Three Minute Thesis

Three Minute Thesis Logo

 

About the Competition 

The 6th Annual UAlbany 3MT will be virtual for the preliminary round and in-person for the final round! 

Currently enrolled doctoral and master's students in all disciplines at UAlbany will be eligible to participate in 3MT®. The work presented must have been conducted at UAlbany. Ideally, students should be in the final stages of their graduate program and have some conclusions and impacts from their research.

  • First Place: $1,000 

  • Second Place: $750 

  • Third Place: $500 

  • People's Choice: $250 (selected via audience vote)  

3MT is a competition for research master’s and doctoral students to develop and showcase their research communication skills. 

The first 3MT was held at The University of Queensland (UQ) in 2008 with 160 graduate students competing. Enthusiasm for the 3MT concept grew, and its adoption by numerous universities led to the development of an international competition in 2010. Today students from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Hong Kong take part in their own regional and national events. 

You may view the 2023 Final Round on the Graduate School YouTube Channel.

The 2024 Preliminary Rounds will be held the week of February 19, 2024. 

The 2024 Final Round will be held the week of March 4, 2024.

To learn more, register to attend an online information session:

 

Eligibility

Currently enrolled doctoral and master's students in all disciplines at UAlbany will be eligible to participate in 3MT®.

Work presented must have been conducted at UAlbany.  

Students should be in the final stages of graduate school, so they have some sound conclusions and impacts from their research.

Alumni are not eligible. 

How to Enter

Register to participate by 11:59 a.m. on Monday, February 12, 2024.

If your slide or video is not ready at the time of registration, you must upload your slide to 3MT PowerPoint Slides and email your video link to [email protected].

Your PowerPoint slide must be one static widescreen size (16:9). In PowerPoint, click the Design tab, then click Slide Size and choose Widescreen (16:9).

Presentation Title 

On the registration form, you will be asked to include the title of your presentation. Please aim to keep your title catchy, informative, concise, and true to your research.  

An important element of the competition is communicating your research in a concise and engaging manner and that starts with the title. Try to avoid long titles with technical jargon. 

Presentation Slide 

All participating students must have a single, static PowerPoint slide (no animations, no transitions) to accompany their presentation. The slide must be in widescreen (16:9) format. 

When creating your slide, remember that the slide is another tool to help you explain and illustrate your research. Avoid including too much text on your slide or having a slide that looks too busy, which can distract from rather than enhance your presentation. 

Think carefully about what is most important to include on your slide to tell the story of your research. Oftentimes the most memorable slides are simple and leave the audience with a clear snapshot of the research.  

Presentation Video

Please follow the UAlbany 3MT Virtual Competition Guide for more information on preparing your video. 

Competition Rules
  • A single static PowerPoint slide is permitted. No slide transitions, animations or ‘movement’ of any description are allowed. The slide is to be presented from the beginning of the oration. 

  • No additional electronic media (e.g. sound and video files) are permitted. 

  • No additional props (e.g. cue cards, costumes, musical instruments, laboratory equipment) are permitted. 

  • Presentations are limited to 3 minutes maximum and competitors exceeding 3 minutes are disqualified. 

  • Presentations are to be spoken word (e.g. no poems, raps or songs). 

  • Presentations are to commence from the stage. 

  • Presentations are considered to have commenced when a presenter starts their presentation through either movement or speech. 

  • The decision of the adjudicating panel is final. 

Judging Criteria

Content 

  • Did the presentation provide an understanding of the background to the research question being addressed and its significance? 

  • Did the presentation clearly describe the key results of the research including conclusions and outcomes? 

Comprehension 

  • Did the presentation follow a clear and logical sequence? 

  • Was the thesis topic, key results and research significance and outcomes communicated in language appropriate to a non-specialist audience? 

  • Did the speaker avoid scientific jargon, explain terminology and provide adequate background information to illustrate points? 

  • 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 

  • Did the oration make the audience want to know more? 

  • Did the presenter convey enthusiasm for their research? 

  • Did the presenter capture and maintain their audience's attention? 

Communication 

  • Was the presenter careful not to trivialize or generalize their research? 

  • Did the speaker have sufficient stage presence, eye contact and vocal range? Did the speaker maintain a steady pace, and have a confident stance? 

  • Did the PowerPoint slide enhance the presentation? Was it clear, legible, and concise? 

