NMSU Grad Students to Present Research during ‘Three-Minute Thesis’ Competition Today

What can you do in three minutes? Boil an egg, greet your pet when you get home or perhaps watch an ultra-short TED Talk?

This weekend, 21 New Mexico State University students will have just three minutes to explain their research or creative theses to an audience for a chance to win cash prizes.

The College of Arts and Sciences will present the fifth annual “Three-Minute Thesis” competition at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, April 2, at Corbett Center Auditorium.

A typical thesis is about 80,000 words and would take nine hours to present. The competition requires Ph.D. candidates to consolidate their ideas, crystallize their research discoveries and defend their thesis for a panel of judges in three minutes or less. The competition supports the development of research candidates’ capacity to communicate their ideas effectively to a wide-range of non-specialist audiences as well as to the community.

“The ‘Three-Minute Thesis’ competition is an excellent opportunity for students to present the main research goals and methods for their theses in a public setting,” said Jeffrey Brown, associate dean for research in the College of Arts and Sciences and coordinator of this year’s event. “This competition also helps students solidify in their own minds precisely what it is they’re working on and why it’s important.”

Participants will deliver their thesis using only a single PowerPoint slide, with no other electronic media, props or costumes permitted. Those competitors going over the three-minute limit will be disqualified.

Presenters will be judged on communication style, comprehension and engagement. Four faculty members on the College of Arts and Sciences graduate affairs committee, as well as one student ambassador, will serve on the judge’s panel.

First, second and third place winners will receive cash prizes of $1,000, $500 and $250, respectively. Winners will be announced after the presentations.

This event is free and open to the public.

For more information, including registration details, visit http://artsci.nmsu.edu/en/forms/3-minute-thesis-application

Author: Dana Beasley – NMSU