UW Three Minute Thesis 2023
Theme | Eligibility Criteria | Timeline | Proposal Guidelines | Proposal Selection Criteria | Proposal Form | Preliminary Rounds | Past Winners | FAQs | Contact
News
The top five 3MT presenters from the March 29 event competed once again — but this time they presented their outstanding research projects to the UW Foundation Board! Leadership from The Graduate School were there to cheer them on. Presenters included:
- Winner | $500: Felicia Watson, doctoral student in Pathobiology
- Mayuree Binjolkar, doctoral student in Civil & Environmental Engineering
- Megan Maerz, doctoral student in Molecular Medicine & Mechanisms of Disease
- Ekta Samani, doctoral student in Mechanical Engineering
- Ather Sharif, doctoral student in Computer Science & Engineering
This year’s 3MT competition was held on March 29, 2023, on the Seattle campus. In front of an in-person general audience and esteemed judges, 11 graduate students from across disciplines presented talks on their capstone or dissertation projects. They each had only 3 minutes and 1 slide!
Congratulations to this year’s winners:
- First Place Prize | $2,500: Mayuree Binjolkar, doctoral student in Civil & Environmental Engineering
- Runner Up Prize | $1,500: Ekta Samani, doctoral student in Mechanical Engineering
- People’s Choice Prize | $1,000: Megan Maerz, doctoral student in Molecular Medicine & Mechanisms of Disease
Read this year’s presenter bios
About
UW 3MT® is a professional development competition that celebrates the exciting capstone and research experiences of master’s and doctoral students at the University of Washington from all three campuses. The competition supports graduate students’ capacity to effectively explain their research or capstone project in three minutes, in a language appropriate to a public audience. This event is a partnership between the Office of Graduate Student Affairs in The Graduate School and the UW Libraries Research Commons. Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is an academic research communication competition originally developed by the University of Queensland, Australia.
This year, we are hosting online preliminary rounds on March 23, 2023.
Successful presenters from the preliminary rounds will be selected as finalists to compete at the 3MT competition, scheduled for March 29, 2023, 3:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m., on the Seattle campus. Finalists will present in front of a general audience and a panel of esteemed judges.
1st Place, 2nd Place, and People’s Choice Award winners will be awarded cash prizes!
Check out Frequently Asked Questions.
Send questions to uw3mt@uw.edu.
Relive the 2022 Virtual Competition
Access the virtual recording
Theme
The theme for this year’s competition is Impact. Impact can be defined as the positive outcome of a critical intervention, social policy, service provision model, legal framework, or technological innovation. How does your capstone or research project demonstrate impact for the public good? We’re excited to celebrate the influence our graduate students have on the world.
Eligibility Criteria
- You are a University of Washington master’s or doctoral student from any UW campus.
- You have a draft of your final project (e.g. capstone, thesis, or dissertation), including findings and conclusions.
- Only one member of a capstone project team may submit a proposal. If the proposal is selected, the same student who submitted the proposal must be the presenter.
- Your degree will be granted during AY 2022-2023.
3MT competitions are intended for graduate students who are ready to present their capstone, thesis, or dissertation work, rather than for works-in-progress. If you are at an earlier stage with your research, we encourage you to submit a proposal to Scholars’ Studio to present your work.
Timeline
| Competition Process | Date, Time & Location |
| Proposal submission deadline for preliminary virtual rounds | Deadline extended to Thursday, March 9 @ 11:59 p.m. (PST) |
| Virtual preliminary rounds. Successful presenters will be selected as finalists for competition day. | March 23, 2023 |
| 3MT Competition Day Register for this event |
March 29, 2023 3:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m. Doors open @ 3 p.m. HUB 145, Seattle campus |
Proposal Submission Guidelines for Preliminary Rounds
This year, we are hosting preliminary rounds on March 23, 2023. Successful presenters will be selected from these rounds to compete during the in person 3MT competition, scheduled for March 29, 2023 on the Seattle campus. Below are the proposal guidelines for the preliminary rounds:
Capstone or Research Project Summary
In 300 words or less, please describe your capstone or research project for a general reader (without discipline-specific jargon or technical language).
Your summary:
– Must be concise and coherent
– Does not include a lot of disciplinary jargon
– Is understandable to a general, public audience
Theme
Impact is the theme for this year’s UW Three Minute Thesis competition. Briefly (300 words or less) describe how your capstone or research project demonstrates impact.
Proposal Selection Criteria
Successful proposals for preliminary rounds are based on the following:
Capstone or Research Project Summary
– Is the capstone or research project summary concise and 300 words or less?
– Does the summary include a lot of disciplinary jargon?
– Is the summary understandable to a general, public audience
Theme: Impact
Does the proposal include how the capstone or research project demonstrates impact in 300 words or less?
Submit Your Proposal
The proposal deadline has been extended to Thursday, March 9, 2023 @ 11:59 p.m.
Access the proposal submission form. Note: To log in to the proposal form, your UW Google account must be activated first. Here are instructions on how to do this.
Preliminary Rounds
If your proposal is selected, you will have an opportunity to present your capstone or research project in an online preliminary rounds on March 23, 2023. Successful presenters will be selected as finalists to present during the in person 3MT competition, scheduled for March 29, 2023 on the Seattle campus.