2023 Winners

First Place & People's Choice: Mónica Ventura, Chemistry - PhD
Title: The Twig is Up: Stopping Illegal Loggers in Their Tracks
Advisor: Rabi Musah

Second Place: Jayanta Talukder, Economics - PhD
Title:
Reverse Migration and Occupational Choice: Evidence from COVID-Induced Lockdown in India
Advisor: Chun-Yu Ho

Third Place: JJ Kathe, Communication - PhD
Title
: Bugs, Woods, and Drinking Water
Advisor: Robert Breen

2023 Finalist included:

First Last Discipline Year in Program Type of Research Title of Presentation Primary Advisor Advisor's Title Advisor's Department
Jamie Corro Biomedical Sciences - PhD Fifth or Higher Dissertation Visualization of isoniazid persistence in mycobacteria with hibernating ribosomes Anil Ojha Associate Professor Biomedical Sciences
JJ Kathe Biodiversity, Conservation, and Policy - MS Third Thesis Bugs, Woods, and Drinking Water Robert Breen Adjunct Faculty Geography & Planning
Pallavi Khurana Communication - PhD PhD Candidate/All But Dissertation (ABD) Other Original Research Project How do social media #hashtags influence impression formation? Archana Krishnan Associate Professor Communication
Jayanta Talukder Economics - PhD PhD Candidate/All But Dissertation (ABD) Dissertation Reverse Migration and Occupational Choice: Evidence from COVID-Induced Lockdown in India Chun-Yu Ho Associate Professor Economics
Mónica Ventura Chemistry - PhD Fifth or Higher Dissertation The Twig is Up: Stopping Illegal Loggers in Their Tracks Rabi Musah Professor Chemistry
Shangyun Zhou Counseling Psychology - PhD Fifth or Higher Dissertation Intervening suicidal ideation in Asian college students - the roles of family perfectionism, familial interpersonal needs, familial meaning in life Hung-Bin Sheu Associate Professor Educational & Counseling Psychology

2023 Preliminary Round competitors included:

First Last Discipline Year in Program Type of Research Title of Presentation Primary Advisor Advisor's Title Advisor's Department
Riley Alpuche Chemistry - PhD First Other Original Research Project Quantification of DNA in Body Fluids Igor Lednev Distinguished Professor Chemistry
Zhixue Bai Chemistry - PhD PhD Candidate/All But Dissertation (ABD) Dissertation Younger Generation Powerful Tool for RNA Associated Drug Design: Free Energy Calculation Coupled with Biased MD Simulation Alan Chen Associate Professor Chemistry
Samadrita Biswas Chemistry - PhD PhD Candidate/All But Dissertation (ABD) Dissertation Effect of fluorinated alcohols on the protein folding: A molecular dynamic simulation study John Welch Professor Chemistry
Kewsi Burgess Curriculum and Instruction - PhD PhD Candidate/All But Dissertation (ABD) Dissertation Black Educators: a tale of one teacher's approach to harnessing the resources of Black boys. Julie Learned Associate Professor Educational Theory & Practice
Hanh Dinh Curriculum and Instruction - PhD PhD Candidate/All But Dissertation (ABD) Dissertation “Multicompetence! Not Linguistic Deficiency!”: Helping Bilinguals’ Word Selections in Writing Istvan Kecskes Distinguished Professor Educational Theory & Practice
Chunyu Guo Economics - PhD PhD Candidate/All But Dissertation (ABD) Dissertation Regulator Preference and Underinvestment in Water Infrastructure Cuicui Chen Assistant Professor Economics
Mahera Kachwala Chemistry - PhD PhD Candidate/All But Dissertation (ABD) Dissertation Are portable paper devices the future of medical diagnostics? Mehmet Yigit Associate Professor Chemistry
Alexander Mitchell Atmospheric Science - PhD Fifth or Higher Thesis Unlocking the Secrets of Central American Heavy Rainfall Lance Bosart Distinguished Professor Atmospheric & Environmental Sciences
Savannah (Sav) Olivas Information Science - PhD First Other Original Research Project Using Data Dashboards to Communicate Extreme Temperature Risk: An Assessment of Visual Display and Design Jeannette Sutton Associate Professor Emergency Management and Homeland Security
Humphrey Omeoga Biology - PhD Third Other Original Research Project Mnm-writers Regulate Stress Responses in E. coli Thomas Begley Professor Biological Sciences
Katie Parra Psychology: Behavioral Neuroscience - PhD Fifth or Higher Dissertation Adaptive moms: The relationship between stress and oxytocin during the postpartum period Damian Zuloaga Associate Professor Psychology
Kahini Sarkar Biology - PhD Fifth or Higher Thesis How to exit germ cell program to launch next generation Prashanth Rangan Assistant Professor Biological Sciences
Sandras Spoorthy Chemistry - MS First Thesis Diffrentiated/Undiffrentiated neuronal cells Alexander Shekthman Professor Chemistry
Shao-Yun Tsai Criminal Justice - MA Second Other Original Research Project Topic Scheme Manifesto Project Michael Young Assistant Professor Emergency Management and Homeland Security
Jane Jia-Yin Wang Sociology - PhD/ Women's Studies - MA Third Dissertation Dual liminality: Being Chinese in America Ronald Jacobs Professor Sociology
Alexis Weber Chemistry - PhD PhD Candidate/All But Dissertation (ABD) Dissertation Bloodstains In Crime Scene Conditions Igor Lednev Distinguished Professor Chemistry
Xue Wu Economics - PhD Fifth or Higher Dissertation Emergency department closure and mortality Chun-Yu Ho Associate Professor Economics
Ju-Ying Yang Public Administration and Policy - PhD PhD Candidate/All But Dissertation (ABD) Dissertation It is a Starting Point, Not a Finale Jennifer Dodge Associate Professor Public Administration & Policy
2022 Winners

