3 minute thesis uw madison

CS Grad Students Achieve Success in Three Minute Thesis Competition

by  Elea Levin

Computer Science graduate students  Daniel Rakita  and  Andrew Schoen  earned finalist and semifinalist ranks, respectively, in  UW-Madison’s 2021-21 Three Minute Thesis  competition. Over 60 graduate students participate in the competition this year from a wide variety of departments.

Three Minute Thesis is an international competition in which graduate students are given three minutes to present their thesis project to a general audience. Because the competition was held virtually this year, participants were required to film their presentations instead of presenting to a live audience.

Rakita’s project, entitled “Mimicry Control: A Robot-arm Control Interface for All,” presented a design for a robot-arm control system in which the robot would mimic a human’s arm movements, Rakita explained.

“We have demonstrated that many people, regardless of skill-level, can intuitively use Mimicry Control with little to no training, and we are excited about the potential that this interface has to usher in a new era of many people manipulating and interacting with remote environments,” he said.

Rakita hopes that this technology will be helpful particularly in the healthcare space.

“I think affording many people the ability to intuitively and comprehensively control robot platforms to manipulate remote environments will drastically improve the way people are able to care for and help others, such as through remote home-care or telenursing,” Rakita said.

Schoen’s project, “Better Robot Task Specifications,” looked at how robots can be used in collaborative work settings and discussed ideas for improvements.

“The focus of this work is improving the way we think about and conceptualize the instructions for robots when designing programs,” he said. “My thesis is strongly motivated by the disconnect between the capabilities that robots can bring to collaborative work, and how they are currently being utilized.”

Schoen says a number of factors within the computer science department made his work possible, including their willingness to work with other departments, the quality of fellow students within the department, and the department’s emphasis on valuing multiple perspectives.

“I am a former UW grad in biology and psychology, and some departments might not be as accepting of someone coming into a graduate program with no formal computer sciences experience,” he said.  “The fact that the CS department allows flexibility in finding advisors and research focus during the first couple years meant that I could find a domain and advisor that allowed me to utilize my prior experience but also grow that experience in a field that I had a passion for.”

Rakita was similarly thankful for the department’s help in preparing for the competition.

“The department in general set the stage really well for my PhD work, such as through interesting, foundational classes, conversations with other professors, and conversations with other students,” he said.

Congratulations to all the students who participated in the Three Minute Thesis competition, and thanks to all the professors and staff who made this year’s competition possible!

Three Minute Thesis® Competition: Finals

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• Discovery Building
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UW graduate students compete in Three Minute Thesis finals

Twelve semifinalists from varying master’s and doctoral programs competed in the eighth annual Three Minute Thesis Finals held at the University of Wisconsin Feb. 17. The objective of the competition is for students to explain their thesis research to a general audience — in under three minutes.

By the end of the finals, the judges will name the top three presenters and the audience will vote on one people’s choice nominee, Dean of the Graduate School William Karpus and pharmaceutical sciences Ph.D. student Hannah Miles said.

Started in Queensland, Australia, Karpus said the idea for the competition stemmed during a drought in which people used a three-minute egg timer to limit their showers and conserve water. Combining the short time period with research, University of Queensland Dean of the Graduate School Emeritus Professor Alan Lawson created the 3MT competition.

The first 3MT was held in 2008 with only 160 participants. Now, having been adopted by universities worldwide, 3MT spans continents with over 85 countries and 900 universities participating.

UW partners with local organizations representing Black, Latinx voices in environmental conservation for research initiative

Equipped with one PowerPoint slide, their voice and three minutes, each presenter must convey their thesis research the best they can, according to the competition rules . A panel of judges then assesses the participants based on comprehension and content, engagement and communication.

Thesis topics ranged from atmospheric and oceanic sciences to plant pathology. Each semifinalist decorated their slides differently with visuals, charts or diagrams.

Graduate student Adam D’Angelo presented on plant breeding and plant genetics in his presentation titled “Off the Beeten Path.” He said knowing your project well makes it much easier to put it together.

It also comes down to someone’s comfort level with public speaking and approaching the presentation with a scripted or conversational tone, which makes everyone’s experience different, D’Angelo said.

People respond positively to humanlike robots, UW researcher finds

But according to D’Angelo, the three minutes isn’t as daunting as it may seem.

“It feels way longer,” D’Angelo said. “Time slows down.”

At the end of the event, the winner of the people’s choice award was Sarah Waldfogel speaking on “Recovering Voice: Is Out-of-District Giving a Substitute for Local Political Participation?”

Ebony Taylor came in third with her three-minute thesis “It’s Getting Hot in Here; Turn on the Genes!” Rachel Hutchins came in second with her presentation “Let’s Talk About the (Baby) Elephants and Donkeys in the Room.”

Awarded first place, and representing UW at the regional competition in Chicago, was Kaitlin Moore , presenting on “Navigating by Starlight: Cosmological Constellations in the Ecopoetry of Pacific Oceania.”

“This feeds into the idea — the Wisconsin idea,” Karpus said. “All of the work I saw being communicated today has this applicability to the border and beyond our borders.”

• Adam D'Angelo
• Alan Lawson
• Ebony Taylor
• graduate school
• Graduate School Dean William Karpus
• Hannah Miles
• Kaitlin Moore
• Sarah Waldfogel
• thesis research
• Three Minute Thesis
• william karpus

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Graduate Women In Science

GWIS-Madison Chapter

3MT (Three Minute Thesis)

Can you explain your research in 3 minutes? Find out by participating in the 2022-23 3MT® competition!

This year’s competition will be held virtually, and students will pre-record their presentations for judges. 3MT® is open to students in research-based master’s and PhD programs from all disciplines. For more information about this year’s virtual format and how to enter the competition,  join the 3MT Canvas course .

Contact  [email protected]  with questions.

Competitors will be required to submit a title and brief description of their 3MT® talk through Canvas by Oct. 6.

Final submissions for the semifinal round will be due on Nov. 8, and finalists will be announced on Nov. 20.

Finalists may improve and resubmit their presentations in January if they choose, and the winners of the 3MT® finals will be announced in a live event on Friday, Feb. 17, 2023.

REQUIREMENTS

• Presentations are limited to 3 minutes and competitors exceeding 3 minutes are disqualified.
• Presentations are considered to have commenced when a presenter starts their presentation through speech (timing does not include the 3MT title slide and commences from when the competitor starts speaking, not the start of the video).
• Videos must meet the following criteria:
• Filmed on the horizontal;
• Filmed on a plain background;
• Filmed from a static position;
• Filmed from one camera angle;
• Contain a 3MT title slide;
• Contain a 3MT PowerPoint slide (top right corner/right side/cut to)
• A single static slide is permitted in the presentation (no slide transitions, animations or ‘movement’ of any description). This can be visible continuously, or ‘cut to’ (as many times as you like) for a maximum of 1 minute or submitted via email if not included in the presentation.
• The 3 minute audio must be continuous – no sound edits or breaks.
• No additional props (e.g. costumes, musical instruments, laboratory equipment and animated backgrounds) are permitted within the recording.
• Presentations are to be spoken word (e.g. no poems, raps or songs).
• No additional electronic media (e.g. sound and video files) are permitted within the video recording.
• The decision of the adjudicating panel is final.
• Submissions via video format (only video link provided to Event Coordinators). Files sent in other formats will not be accepted.
• Entries submitted for final adjudication to Wildcard or University Final are to be submitted from the School/ Faculty/Institute 3MT Event Coordinator. Competitors should not submit their videos directly to 3MT.

Please note : competitors *will not* be judged on video/ recording quality or editing capabilities (optional inclusions). Judging will focus on the presentation, ability to communicate research to a non-specialist audience, and 3MT PowerPoint slide.

Please note : After each competition round competitors have the option to either submit their current presentation or rerecord and submit a new presentation for entry into the next round.

JUDGING CRITERIA

At every level of the competition each competitor will be assessed on the judging criteria listed below. Each criterion is equally weighted and has an emphasis on audience.

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 nonspecialist 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 trivialise or generalise 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?

See a list of previous winners (and get links to their winning presentations) here !

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2024 UW Three Minute Thesis (3MT)

About | Theme | Eligibility Criteria | Prizes | Timeline | Proposal Submission Form | Proposal Guidelines & Selection Criteria | Preliminary Round | Past Winners | FAQs | Contact

UW 3MT® is a professional development competition that celebrates the exciting capstone and research experiences of master’s and doctoral students at the University of Washington from all three campuses. The competition supports graduate students’ capacity to effectively explain their research or capstone project in three minutes, in a language appropriate to a public audience. This event is a partnership between Graduate Student Affairs in The Graduate School and the UW Libraries Research Commons .

Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is an academic research communication competition originally developed by the University of Queensland, Australia.

UW Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition Thursday, May 23, 2024 | 3 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. (Doors open at 2:30 p.m.) Auditorium, Alder Hall, UW Seattle campus Use entrance at 1310 NE 40th St., Seattle WA, 98105 ( Google map )

Want to see graduate students vie for cash prizes by presenting their exciting capstone or research projects in 3 minutes and using only 1 slide?! The theme this year is Impact. There will be an esteemed panel of judges who will select First Place and Runner up winners and the audience members get to vote for People’s Choice. This free event is open to the UW community.

A reception will follow the presentations and free light foods and refreshments will be available.

Graduate Student Presenters :

The Paperclip is Mightier than the Sword Sherry Gu, Master’s candidate in Applied Bioengineering College of Engineering & UW Medicine

Surgical Scene Understanding Towards Human-Centered Collaboration in Robotic Surgery Niveditha Kalavakonda, Ph.D. candidate in Electrical & Computer Engineering College of Engineering

Race in Clinical Risk Predictions Sara Khor, Ph.D. candidate in Comparative Health Outcomes, Policy and Economics School of Pharmacy

Empowering Parents: Making Mealtime Unstressful  Daisy Ma, Ph.D. candidate in School Psychology College of Education 

Does Paid Leave Help All Parents? Elizabeth Pelletier, Ph.D. candidate in Public Policy & Management Evans School of Public Policy & Governance

Detecting Illegal Trade Risk in U.S. Mahogany Imports Sarah Pollack, Master’s candidate in Quantitative Ecology & Resource Management College of the Environment

Music as Medicine: Exploring the Health Impacts of Music & Its Accessibility in Seattle Public Schools Nicole Stankovic, Master’s candidate in Health Systems & Population Health & Master’s candidate in Music School of Public Health & School of Music 

Healthy Amazonian Gardens: Growing Backyard Gardens in the Peruvian Amazon Fiona Sun, Master’s candidate in Human Centered Design & Engineering College of Engineering

AI in the Forest: Preventing Billions from Burning Sumedh Supe, Master’s candidate in Technology Innovation Global Innovation Exchange Program

From Arteries to Space Stations: How Architected Patterns Lead to Custom Adaptation Sawyer Thomas, Ph.D. candidate in Mechanical Engineering College of Engineering

Is the Best Explanation the True Explanation? Apara Venkat, Ph.D. candidate in Statistics College of Arts & Sciences 

Can We Win the War on Cancer Caused by Viruses? Joselyn Landazuri Vinueza, Ph.D. candidate in Microbiology School of Medicine

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The theme for this year’s competition is Impact. Impact can be defined as the positive outcome of a critical intervention, social policy, service provision model, legal framework, or technological innovation. How does your graduate research demonstrate impact for the public good? We’re excited to celebrate the influence our graduate students have on the world.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible to submit a proposal for UW 3MT, you must meet the following criteria:

• You are a University of Washington master’s or doctoral student from any UW campus.
• You have a draft of your final project (e.g. capstone, thesis, or dissertation), including findings and conclusions.
• Only one member of a capstone project team may submit a proposal. If the proposal is selected, the same student who submitted the proposal must be the presenter.
• Your degree will be granted during AY 2023-2024.

3MT competitions are intended for graduate students who are ready to present their capstone, thesis, or dissertation work, rather than for works-in-progress. If you are at an earlier stage with your research, we encourage you to submit a proposal to Scholars’ Studio to present your work.

At the 3MT Competition on May 23, a panel of external judges will select winners for First Place and a Runner Up. A People’s Choice winner will be voted on by the audience.

Proposal Guidelines for Online Preliminary Round

The proposal must address the following components:

Capstone or Research Project Summary

In 300 words or less, please describe your capstone or research project for a general reader (without a lot of discipline-specific jargon or technical language).

Your summary:

– Must be concise and coherent – Does not include a lot of disciplinary jargon – Is understandable to a general, public audience

Theme: Impact

Impact is the theme for this year’s UW Three Minute Thesis. Briefly (300 words) describe how your capstone or research project demonstrates impact.

Proposal Selection Criteria

Successful proposals for preliminary rounds are based on the following two components:

1. Capstone or Research Project Summary

– Is the capstone or research project summary concise and 300 words or less? – Does the summary include a lot of disciplinary jargon? – Is the summary understandable to a general, public audience?

