Three Minute Thesis Competition
Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is an academic competition developed by The University of Queensland (UQ), Australia.
Want your research to change the world?
... Try explaining it in just 3 minutes!
The Three minute Thesis Competition (3MT ®) is an annual competition, where research candidates present their research topic in 3 minutes, using only one slide, to an audience of people who are mostly outside their discipline.
For the first time in 2013, CSU will be participating in the Trans-Tasman Three Minute Thesis Competition, alongside most of the universities in Australia, as well as universities in New Zealand, Asia and the South Pacific.
The 3MT competition is an excellent way to develop skills for communicating research ideas in ways which are precise, concise, engaging and accessible for people from various disciplines. It is an opportunity to bring your research to a broad audience, demonstrate your presentation skills, and win some great prizes.
Congratulations to the 2013 CSU 3MT Winner!
The first entry to the Three Minute Thesis competition by Charles Sturt Uni has been won by Lindy Cavanagh, a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Education, with a presentation about her research into mental health for young people living in remote and rural areas. Lindy’s research investigates mental health support for young people living in remote or rural areas. More than a quarter of all young people experience mental health issues, while very few of them seek help. Lindy’s research has revealed some of the reasons for this, and has resulted in the production of high quality educational resources for use in high schools.
The grand final in Bathurst brought together the 7 finalists from all heats to compete for a prize of $1500 research travel grant, before a panel of expert judges – Prof. Sue Thomas (DVC (Research) & Acting Vice-Chancellor), Prof. Tara Brabazon, (Head of School of Teacher Education), Mr Col Sharp (Head of Bathurst Campus & Director, Office of Planning & Audit), and Mr Geoff Hastings (Principal of Denison College, Bathurst).
Competing for the chance to represent CSU at the Grand Final of the Trans-Tasman 3MT Competition were:
| Name | Faculty | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Kathryn Hopps | Faculty of Education | "No reply": Intersetting communication and the transition to school |
| Bhupesh Mansukhani | Faculty of Business | Using brainwaves to access cloud computing |
| Susan Laverick | Faculty of Arts | Beyond the Point of Decorum: the political romances of Rosa Praed |
| Rohan McAdam | Faculty of Business | Movement-based Computation |
| Lindy Cavanagh | Faculty of Education | Don't let it rain on your paddocks: You're not "bonkers" if you search for a brolly! |
| Brooke Scriven | Faculty of Education | How do young children become literate using talk and technologies? |
| Jasmine MacDonald | Faculty of Arts | Camera-operators, trauma, and world beliefs |
Building on CSU’s strengths in regional and distance education this year the University pioneered the first online competition heat to be offered by any university in the 3MT. This has proved to be a great success with the winners of the online heat travelling from New Delhi, India and Geneva, Switzerland to compete in CSU’s Grand Final.
Lindy will represent CSU at the Trans-Tasman 3MT competition on the 18th of October hosted this year by the University of Western Sydney.
- Who is eligible?
- Can I be in the audience?
- Where & when will the competition be held?
- Does it cost anything to enter?
- What can I win?
- What does a winning presentation look like?
- Rules
- How do I enter?
- Can anyone help me prepare for the competition?
- I’ve still got questions...
Who is eligible?
Everyone who is enrolled in a CSU higher degree by research – e.g. PhD, MPhil and other doctoral or masters degrees which are at least 66% by research. Research candidates who have submitted their thesis, but not yet graduated, are also eligible.
Please note: While the CSU competition is open to all candidates in a higher degree by research, the Trans-Tasman 3MT in Sydney is only open to candidates enrolled in a PhD or MPhil. Therefore, if you are enrolled in a higher degree by research other than a PhD or MPhil, you can still win the CSU Three Minute Thesis. However, in this case, the runner up, or next most highly ranked competitor in a PhD or MPhil, will represent CSU at the Trans-Tasman final.
Can I be in the audience?
Yes! Everyone is welcome to be in the audience, especially if you are interested in knowing more about what our wonderful research students do, and why they do it.
Audience members will be able to vote in the People’s Choice awards. The People’s Choice winners will go to the Grand Final, alongside the judge’s choices, and will have a chance to compete for the CSU top prize, and represent CSU at the big Trans-Tasman competition in Sydney in October.
Please note: Audience members need to be seated before the presentations begin. No-one will be allowed to enter during the presentations.
Where & when will the competition be held?
The competition will be held in 3 stages:
-
four heats (one on each main campus, plus an online heat);
-
the CSU grand final;
-
the Trans-Tasman final alongside finalists from all participating universities.
All CSU staff, students and friends are invited to be part of the audience in the campus heats and the grand final in Bathurst.
| Stage | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Albury heat | Tuesday, 13th August, 12pm | Room 202, Building 751 (C.D. Blake) |
| Online heat | Tuesday, 13th August, 2:15pm | Judges and audience will be in Room 202, Building 751 (C.D. Blake), Albury Campus |
| Bathurst heat | Monday, 19th August, 2pm | James Hardie Dining Room, Centre for Professional Development, Building S17 |
| Wagga heat | Monday, 26th August, 11am | Indyamarra Room (A), Convention Centre, Building 230 |
| CSU grand final | Tuesday, 24th September, 4pm | Centre for Professional Development, Bathurst, Building S17 |
| Trans-Tasman final | Friday, 18th October, 9am | University of Western Sydney, Parramatta campus, Sir Ian and Nancy Turbott Auditorium (Building EE) |
Does it cost anything to enter?
No. However, you may need to pay some travel costs if you are outside of NSW. Finalists will need to travel to Bathurst for the CSU final, and the CSU winner will need to travel to Sydney for the Trans-Tasman 3MT final. CSU will cover travel costs within NSW for finalists. Any travel outside NSW will need to be paid for by the participant.
What can I win?
Campus/online heat winners (judges' choice & people's choice): $200 gift certificate + Travel & accommodation costs within NSW to compete in the CSU grand final in Bathurst
CSU grand final winner: $1500 research travel grant + Travel & accommodation costs within NSW to compete in the Trans-Tasman final in Sydney
Prizes for the Trans-Tasman final:
Winner: $5000 research travel grant
Runner-up: $2000 research travel grant
People’s choice: $1000 research travel grant
What does a winning presentation look like?
You can view some examples of previous 3MT winning presentations here:
http://threeminutethesis.org/3mt-showcase
Rules
- One PowerPoint slide only (no animations or slide transitions allowed)
- No additional media are allowed (e.g. audio or video files, paper hand-outs)
- No additional props are allowed (e.g. costumes, instruments, tools or equipment)
- Presentations are strictly limited to 3 minutes maximum. Presentations over 3 minutes will be disqualified.
How do I enter?
Registrations for the 2013 competition have now closed. Contact the organisers with any questions about registrations (see below).
Can anyone help me prepare for the competition?
The preparation workshops have taken place on the 1st of August. You can access the recording of the online preparation workshop by emailing researchpd@csu.edu.au.
Any questions about preparation sessions or support in developing your presentation to Cassily Charles – ccharles@csu.edu.au.
I’ve still got questions...
The coordinators of the 2013 CSU 3MT competition are Lisa McLean (lmclean@csu.edu.au) and Cassily Charles (ccharles@csu.edu.au)