3MT winners with Professor John-Finlay Jones and Professor Kerry O. Cox
Three Minute Thesis (3MT™)
The ECU 3MT Final took place on Tuesday, 18 September. Nine research candidates were successful in reaching the ECU Finals, showcasing some of the incredible research being undertaken by our HDR candidates. ECU Winner Kitty-Rose Foley, a full-time PHD candidate from the School Exercise and Health Science will represent ECU in the 2012 Trans-Tasman 3MT competition on Thursday, 11 October.
"Competing in the 3MT was such a wonderful and eye-opening experience and winning was totally unexpected, given the calibre of the performances in the final.
"It was a great challenge to explain my research in three minutes. It’s a lot harder than it seems. I enjoyed learning about the breadth of research being undertaken at ECU and I’m very much looking forward to the national finals at UQ."
Kitty-Rose Foley
School of Exercise and Health Science
ECU 2012 Winner
Three Minute Thesis (3MT™) is a research communication competition where Higher Degree by Research (HDR) candidates have three minutes to explain their research and its significance. 3MT provides a unique opportunity to profile and celebrate the innovative research conducted by research candidates at ECU and from around the world.
The exercise develops academic, presentation, and research communication skills. 3MT is not an exercise in trivialising or 'dumbing-down' research, but challenges candidates to consolidate their ideas and research discoveries so they can be presented concisely to a non-specialist audience.
Why do it?
At ECU, 3MT is part of an effort to provide HDR candidates with an opportunity for the development of a wide range of communication skills.
Skills training for HDR Candidates
The exercise develops academic, presentation and research communication skills, while developing research candidate’s ability to effectively explain their research in language appropriate to any audience. Translating research into 'everyday' speak is an important skill. The Graduate Research School provides research training workshops for all participants.
Building research culture in Schools and Faculties
3MT provides a valuable opportunity for HDR students to come together, get to know one another and talk about their research. It also provides a supportive environment for Schools and Faculties to provide presentation skills training.
Building external relations for the University
3MT finalists benefit from invitations to a variety of networking events.
Eligibility
- Active PhD or Master by Research Candidates (thesis under submission, no graduates)
- The ECU Finalist must be available to represent ECU at the Competition Grand Final.
ECU prizes
- First prize = $2,000 plus an all expenses paid trip to the University of Western Sydney (2012 Winning University), to represent ECU at the 3MT Grand Final.
- Second Prize = $1,250
- Third Prize = $750
- People’s Choice = $500
Rules
- A single static PowerPoint slide is permitted (no slide transitions, animations or 'movement' of any description)
- No additional electronic media (e.g. sound and video files) are permitted
- No additional props (e.g. costumes, musical instruments, laboratory equipment) are permitted
- Presentations are limited to 3 minutes maximum and competitors exceeding 3 minutes are disqualified
- The decision of the judging panel is final
Judging criteria
- Communication style: was the thesis topic and its significance communicated in language appropriate to an intelligent but non-specialist audience?
- Comprehension: did the presentation help the audience understand the research?
- Engagement: Did the oration make the audience want to know more?
2011 ECU 3MT competition
ECU’s 3MT was held during Research Week. Seven research candidates were successful in reaching the ECU Finals held in August 2011, showcasing some of the incredible research being undertaken by our HDR candidates. ECU Winner Matthew Bambach, a part time PHD candidate and ECU academic from the School of Management competed at the national finals held at the University of Western Australia on 29 September 2011.
3MT history
The first 3MT was held at UQ in 2008. In 2009 and 2010 the 3MT concept was promoted to other Australian and New Zealand universities. Enthusiasm for the 3MT concept and its adoption in numerous universities led to the development of an international competition, with the Inaugural Australia & New Zealand 3MT competition held at UQ in 2010.