Three Minute Thesis

Three Minute Thesis® is an international competition in which graduate students explain their thesis research to a general audience. Students in research-based master’s and PhD programs from all disciplines are eligible to compete. Cash prizes are awarded to the top 3 contestants and the People’s Choice Award recipient.

Three Minute Thesis® is presented by The Madison Chapter of Graduate Women in Science (GWIS) and the Graduate School Office of Professional Development, and sponsored by Promega, Gilson, and Science is Fun in the Lab of Shakhashiri.

2020-21 Three Minute Thesis® (3MT®) Finals

Three Minute Thesis® (3MT®) is an international competition in which graduate students explain their research to a general audience in three minutes or less. Over 60 UW–Madison graduate students registered to compete in the first virtual 3MT® competition, with 39 advancing to the semifinals this November. Our panel of research communication experts have reviewed the videos and selected the top 9 competitors to advance to the 3MT® Finals on February 3, 2021 where they will compete for cash prizes and a chance to represent UW–Madison at the regional 3MT® competition.

Finalists

Daniel Rakita

Mimicry Control: A Robot-arm Control Interface for All

Lauren Bagwell

Art as Discussion: Engaging with Social Issues in the Classroom

Laura Prieto

“Active Together”: Physical Activity Program for Adults with Parkinson’s and their Care Partners

Claudia Ramly

Can Nonverbal Feedback Help Students Learn with Visuals?

Chelsea Olson

Online Information Seeking or Cyberstalking: What Rules do Teens Have for When the Line is Crossed?

Jimena Gonzalez

Studying the Nature of Dark Energy

Jeremy McLaughlin

Tracing Visual Culture in Colonial American Book Printing (1640-1775)

Katie Zarbock

What’s Your Gut Reaction to Alzheimer’s Disease Research? Intersections of the Gut Microbiome and Alzheimer’s Disease

Olivia Harwood

Can Immunotherapy “Cure” HIV? Immunology Hide and Seek (and Destroy)

Semifinalists

Aspa Amiridis, Hacking Into Proteins
Margot Amitrano, Biomaterials for the Maturation of Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocytes
Sai Krishna Bhamidipati, Mice, Myelin and Mystery
Lindsey Block, Zika Virus May Impact Pregnancy Sooner than We Thought: Exposure Results in Embryo Death and Compromises Placental Cell Function
Madeline Carbery, Let’s CHAT: The Development of the Caregiver Hospital Assessment Tool (CHAT)
Bhagyashree Chandrakant, Fast Simulation for 3-D Printing Process
Pallavi Chhabra, Teaching and Engaging with Technology for Equity
Christopher Dade, The Antibiotic is Dead—Long Live the Anti-Infective!
Frankie Frank, Queering Menstruation: Trans and Non-Binary Identity and Body Politics
Ramin Ghamkhar, Life Cycle Assessment of Closed-Loop Food Production Systems: Aquaponics
Anna Heffron, Antibody Surveillance and Cross-Reactivity Prepares Us for Emergence of the Next Pandemic Pathogen
Da-Inn Lee, Learning How the DNA Folds Inside a Cell with Computational Biology
Shruthi Magesh, Hammering Out Complex Microbial Interactions Using THOR
Hannah Martin, Fighting Melanoma from the Inside: A New Delivery System for Cytokine Therapy Using Biomaterials
Hamidreza Nassiri, Did Digital Technologies in Film and Media Increase Equality and Enhance Justice?
Divinefavor Osinloye, MUC16: Friend or Foe? Analyzing the Role of MUC16 in Ovarian Cancer Development
Rakoon Piyanontalee, Are Bonuses Double-Edged Swords? Examining the Temporal Relationship between Bonus Pay and Turnover
Gina Roesch, An Assembly Line Approach to Controlling A Molecule’s Environment
Midori Samson, Recentered Music Learning: Operationalizing Social Work Principles as Anti-racist, Anti-oppressive, and Socially Just Music Praxis
Andrew Schoen, Better Robot Task Specifications
Shweta Shah, Developing a Medication Device Webpage to Improve Safety in Critically-Ill Children
Chen Sun, Moments of Language Teaching in the Personal Histories of Teachers
Mary Swaney, Sharing is Caring: Vitamin B12 in the Skin Microbiome
Fangjing Tu, Why We Fall For Fake News And How We Can Stop Its Harm
Taylor Watterson, A Prescription for Safety: A Look Behind-the-Counter at Pharmacist Fatigue
Yuhai Xiang, Connecting the Macroscopic Mechanical Properties of 3D Printed Plastic to the Mobility of Molecular Chains
Shenwei Zhang, The Sweet Revenge of Bacterial Viruses

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.

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?

Past Competitions

Watch videos of the winning presentations from the 2019 competition: