An 80,000 word thesis would take 9 hours to present.
The time limit… 3 minutes
3-Minute Thesis (3MT)
According to Benjamin Franklin “Time is Money”. Whether you are in an interview or you are networking with colleagues, you won’t get their continued attention until you can make a quick first impression. 3-Minute Thesis is aimed at encouraging each researcher to consolidate their work into a capsule of three minutes which can help them to gain this first impression. In short it will be “ the trailer” for your research movie. Can you make it a blockbuster!?!
What is 3MT?
In 3MT, the presenter will provide an understanding of the background to the research question and its significance along with the possible key results or expected outcomes. It would test the presenter’s ability to make a normal person understand his/her research in a short time and his/her ability to present. The adjudicating panel will evaluate the clarity, logical sequence, communication skills, presenter’s stage presence, eye contact, vocal range etc. Another important aspect desirable to a 3MT presenter is his/her ability to convey enthusiasm for their research and make the audience want to know more.
Should you do 3MT?
Whether you are starting or you are well established, you need to market your research. When you are starting you need to make others understand how your research will contribute eventually and when you are at the opposite spectrum, you would probably be impressing others to use your research as an entrepreneur or a potential employer. 3MT gives you an opportunity to practice and analyze your ability to impress others who probably know very little about your research. Hence it’s for all serious researchers.
Eligibility
All PhD Students are invited. For upper level competitions only active PhD and Professional Doctorate (Research) candidates who have successfully passed their confirmation milestone (including candidates whose thesis is under submission) by the date of their first presentation are eligible to participate in 3MT competitions at all levels, including the Trans-Tasman 3MT competition. Graduates are not eligible. To know more about it please go to http://threeminutethesis.org. It is also required by UMBC that each participant attend three workshops lead by Scott Morgan. The first workshop is Nov. 30th. The link to RSVP is below.
Here is the link to the workshops event page: https://my.umbc.edu/groups/gsa/events/54700
*PhD Candidates only at the time of competition next year.