1st place winner, Durva Naik, is presented a check by Provost Jim Garrett.
Carnegie Mellon University Libraries is offering Ph.D. students an exciting opportunity to showcase their research in an internationally recognized competition. CMU doctoral candidates of every level can register to participate in the 2024 Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition for the chance to gain early career recognition, connect with the campus community, and win prizes of up to $3,000.
3MT is a celebration of research that challenges Ph.D. students to present a compelling oration on their thesis and its significance in just three minutes and in language that anyone can understand. Developed by the University of Queensland (UQ) in Australia, the competition was brought to Pittsburgh by Helen and Henry Posner, Jr. Dean of Libraries Keith Webster in 2013. Since then, CMU doctoral candidates have joined students at over 900 universities across more than 85 countries worldwide in sharing their work with broad audiences.
“From the beginning, the 3MT challenge has been a chance for participants to develop their skills in public communication of science,” explained Webster, who was Dean of Libraries at UQ when 3MT was developed. “Participation has grown across the entire university as doctoral candidates from a wide range of disciplines take advantage of the opportunity, and I look forward to seeing the groundbreaking research in this year's competition.”
3MT is not an exercise in trivializing or “dumbing down” research, but requires students to consolidate their ideas, crystallize their research discoveries, and capture the imagination of their audience. Judges evaluate competitors based on how comprehensive their presentation is, how effectively they engage listeners, and how clearly their communication style reaches a non-specialist audience.
“Not only do students get to practice distilling and communicating their research, but they also get to hear from fellow Ph.D. students across campus and disciplines, which can spark interdisciplinary collaboration,” said Principal Librarian and 3MT faculty moderator Sarah Young. “Furthermore, students get a chance to present their work to staff and faculty from a wide range of departments, some with real expertise in communicating academic research. This can be a great opportunity to get tips from these experts and connect with faculty in other departments.”
Registrants will first compete in one of five preliminary rounds, hosted February 5 – 22 from 5-6:30 p.m. in Hunt Library. All preliminary round dates are listed on the 3MT website. Each presenter may use only one static presentation slide — no props or note cards — and must fit the entire presentation into three minutes.
“It has been great seeing participants compete from every academic unit at CMU, and we hope that this year's competition will be no different and will draw even more participants!” said Librarian and faculty moderator Ryan Splenda.
Last year’s finalists ranged from neural computation and machine learning and materials science and engineering students to one College of Fine Arts student studying architecture, and students of all disciplines are encouraged to participate this year as well. “I would love to see a greater number of presentations from researchers in the arts and humanities,” Young said. “They are sometimes underrepresented at 3MT, but they have so many compelling and innovative stories to tell about their work.”
Two winners from each of the preliminary rounds will compete in the 2024 3MT Championship, which will be held on Thursday, March 14 from 6 to 8 p.m. Both the championship and the preliminary rounds will be free and open to the public. Registration is required to attend, and will be available soon.
“The 3MT Competition provides a great opportunity for the larger campus community, including the CMU alumni network, to learn about the innovative and important work that is being done here to positively change people's lives,” Splenda said.
Check back for more details about the championship round in the coming weeks.
Participant registration closes on Friday, January 26, 2024 at 5 p.m. Ph.D. students can register to participate here.