UA Offers Three Minute Thesis Competition

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. —The University of Alabama Graduate School will host the third annual Three Minute Thesis competition, which challenges graduate students to demonstrate their research and presentation skills concisely for cash prizes and travel grants.

Alabama Public Television will be providing full coverage of the event finals, which will take place at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18, in 159 Russell Hall on campus. Cameras are also following selected individual presenters to tell their stories as they prepare to compete.

The 3MT competition helps students master creating a “pitch” or “elevator speech” for their ideas, as it is often called in the business world. Students learn how to present themselves and their research to interviewers and potential employers.

“Think about it — a graduate student spends years doing their research and writes a 100- or 200-page thesis or dissertation that could take many hours to present in detail,” said Dr. David Francko, associate provost and dean of the Graduate School.  “But 3MT demands that you distill the take-home message of all that research down into a three-minute presentation using only a single static slide – and make that presentation exciting and accessible to a nonspecialist audience.”

Past winners have been awarded scholarships, travel and research grants and opportunities to present at regional and national competitions. Last year’s winner, Brandon Chicotsky, presented on the topic of brand image construction, or, as he called it, “How to build fame.” His research involved a participant observational study in viral marketing, which was developed from content analyses and experimental design involving social media. He went on to earn the People’s Choice Award at the regional 3MT competition and says he invested all of his cash awards immediately back into his research.

“The 3MT experience provided me a strong showcase of my research,” he said. “The return-value of the competition goes beyond the immediate financial award and campus fame; it enables more discovery.”

The 3MT competition originated at The University of Queensland in Australia. More than 20 universities in the southeastern United States are active in the competition, which does not separate competitors by fields.

“UA has a national reputation as a student-centered Graduate School, preparing graduates well for success in their professions,” Francko said. “The UA 3 MT competition, one of the largest in the nation, addresses all of these roles and aspirations.”

Competition attendees will be able to learn more about graduate school, vote for their favorite presentation and attend a reception following the competition.

For more information, contact Cori Perdue, UA Graduate School programs director, at cperdue@ua.edu or 205/348-2118.