Three Minute Thesis

The tenth annual Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition at Kent State University will be held October 15, 2024, 1:00-4:00 pm in the Kiva!

Put your academic, presentation, and research communication skills to the test by presenting your research in three minutes to an intelligent, but non-specialist audience. Join us for the tenth annual Three Minute Thesis Competition! The competition will be held in two preliminary rounds on Tuesday, October 15 from 1-4 p.m. in the Kiva

Click here to register for 3MT!

Registration will be open until Monday, September 30 at 11:59 p.m. Spots are limited, so sign up soon!

Additionally, once you have signed up to participate, LaunchNET in collaboration with the Graduate College, will host 15-minute sessions you can sign up for to receive feedback on your presentation. This session will take place on Tuesday, October 8 from 2-4 p.m. in University Library 352.
You can prepare for the next 3MT competition by:

What are the benefits for participating in the 3MT Competition?

  • Doctoral, Masters, and other Graduate Students can participate in the competition

  • Great way to practice your oral presentation skills/elevator pitch

  • Great way to present your research or project to faculty, staff, and your peers

  • Monetary prizes for the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and People’s Choice Award Winners

  • The 1st place winner gets an all-expenses paid (free) conference by the Graduate College to represent Kent State at the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS) Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana on April 2-4, 2025

  • An important networking opportunity to meet faculty, staff, and students from other colleges and universities who attend the MAGS meeting

  • An important activity to add to your resume and/or CV 

Prizes

  • First Place: $500
  • Second Place: $300
  • Third Place: $200
  • People's Choice: $200

 

About Three Minute Thesis

3MT was developed at The University of Queensland and is now offered at hundreds of universities across the world. The exercise develops academic, presentation, and research communication skills, as well as supports the development of graduate students' capacity to effectively explain their research in three minutes in a language appropriate to an intelligent, but non-specialist audience. 3MT is not an exercise in trivializing or 'dumbing-down' research but forces competitors to consolidate their ideas and crystalize their research discoveries. 

The trademarked name of this event is Three Minute Thesis, but students are able to present research they are conducting for a thesis, dissertation, terminal project, or any other research project in which they are engaged. Students may present on research that is in progress. All currently enrolled graduate students are eligible to participate and compete for cash prizes. Students are given just three minutes and one PowerPoint slide that they can use to discuss their research in an engaging and concise manner. 3MT is great way to fine tune your research presentation skills, not to mention, you will be competing for cash prizes!

The Three Minute Thesis Competition features two preliminary rounds. The top presenters from each preliminary round advanced to the 3MT Finals. During the finals, an interdisciplinary panel of judges awarded prizes to the top three presenters. Audience members voted for the People's Choice Award. 

Congratulations to our Fall 2023 Three Minute Thesis Award Recipients! You can view all of the final presentations on our Kaltura channel. 

  • 1st Place: Mandalynn Slupek, Biomedical Sciences, Getting the "NAC" of Being Drug Free
  • 2nd Place: Elaheh Zabziyan Varnousfaderani, Aeronautics and Engineering, Bird Strike Prevention Using Bird Movement Prediction
  • 3rd Place: Pratyusha Ghanta, Biomedical Sciences, Stopping Lung Cancer in it's Tracks
  • People's Choice: Marwan Shalih, Biological Sciences, Protective Role of Betaine Against Demyelination in Multiple Sclerosis