Index
3 Minute Thesis competition
This year RMIT is participating in the second national
3 Minute Thesis competition at the University of Western Australia. The competition asks Higher Degree by research candidates to present a compelling oration on their thesis topic and its significance in language appropriate to an intelligent but non-specialist audience in three minutes, with a single power point slide.
Information about the 3 Minute Thesis competition for 2012 will be available in early 2012.
2011 Winners
The winner of the 2011 RMIT 3 Minute Thesis grand final was Amy Tan from the School of Health Sciences, with her presentation “Chinese herbal medicine treatment for atopic dermatitis”. The grand final runner up was Susan Inglis (BUS) and The People’s Choice award went to Brian McCauley (BUS). Read more about the 2011 3MT competition.
The six finalists managed to interest and engage the 130 strong audience, taking on the challenge to condense their 30,000 word theses into 3 minute presentations and allowed only one slide each. The range of topics showcased the diversity of research at RMIT.
All six presentations can now be viewed on YouTube.
- Amy Tan – “Chinese herbal medicine treatment for atopic dermatitis”
- Susan Inglis – “Enabling knowledge flow to achieve organisational objectives”
- Stephen Sun – “Repairing Aero-grade high strength steel or bu$t”
- Brian McCauley – “Investigating the diversity amongst player’s motivations for the consumption of entertainment software on smartphones”
- Betty Sargeant – “New world belonging”
- Arthur Shelley – “Metaphor as a means to influence behavious in projects for enhanced outcomes”
Further information
Who can enter?
Any student currently undertaking a research degree (PhD or Masters). Students can enter at any stage in their candidature, even after they have submitted. You cannot enter if you have received your examiners reports.
How do I enter?
Please complete the online registration form and the School of Graduate Research will send your details to your school. Your school will then contact you in mid July with further details. If you do not hear from your school please contact Helen Lennox.
What are the rules?
Students must present their thesis topic and its significance in three minutes. It is not an exercise in trivialising or ‘dumbing-down’ research. The oration should engage the audience without reducing research to entertainment value alone.
- A single PowerPoint slide is permitted (no slide transitions are permitted)
- No additional electronic media (e.g. sound and video files)
- No additional props (e.g. costumes, instruments [musical, laboratory etc])
- Presentations are limited to three minutes maximum. Competitors exceeding three minutes will be disqualified
- The decision of the adjudicating panel is final
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- Communication style: was the thesis topic and its significance communicated in language appropriate to an intelligent but non-specialist audience?
- Comprehension: did the presentation help the audience understand the research?
- Engagement: did the oration make the audience want to know more?
What prizes are on offer?
In 2011 each college winner received $1000 and other prizes for the school events.
The winner of the RMIT final received a further $2,500 to fly to the final national event in Western Australia. The runner up received an Apple iPad.
All RMIT finalists received book vouchers, with the People's Choice winner receiving an additional voucher.
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How do I enter?
The School of Graduate Research will be opening nominations in 2012. You will be sent details of how to register by email.
Your school will then contact with the details of the school competition.
Colleges will hold a semi final where all school finalists will compete. The winner and runner up of each College will go through to the RMIT final.
Contact your college representative to find out details of local competitions:
- Science, Engineering and Health: sandra.pereira@rmit.edu.au
- Design and Social Context: daniel.martini@rmit.edu.au
- Business: prue.lamont@rmit.edu.au
Can I watch the play offs?
We encourage PhD students to watch the school level play offs to find out what their fellow students are up to! Stay tuned for a list of times and dates on this page
Who can assist me to prepare my entry?
The SGR will run an ‘On Track Research Workshop’ called ‘How to sell your thesis in three minutes’.
Being able to give a concise pitch about your thesis is a key skill, one which helps you keep focused on what is most important about your research as you are writing. Students wishing to compete must present a compelling three minute oration on their thesis topic and its significance in language appropriate to an intelligent but non-specialist audience using a single power point slide. Entrants will be judged on how well they communicate as well as their creativity.
So even if you don’t want to compete in the 3 Minute Thesis competition, this session will help you to refine your core ideas and prepare you for that next BBQ where someone asks “So what is your thesis all about then?”.
Presenter: Dr Inger Mewburn
- ‘How to sell your thesis in three minutes’ program information
- Contact Helen Lennox to run a session for your school.
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Contact: sgr@rmit.edu.au
