Three Minutes Thesis Competition

The Three Minute Thesis Competition, or 3MT®, first held at The University of Queensland in 2008, is an academic competition that challenges graduate students to present a compelling oration on their thesis/dissertation topic and its significance to a non-expert audience in just three minutes using a single, static slide.

2024 K-State competition

The competition consists of two rounds. Graduate students from all disciplines are invited to participate in the first round. Six to ten participants will be selected to compete in the final round. Final round judges will select first and second place winners, and the audience will select a people's choice award winner. The first place presenter will represent K-State at the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS) 3MT® Competition on April 5.

Competition dates and details

The 2023 3MT will be held in February. Exact dates are forthcoming.

Registration

December 11, 2023 - Registration deadline
More information about registration coming later in the Fall 2023 semester.

Eligibility

Must be enrolled in a master's or doctoral program at Kansas State University in the Spring 2023 semester.
A student’s program of study must contain an original research project. The degree program need not formally require a thesis or dissertation. However, the 3MT® presentation topic must cover the original research project that is being conducted as part of the student's K-State graduate degree program.
The presentation must address research the participant conducted during their graduate career at K-State (not undergraduate research or graduate research conducted at another institution).
Students are not required to have reached a particular point in their research, but those who are further along in their research activity are likely to be more competitive.
Graduate students must receive approval from their major professor prior to registering for the competition.
The first place winners from previous competitions are not eligible to compete this year; previous second place and people's choice award winners are eligible to participate in this year's competition.

Rules and Requirements

Present a compelling oration of your original research topic and its significance using language appropriate for a non-specialist audience
Presentations are to be spoken word (e.g., no poems, raps or songs)
Time limit: 3 minutes. Competitors exceeding 3 minutes are disqualified
Prepare a single, static PowerPoint slide that represents the purpose and importance of your original research; no slide transitions, animations, or 'movement' of any type are allowed; the slide is to be presented from the beginning of the oration
Props, sounds, and other materials may NOT be included in the presentation
Presentations are considered to have commenced when a presenter starts their presentation through either movement or speech
The decision of the judging panel is final

Guidance for 3MT success!

Judging Criteria

Presentations will be evaluated on the following criteria:

Comprehension and Content

Did the presentation provide an understanding of the background and significance to the research question being addressed, while explaining terminology and avoiding jargon?
Did the presentation clearly describe the impact and/or results of the research, including conclusions and outcomes?
Did the presentation follow a clear and logical sequence?
Was the thesis topic, research significance, results/impact and outcomes communicated in language appropriate to a non-specialist audience?
Did the presenter spend adequate time on each element of their presentation - or did they elaborate for too long on one aspect or was the presentation rushed?

Engagement and Communication

Did the oration make the audience want to know more?
Was the presenter careful not to trivialize or generalize their research?
Did the presenter convey enthusiasm for their research?
Did the presenter capture and maintain their audience's attention?
Did the speaker have sufficient stage presence, eye contact and vocal range; maintain a steady pace, and have a confident stance?
Did the PowerPoint slide enhance the presentation - was it clear, legible, and concise?

Note that the common theme among the judging criteria is the impact of the presentation on the audience.

Previous Winners

Click on presentation titles to view videos of winning presentations.

2023 Winners

Read a news release recognizing the winners.

Watch the full 2023 final competition

2022 Winners

Read a news release recognizing the winners.

1st place and People's Choice

Mehreen Iftikhar
MS student in Grain Science
Accelerated shelf-life study of rice with added nutrients

2nd place

Kiana Schulze
PhD student in Kinesiology
Pulmonary hypertension: Not just a lung disease?

Watch the full 2022 final competition

2021 Winners

Read a news release recognizing the winners.

1st place

Manjot Kaur Rekhi
MS student in Agronomy
Sensing nutrient dynamics using soil-based microbial fuel cells

2nd place

Lara Dsouza
PhD student in Biology
Little Warrior vaccinia: Using Vaccinia virus to treat breast cancer

People's choice

Priyasha Fernando
MS student in Civil Engineering
Power of Pig Poop

Watch the full 2021 final competition

2020 Winners

Read a news release recognizing the winners.

1st place

Cameron Osborne
PhD student in Entomology
Can a livestock pest control itself?

2nd place

Mikaela Rader
MS student in Geology
LA-ICP-MS zircon geochronology of granulite xenoliths from the Geronimo Volcanic Field, SE Arizona: implications for crustal evolution since 2.4 Ga

People's choice

Kristen Sikorsky
MS student in Horticulture and Natural Resources
Ready for takeoff: Using drones to protect our parks

Watch the full 2020 final competition

2019 Winners

Read a news release recognizing the winners.

1st place

Chris Omni
Master's student in Public Health
Black Butterflyz: Making Black Women's Health a Capital Concern

2nd place

Grace Craigie
MS student in Entomology
Fantastic Pests and How to Find Them

People's choice

Narmadha Mohankumar
PhD student in Statistics
Is my advisor hiding in their office?

Watch the full 2019 final competition

2018 Winners

Read a news release recognizing the winners.

1st place

Dave Hoffman
PhD student in Counseling and Student Development
Purple Stride: Prospective Engineering Students and First-Year Retention

2nd place and people's choice

Tennecia Dacass
Economics, PhD
Intergenerational Effects of Mass Incarceration

Watch the full 2018 final competition

2017 Winners

Read a news release recognizing the winners.

1st place and people's choice

Tuyen Nguyen
PhD student in Chemistry
Tiny Superhero Fights against Cancer

2nd place

Anil Pant
PhD student in Biology
Vaccinia Virus Develops New Taste

Watch the full 2017 final competition

2016 Winners

Read a news release recognizing the winners.

1st place

Ryan Schmid
PhD student in Entomology
Hessian Fly Smart-Trap Design and Deployment Strategies

2nd place

Bondy Kaye
MS student in Mass Communications
Same Song, New Dance: Competition and Market Structure in the Digital Music Aggregation Industry

People's choice

Jere Noel
MS student in Animal Science
Utilizing Electromyography to Identify Causes of Fatigue in Pigs

Watch the full 2016 final competition

Contact

Questions about the Kansas State University Graduate School’s 3MT® competition may be directed to Dr. Megan Miller, Student Success Coordinator, mmmiller@ksu.edu or 785-532-6191.