Texas State 3MT®

Congratulations to our 2021 Texas State 3MT® winners!
First place & People's Choice
Mar Moretta-Urdiales, Aquatic Resources and Integrative Biology
Using environmental-DNA to detect chytrid fungus in Ecuadorian cloud forests
Runner-up
Abbie Salcedo, Adult, Professional, and Community Education
Workplace Injustice: Catalyzing Organizational Change
Natalie Tucker, Psychological Research
Attribution Styles and Resilience in Adults
"Thanks to the 3MT® I have now learned to efficiently communicate my research to listeners without burdening them with pointless jargon. No more passionate, one-sided conversations!" — Rezwan Matin, 2020 First Place Winner
What is 3MT®?
Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is a research communication competition developed by The University of Queensland (UQ) in which graduate students have three minutes to present a compelling oration on their thesis/dissertation research and its significance. 3MT® is not an exercise in trivializing or "dumbing-down" research but instead challenges students to consolidate their ideas and research discoveries so they can be presented concisely to a non-specialist audience.
The first 3MT® was held at UQ in 2008 with 160 students competing. Enthusiasm for the 3MT® concept grew and it has now been adopted by numerous universities around the world. The Graduate College is excited about providing our students the opportunity to participate in the Texas State University 3MT® Competition.
How it works
The purpose of the Preliminary Round is to advance the four top-scoring presentations in each group to the University Final. In each group, three presenters will be advanced based on official judges' scores, and the fourth presenter will be chosen by the university community through online voting (People's Choice Winner).
University Final Competition
The University Final is live and in person. Awards at the University Final Competition include first place and runner-up (awarded by judges) and People's Choice (awarded by the audience). First place and runner-up can also win the People's Choice because the latter is awarded separately by the audience in attendance at the University Final.
Eligibility
Texas State University 3MT® Competition Eligibility
Graduate students currently enrolled in a Texas State University research Ph.D. or Ed.D. program and master's students on a thesis track are eligible to compete. The presentation must include findings/outcomes of research, i.e., you cannot present your proposal; you must have at least preliminary or pilot study findings. Before signing up to participate in this year's competition, we advise that you talk to your committee chair about your intent.
Read more about the presentation rules and judging criteria.
2021 Competition Details
Preliminary Round
The preliminary rounds took place Tuesday, October 5 - Thursday, October 7 and Saturday, October 9. Competitors recorded their 3MT® speech at the YouStar Studios in Alkek Library on the San Marcos campus. Guests will not be permitted to view the preliminary rounds at YouStar Studios.
Although viewers were not permitted to come to the YouStar Studios, we showed all competitors’ recordings online during our People’s Choice Voting from October 14 – October 20. All Texas State faculty, staff, and students were invited to watch the videos and vote for who should move on to the final round! Stay tuned for more details.
University Final
Finalists competed on Wednesday, October 27 from 3 – 5 p.m. in the LBJ Ballroom in the LBJ Student Center on the San Marcos campus.
All Texas State faculty, staff, and students, and the public were invited to attend. Guests were able to vote for who they thought should win the People’s Choice award for the finals.
The Graduate College encouraged competitors and guests to wear masks while attending our 3MT events for the safety of our campus.
How to Prepare
-
viewing the PPT slides or the recording from the 3MT® Orientation and Tips session that took place on Wednesday, September 15, 2021.
- watching previous 3MT® winners’ speeches
- reviewing the judging criteria and presentation rules
- reading about one of our past winner’s experiences in our graduate student blog
2021 Judges
- Dr. Angela Ausbrooks – Director, School of Social Work
- Anna Chowdhury – Associate Director of Strategic Corporate Partnerships, University Advancement
- Dr. Dana Fitzpatrick – Coordinator for Diversity and Inclusion, Institutional Inclusive Excellence
- Dr. Olga Gerhart – Research Coordinator, Office of Research and Sponsored Programs
- Dr. Candace Hastings – Director, Faculty Development
- Terence Parker – Associate Director, Retention Management and Planning
- Ray Rogers – Director, Career Services
- Dr. Aimee Roundtree – Associate Dean, College of Liberal Arts
- Stephanie Towery – Copyright Librarian, University Library
University Final
- Dr. Cynthia Hernandez – Vice President, Student Affairs
- Elias Martinez – Assistant Vice President, University Marketing
- Debby McCullough – President, Alumni Association
- Jessica Soukup – President, ALLIANCE, Systems Analyst, Student Affairs Technology Services
- Dr. Vedaraman Sriraman – Associate Vice President, Academic Affairs
Judges are selected from the Texas State and San Marcos communities. Learn more about judging criteria and presentation rules.
Previous Competitions
Need some inspiration? Watch students present their research in previous Texas State 3MT® Competitions:
- 2021 3MT® Competition
- 2020 3MT® Competition
- 2019 3MT® Competition
- 2018 3MT® Competition
- 2017 3MT® Competition
- 2016 3MT® Competition
- 2015 3MT® Competition
- 2014 3MT® Competition
You can also watch 3MT® winners from competitions at other universities.
Thank you to our 2021 sponsor, YouStar Studios at Alkek Library, for hosting the Preliminary Round.
"The 3MT® was a great opportunity to practice sharing my research with a wider audience. The whole experience helped me think about how to talk about my research in ways that interest people from outside my field, and as a result, I have been invited to share my work in a wide variety of settings." — Dr. Meagan Hoff, 2019 First Place Winner
Questions?
Contact us at the3mt@txstate.edu.
If you require accommodations due to a disability in order to participate, please contact 512.245.2581 at least 72 hours in advance of the event.
Texas State is a tobacco-free campus.