2. Theme: Impact

Does the proposal include how the capstone or research project demonstrate impact in 300 words or less?

Submit Your Proposal

Access the proposal submission form. The deadline is April 23, 2024 by 11:59 p.m. (PDT).

Preliminary Round

If your proposal is selected, you will then have an opportunity to present your capstone or research project in a virtual preliminary round to be held in early May. Successful presenters will be selected to present at the in person 3MT Competition, scheduled for May 23.

Guidance on Preparing Your 3MT Presentation

Review the following tips and resources:

• Preparing for Your 3MT Presentation , University of Queensland
• Tips for Effective Design and Use of the 3MT Slide , Indiana University
• Time to Perfect Your Elevator Pitch , University of Pennsylvania
• How to Write a PhD Elevator Pitch , Academic Positions
• Communication: Two Minutes to Impress , Nature Jobs

Successful presenters will be selected to compete as finalists on competition day, based on the following guidelines:

3MT Competition Day

UW 3MT Competition May 23, 2024, 3:00–4:30 p.m. Seattle campus

In front of a general audience and an esteemed panel of judges, up to 15 graduate student presenters will each compete by doing three-minute presentations about their capstone or research projects.

Past Winners

• First Place – Mayuree Binjolkar , doctoral student in Civil & Environmental Engineering
• Runner Up – Ekta Samani , doctoral student in Mechanical Engineering
• People’s Choice – Megan Maerz, doctoral student in Molecular Medicine & Mechanisms of Disease
• First Place – Enrique Saldarriaga , doctoral student in Health Economics and Outcomes Research
• Runner Up – Julia Dreifus , doctoral student in Microbiology
• People’s Choice – Douglas Wagoner, master’s student in Public Administration
• First Place – Beth Halsne , doctoral student in Rehabilitation Science & master’s student in Mechanical Engineering
• Runner Up – Jackie Otting , master’s student in Education (Learning Science & Human Development)
• People’s Choice – Arianne Caudal , doctoral student in Biochemistry
• Event canceled due to COVID-19
• First Place – Barbara Rodriguez Droguett , doctoral student in Built Environment
• Runner Up – Junyue Cao , doctoral student in Molecular & Cellular Biology
• People’s Choice – Junyue Cao , doctoral student in Molecular & Cellular Biology
• First Place – Amey Khanolka r, doctoral student in Mechanical Engineering
• Runner Up – Evan Schuster , master’s student in Mechanical Engineering
• People’s Choice – Amey Khanolkar , doctoral student in Mechanical Engineering
• First Place – Molly Grear , doctoral student in Civil & Environmental Engineering
• Runner Up – Gabby Barsh , doctoral student in Molecular & Cellular Biology
• People’s Choice – Zheng Li , doctoral student in Bioengineering

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens on 3MT Competition Day?

UW 3MT Competition May 23, 2024, 3:00-4:30 p.m. (Doors open at 2:30 p.m.) Auditorium, Alder Hall, UW Seattle campus RSVP for this event.

In front of a general audience and a panel of judges, graduate student presenters will each compete by doing three-minute presentations about their capstone or research projects.

Presenters will be competing for First Place, Runner Up, and People’s Choice Awards.

Who is eligible to submit a proposal for UW 3MT?

To be eligible to submit a proposal, you must meet the following criteria:

3MT competitions are intended for graduate students who are ready to present their capstone, thesis, or dissertation work, rather than for works-in-progress. If you are at an earlier stage with your research, we encourage you to submit proposals to Scholars’ Studio to present your work.

What is allowed on my 3MT slide?

One single static PowerPoint slide is permitted.

In preparing the slide, remember that ‘less is more.’ It does not have to include text. Visual cues are very effective in assisting the presenter’s explanation of their research. (No slide transitions, video, or animations are permitted).

Can I use sound or video files?

No additional electronic media (e.g. sound, music, animation, and video files) is permitted during the competition.

Can I have props (a 3D printed model, a soccer ball, a microscope, etc.)?

No. Is there a dress code?

Business formal or casual is suggested. Costumes are not allowed. Can I win in more than one category during the competition?

Yes, it is possible to win a place (First or Runner Up) and also win the People’s Choice Award.

Who will be in the audience during the competition?

The audience is often a mix of graduate students, faculty, staff, and University leadership. There will also be supporters of graduate education in attendance, as well as presenters’ family and community members.

