News: 2013, June 20th

 

30 students competing in Auburn’s first Three Minute Thesis

 

It would take a person nine hours to present an 80,000-word thesis or dissertation. But what if there was a time limit of three minutes?

If You Go

What: 3MT competition
When: 1-3:30 p.m. Thursday, June 27
Where: 1103 Shelby Center
More information: The event is free, and the public is invited.

To read more about 3MT, visitwww.threeminutethesis.org.

That’s the scenario 30 Auburn University graduate students will face during Auburn’s first Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition. 3MT is a research communication competition that challenges students to consolidate their ideas and convey the important parts of their research to a non-specialist audience in a three-minute time frame.

“3MT allows the public to see how Auburn’s graduate students are addressing real-world problems through their research while also giving the students another platform to hone their presentation skills and showcase their work,” said George Flowers, dean of the Graduate School. “The 3MT concept has enjoyed incredible success across the world, and we’re excited to bring it to Auburn University.”

Developed by Australia’s University of Queensland in 2008, the 3MT concept quickly spread to other universities in Australia and the region. In 2010, universities from Australia, New Zealand and Fiji began sending their 3MT winners to a regional Trans-Tasman competition. Over the past few years, the 3MT competition continued to spread throughout the world and is now held at universities in 12 countries.

Auburn’s 3MT will feature two categories: one for master’s students and another for doctoral students. A five-person panel will judge the competitors based on communication style, comprehension and engagement. A winner and a runner-up will be chosen in each category, while members of the audience will also vote on their favorite presentations to determine the People’s Choice award winners.

The winning students will receive a cash prizes and plaques. The competition is sponsored by the Graduate School and the Graduate Student Council.

Last modified: July 12, 2016