First Place: Rachel Fay, Biomedical Sciences - PhD 
Title:
Increasing the resolution of vector-borne diseases and climate change
Advisor: Alexander Ciota

Second Place: Bhavik Vyas, Chemistry - PhD
Title:
A universal test for the forensic identification of all main body fluids including urine
Advisor: Igor Lednev

Third Place: Victoria Barbeisch, Communication - PhD
Title
: Let’s Talk About Consent: A Content Analysis of How Sexual Consent is Discussed on Twitter
Advisor: Archana Krishnan

People's Choice: Maria Haji-Georgi, Educational Psychology - PhD
Title:
You [don't] need to stop caring
Advisor: Kevin P. Quinn

2021 Winners

First Place: Jessica Somers, Anthropology - PhD
Title:
You Don't Get It Till You Get It
Advisor: Associate Professor Elise Andaya

2nd Place: Nidhi Nandu, Chemistry - PhD
Title:
Looking at the Picture Differently
Advisor: Associate Professor Mehmet Yigit

Third Place (Tie): Meghan Appley, Chemistry - PhD 
Title:
Birds of a Feather – Forensic Identification of Endangered Parrots
Advisor: Professor Rabi Musah

Third Place (Tie): Ya Ying Zheng, Chemistry - PhD 
Title:
Looking at the Picture Differently
Advisor: Associate Professor Jia Sheng

People's Choice: Lauriana Gaudet, Atmospheric Science - PhD
Title:
How Much Do Cloud Processes Affect Precipitation Forecast Uncertainty?
Advisor: Research Associate Kara Sulia

2020 Winners

First Place: Erica Graham, Nanoscale Science and Engineering - PhD
Title: How Close is Too Close? 
Advisor: Nathaniel Cady

2nd Place: Mohammad Amin Nourmohammadi, Biomedical Sciences - PhD
Title: Mapping Receptive Language Cortex Under Anesthesia 
Advisor: Peter Brunner

3rd Place: Clare Miller, Biology - PhD 
Title: Stopping a Virus in Its Tracks 
Advisor: Gabriele Fuchs

People's Choice: Victorio Reyes, English - PhD
Title: Mic Check: Finding Hip Hop's Place in the Literary Milieu
Advisor: Glyne Griffith

 

2019 Winners

First Place & People’s Choice: Mindy Hair, Chemistry - PhD
Title:
When in Doubt, Sweat It Out!
Advisor: Jan Halamek

Second Place: Ewelina Mistek, Chemistry – PhD
Title:
Nondestructive In-Field Identification and Analysis of Bloodstains for Forensic Purposes
Advisor: Igor Lednev

Third Place: Melissa Noel, Criminal Justice – PhD
Title:
Predicting the Future? The Effect of Caregivers’ Expectations on Adolescents’ Who Have Experienced Parental Incarceration
Advisor: Cynthia Najdowski