[email protected]

2023 UW Three Minute Thesis (UW 3MT®) – proposals due 3/9

February 16, 2023

Apply to compete in the  2023 UW Three Minute Thesis  (UW 3MT®), where prizes will be awarded to 1st Place, 2nd Place, and People’s Choice Award winners! The competition is open to all  eligible graduate  students from Bothell, Tacoma and Seattle campuses. This event is a partnership between the Office of Graduate Student Affairs in The Graduate School and the UW Libraries Research Commons.

The theme for this year’s competition is  Impact . Impact can be defined as the positive outcome of a critical intervention, social policy, service provision model, legal framework or technological innovation. How does your graduate research demonstrate impact for the public good? We’re excited to celebrate the influence our graduate students have on the world. 

Check out these 3MT  informational resources  and relive the  2022 virtual competition .

• Submit a proposal for the preliminary rounds. Proposal deadline is March 6, 2023 by 11:59 p.m. (PST)  Extended to 3/9!
• Online preliminary rounds to be held on March 23, 2023.
• Successful presenters from the preliminary rounds will move forward to compete in the 3MT competition — scheduled for March 29, 2023, location TBA.
• Learn to talk about your research without using academic or technical jargon
• Prepare for job interviews
• Practice public speaking skills
• Build your network and resume
• Compete for prizes!

3MT is intended for graduate students who are ready to present their capstone, thesis or dissertation work, rather than for works-in-progress. If you are at an earlier stage with your research, we encourage you to consider participating in  Scholars’ Studio .

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Tips for Grads: Why participate in the Three Minute Thesis® Competition?

Guest column by Claudia Matta Ramly, PhD Student

Two years ago, I attended the Writing Center’s Three Minute Thesis ® Competition (3MT) workshop. It was pre-pandemic, we were huddled into groups while we practiced talking about our research. There were a lot of embarrassed smiles and laughter as we faltered while talking and realized this was way more difficult than it sounded. To talk about your research in three minutes? And make it fun? A year later, I participated in the UW–Madison 3MT ® competition and won. It was an enjoyable journey and I gained many insights on why you should participate in this competition.

• Practice: The competition is a great reflection exercise. As you advance in your graduate journey, you’re going to think about your research in different ways. You are also going to have conversations about why it matters and why people should care about your research. This can happen anywhere – with your advisor, at a conference or even when submitting a grant. I remember honing my talk over and over as I got feedback from peers, friends, and family. Along the way, I realized I was getting valuable feedback that I could use to think about the future of my research and why it matters, and how to work towards that goal.
• CV Boost: Whether you want to stay in academia or move to another industry, a lot of recruiters love to see your teaching/public speaking skills in action. Participating in this competition, whether you end up as a semi-finalist, finalist or win one of the awards, will put your skills in the spotlight and show first-hand how you deliver high quality presentations.
• Effective Networking: Not only did I meet with fellow students on campus and connected with them after watching their presentations, I also got to sit with my classmates and colleagues to talk about my research. This created a positive buzz in my class and the department. People will learn about you and about your research and it helps to create a lovely sense of camaraderie.

I encourage you to consider participating in the 3MT ® competition as a professional development experience, one where you are in charge of your own personal and professional growth. One mantra that I hold close to my heart is to “say yes to learning opportunities.” You’ll be surprised what they lead to, and the people you’ll meet along the way.

Visit the 3MT ® website to learn more about the 3 Minute Thesis ® competition and to sign up.

Tips for Grads is a professional and academic advice column written by graduate students for graduate students at UW­–Madison. It is published in the student newsletter, GradConnections Weekly.

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Three Minute Thesis Competition

Congratulations to Mario for placing 3rd in the 2019 3MT competition at UW Madison!

Pelletier to Present in UW’s Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition on May 23 (Thursday @3pm)!

Posted: 5/16/2024 (CSDE Research)

CSDE Trainee Lizzy Pelletier (Evans School of Public Policy & Governance) will be presenting at this year’s  UW Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition ! Lizzy’s talk is titled ‘Does Paid Leave Help All Parents?’. UW 3MT is a professional development competition that celebrates the exciting capstone and research experiences of master’s and doctoral students at the University of Washington. The competition supports graduate students’ capacity to effectively explain their research or capstone project in three minutes, in a language appropriate to a public audience. The event will occur on Thursday, May 23, 2024 from 3:00-4:00 in the auditorium of Alder Hall. Doors open at 2:30 pm. RSVP here and cheer Lizzy on!