Guidance and Resources for Preparing Your 3MT Presentation
Review the following tips and resources:
- Watch the 2022 UW Virtual 3MT Competition recording
- Communicating Your Value, Bill Mahoney Ph.D., UW Graduate School
- Preparing for Your Virtual 3MT Presentation (pp.1-4), University of Queensland
- Tips for Effective Design and Use of the 3MT Slide, Indiana University
- Elevator Pitch: An Effective Way to Communicate Your Work, Office of Student & Postdoc Affairs, University of Washington
- How to Write a Ph.D. Elevator Pitch, Academic Positions
- What Is an Elevator Pitch? (video), Southern New Hampshire University
- The Elevator Pitch, Career Network for Student Scientists and Postdocs at Yale University
- Communication: Two Minutes to Impress, Nature Jobs
Competition day finalists will be selected from the preliminary rounds, based on the following presentation criteria:
| Content | The presentation sufficiently described the project topic, significance, and background—as well as key findings, implications, or recommendations. |
| Clarity | The presenter rarely used disciplinary jargon. If terminology was used, they were clearly defined for the lay audience. |
| Oral communication | The presenter had an engaging stage presence. |
| Visual communication | The presentation slide was clear, legible and concise. One single static PowerPoint slide is allowed. No slide transitions or animations are allowed. No props or electronic media (e.g. sound, music, and video files) are permitted. |
| Theme | The presentation clearly and sufficiently described how the project demonstrates the theme of Impact. |
Past Winners
2022 (Virtual)
- First Place
Enrique M. Saldarriaga, doctoral candidate in Health Economics & Outcomes Research
School of Pharmacy - Second Place
Julia Dreifus, doctoral candidate in Microbiology
School of Medicine - People’s Choice
Douglas E. Wagoner, master’s candidate in Public Administration
Evans School of Public Policy & Governance
Watch the 2022 UW Virtual 3MT Competition recording
2021 (Virtual)
- First Place
Beth Halsne, doctoral student in Rehabilitation Science & master’s student in Mechanical Engineering - Second Place
Jackie Otting, master’s student in Education (Learning Sciences & Human Development) - People’s Choice
Arianne Caudal, doctoral student in Biochemistry
Watch the 2021 UW Virtual 3MT Competition recording
2020
Event canceled due to COVID-19.
2019
- First Place
Barbara Rodriguez Droguett, doctoral student in Built Environment - Second Place
Junyue Cao, doctoral student in Molecular & Cellular Biology - People’s Choice
Junyue Cao, doctoral student in Molecular & Cellular Biology
2018
- First Place
Amey Khanolkar, doctoral student in Mechanical Engineering - Second Place
Evan Schuster, master’s student in Mechanical Engineering - People’s Choice
Amey Khanolkar, doctoral student in Mechanical Engineering
2017
- First Place
Molly Grear, doctoral student in Civil & Environmental Engineering - Second Place
Gabby Barsh, doctoral student in Molecular & Cellular Biology - People’s Choice
Zheng Li, doctoral student in Bioengineering
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is eligible to submit a proposal for UW 3MT?
To be eligible to submit a proposal, you must meet the following criteria:
- You are a University of Washington master’s or doctoral student from any UW campus.
- You have a draft of your final project (e.g. capstone, thesis, or dissertation), including findings and conclusions.
- Only one member of a capstone project team may submit a proposal. If the proposal is selected, the same student who submitted the proposal must be the presenter.
- Your degree will be granted during AY 2022-2023.
3MT competitions are intended for graduate students who are ready to present their capstone, thesis, or dissertation work, rather than for works-in-progress. If you are at an earlier stage with your research, we encourage you to submit proposals to Scholars’ Studio to present your work.
What happens during the preliminary rounds?
If your proposal is selected, you will have an opportunity to present your capstone or research project in online preliminary rounds on March 23, 2023.
Successful presenters from the preliminary rounds will be selected to present during the in person 3MT competition, scheduled for March 29, 2023, 3:30 pm – 5:30 pm, HUB 145 on the Seattle campus.
What happens on 3MT Competition Day?
UW 3MT Competition
March 29, 2023 | 3:30 pm – 5:30 pm (Doors open @ 3 pm)
HUB 145, Seattle campus
In front of a general audience and a panel of esteemed judges, up to 15 presenters will each compete by doing three-minute presentations for First Place, Second Place, and People’s Choice awards.
1st Place, 2nd Place, and People’s Choice winners will be awarded cash prizes!
What is allowed on my 3MT slide?
One single static PowerPoint slide is permitted.
In preparing the slide, remember that ‘less is more.’ It does not have to include text. Visual cues are very effective in assisting the presenter’s explanation of their research. (No slide transitions or animations are permitted).
Can I use sound or video files?
No additional electronic media (e.g. sound, music, and video files) is permitted during the competition.
Is there a dress code?
Business formal or business casual is suggested. Costumes are not allowed.
Can I have props (a 3D printed model, a soccer ball, a microscope, etc.)?
No.
Can I win in more than one category on competition day?
Yes, it is possible to win a place (First or Second) and also win the People’s Choice Award.
Who will be in the audience?
The 3MT main event audience is often a mix of graduate students, faculty, staff, and University leadership. There will also be supporters of graduate education in attendance, as well as presenters’ family and community members.
Contact
Send questions to uw3mt@uw.edu.