, runner-up in 2014. “The ability to summarize complex information, provide a balanced point of view, and present evidenced-based conclusions are showcased by the 3MT format. Whether it’s presenting during a meeting or writing documents such as briefing notes, the ability to concisely present complex information in a way that resonates with the audience at hand is an important part of my day-to-day work.

Dr. Chaktsiris went on to complete her PhD and is currently working as a policy analyst with the Council of Ontario Universities.

This year’s competition starts with the opening heats on March 22-24 followed by the finals on March 30. Registration is now open and can be found on the School of Graduate Studies website.<

Dr. Chaktsiris, whose research about the First World War explored connections between wartime expectations and ideas of masculinity in Toronto, says that she got involved in the 3MT because there was little representation from the humanities and liberal arts. She says that researchers in these fields need to share their findings “across the disciplines and to new audiences through the university-wide conversations that occur at the 3MT competition.”

She hopes that more graduate students from the humanities and liberal arts will get involved.

“If we don't speak up for our research, if we don't put our questions and conclusions under the spotlight, who will?” she asks.

Founded at the University of Queensland in Australia in 2008, 3MT competitions are held at the university, provincial and national levels in Canada. In 2015, Chenman (Cara) Yin, a master’s student in physics, claimed Queen’s first award at the national level, winning the People’s Choice Award.

Everyone is welcome to attend the upcoming events.

For more information visit the 3MT website or contact Colette Steer at the SGS office.