The New Mexico State University’s Graduate School is gearing up to host the Three Minute Thesis competition on March 1, offering graduate students a platform to showcase their research in concise and understandable presentations. The event, set to take place from 9 a.m. to noon in Domenici Hall, room 109, challenges participants to articulate their research or creative scholarship work in three minutes or less for a general audience.
According to Ranjit Koodali, the dean of Graduate School and provost of International Affairs at NMSU, the competition serves as a means to highlight the quality of research being conducted at the university. Koodali emphasized, “This competition provides an opportunity for NMSU to showcase to the local community, Board of Regents, and New Mexico legislature regarding the high quality of research being conducted at NMSU and thus elevate the visibility and reputation of NMSU in the region.”
A total of 25 master’s and Ph.D. students will be participating in this year’s competition. Doctoral students are required to be actively engaged in a Ph.D. or professional doctoral research program and have passed their confirmation milestone by January 31, 2024. Master’s students pursuing a thesis-option degree and set to graduate in spring 2024 are also eligible to compete.
Koodali highlighted the significance of the 3MT competition for graduate students, stating, “The 3MT competition allows graduate students to lay emphasis on key elements of their research and thus help provide perspective and focus on the knowledge gap being addressed in their research, necessity, and impact of their work.”
Cash prizes await the top performers of the competition, with awards of $1,500, $750, and $500 for the first, second, and third place winners, respectively. Additionally, the top 20 participants will each receive $100 for their efforts.
The Three Minute Thesis competition, which originated at the University of Queensland in 2008, has gained popularity worldwide, with over 900 universities now hosting their own versions of the event. For further information about the 3MT competition, interested individuals can visit https://threeminutethesis.uq.edu.au/.