Three Minute Thesis

On Monday, October 23, the UWF Graduate School and the Office of Research Administration and Engagement hosted the 1st Annual 3MT Competition. The Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is an academic research communication competition developed by The University of Queensland (UQ), Australia. This event challenges graduate students to present a compelling speech about their research and its significance to non-academic persons in just three minutes using only one presentation image. 

 

Fourteen graduate students participated in the competition. The winners are as follows:

1st Overall: Joshua Cook, Master of Science in Data Science, Analytics and Modeling, “Prediction of Orthopedic Clinical Trial Enrollment Rates”

Runner-Up: Jason Bock, Doctorate of Education in Instructional Design and Technology, “Institutional Engagement with Online Students”

People’s Choice: Marc Bell, Master’s of Science in Cybersecurity, Security Management, “Where the Rubber Meets the Road: Cybersecurity Threat Assessments in Self-Driving Cars”

 

We appreciate each and every student who participated. This is an excellent opportunity to share the exciting research that our graduate students are doing with others. The 1st place winner will represent UWF in the statewide 3MT competition at the Conference of Florida Graduate Schools in April 2024. 

 

You may watch the competition here. 

 

• A participating student must be enrolled in a master’s or doctoral program at the University of West Florida for the Fall 2023 semester.
• A student’s graduate program need not require a thesis or dissertation to participate. 
• A student’s 3MT® presentation topic must cover an original research project that is being conducted as part of the student's graduate program.
• Students may not give a presentation on research completed as an undergraduate or research completed at another institution.
• Students are not required to have reached a particular stage in their research, but those who have achieved significant progress in their research are likely to be more competitive.
• If presenting research that includes sensitive or proprietary information, students should seek approval from their advisor or principal investigator before applying to participate in the competition.

• 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. 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 considered to have commenced when a presenter starts their presentation through either movement or speech.
• The decision of the adjudicating panel is final.

Judges are educated professionals that are employed at the University of West Florida. Judges will use a 1-10 scale (1 is worst, 10 is best) for two categories that are added together to produce a presenter’s score (20 is the highest possible score). Judges’ scores for each presenter are averaged, and the person with the highest average receives the first-place award, while the person with the second-highest average receives the runner-up award. The audience will vote to determine the People’s Choice award (this person may not win the first or runner-up award). In the event this does occur, the 2nd highest People’s Choice vote will receive the award. The two categories of presentation evaluation and their criteria are:

Comprehension and content

• Presentation provided clear background and significance to the research question.
• Presentation clearly described the research strategy/design and the results/findings of the research.
• Presentation clearly described the conclusions, outcomes, and impact of the research.

Engagement and communication

• The oration was delivered clearly, and the language was appropriate for a non-specialist audience.
• The PowerPoint slide was well-defined and enhanced the presentation.
• The presenter conveyed enthusiasm for their research and captured and maintained the audience’s attention.

• 1st Place
   
• UWF Graduate Diploma Frame ($200 value)
• Serve as UWF’s representative at the Conference of Florida Graduate Schools (expenses paid for by the Graduate School)
• 2nd Place 
• UWF Bookstore Gift Card, Merchandise and Graduate School Swag
• People’s Choice
• UWF Bookstore Gift Card, Merchandise and Graduate School Swag