Three Minute Thesis (3MT™) is an international research and scholarly communication competition developed by The University of Queensland in Australia. The goal of the competition is to develop students’ academic, presentation, and professional communication skills. Doctoral students have three minutes – and a single PowerPoint slide - to present compelling and engaging talks on their dissertation topic and its significance. 3MT™ empowers students to consolidate their ideas and concisely explain their work to the public and scholars from other fields.

The Empower Your Pitch Competition will replace 3MT in 2022.
See details below.

Overview

Empower Your Pitch is a doctoral communication competition that develops the research communication skills of participants, enabling them to deliver diverse pitches to diverse people. The competition empowers presenters to communicate the value of their research at any stage of development and across all disciplines – including STEMM, Humanities, Education, and Social Sciences – in a maximum time frame of three minutes. Presenters may rely on assorted strategies to capture the audience’s attention, convey the essence of their research, and explain its relevance to their listeners. The competition will take place throughout March and April with training sessions to help develop your communication skills. It is hosted by the JHU PHuters Office and will run instead of the 3MT this year.

Unlock the power of communication to share the full potential of your ideas – click here to learn more and register!

2021 3MT Competition

The JHM Professional Development and Career Office is hosted the 2021 Three Minute Thesis Competition on March 25. Ten Hopkins Doctoral students had three minutes – and a single, static PowerPoint slide - to present compelling and engaging talks on their dissertation topic.

2021 Winners

Congratulations to Chad Hicks: 2021 JHU Three Minute Thesis Champion!

Photo of Chad Hicks
1st Place:
Chad Hicks
Photo of Brooke Jarrett
2nd Place and People's Choice:
Brooke Jarrett
Photo of Benjamin Zaepfel
3rd Place:
Benjamin Zaepfel
Photo of Yun-Fei Liu
Alumni Choice:
Yun-Fei Liu

2021 Finalists


The full recording of the competition can be viewed at the JHU Alumni Association Facebook Page. Individual videos of each finalist will be available in a few weeks.

Thank you to our 2021 3MT Final Competition Judges:

  • Dr. Nancy Kass, Vice Provost for Graduate and Professional Education and Pheobe R. Berman Professor of Bioethics and Public Health at the JHSPH
  • Dr. Denis Wirtz, Vice Provost for Research and Theophilus Halley Smoot Professor of Engineering Science in the WSE
  • Dr. Mona Shattell, Associate Dean for Faculty Development and Professor at the SON
  • Dr. Gregg Semenza, 2019 Nobel Laureate and Professor at the SOM
  • Dr. Judy Keen, JHU Alumni Association Council Member and Alumnus of KSAS, JHSPH, and SOM
  • Eduardo Martinez-Montes, 2019 JHU 3MT Champion and PhD Candidate at the SOM


2019 3MT Competition

The JHM Professional Development and Career Office hosted the fourth annual Three Minute Thesis Competition April 17, 2019 in Mountcastle Auditorium located on the School of Medicine Campus. Thirty-two doctoral students competed in the preliminary heats and twelve finalists were chosen to present their 3MT talks in the final competition.


Photo of the 2019 3MT Finalists and Judges

The 2019 judges had a diverse background of research and communication experience and represented the university’s top leadership, including:

Dr. Nancy Kass
Vice Provost for Graduate and Professional Education and Pheobe R. Berman Professor of Bioethics and Public Health at JHSPH
 Dr. Denis Wirtz
Vice Provost for Research and Theophilus Halley Smoot Professor of Engineering Science in the WSE
 Dr. Patricia M. Davidson
Dean of the School of Nursing
 Dr. William Egginton
Director of the Alexander Grass Humanities Institute and Decker Professor in the Humanities
 Dr. Allyson Handley
President of the JHU Alumni Association
 Sarah Attreed
2017 JHU and Maryland State 3MT top finalist, PhD Candidate in JHU Bloomberg School of Public Health

Congratulations to all those students participating and the competition winners:

Photo of the 2019 3MT Winners

First Place: Eduardo Martinez-Montes, School of Medicine, Biochemistry, Cellular and Molecular Biology
The Lazy Librarian

Second Place: Katie Overbey, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Environmental Health and Engineering
Application of Novel Laboratory Methods to Identify Infectious Norovirus in the Environment

Third Place & Alumni Choice: Benjamin Ackerman, Bloomberg School of Public Health Biostatistics
Clinical Trials: How Do Their Results Translate to the Real World?

People’s Choice: Jarrett Venezia, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Molecular Microbiology and Immunology
Why Do Good Macrophages Go Bad?

Finalists:

Photo of the 2019 3MT Winners

Tyler Ames, School of Education
Measuring the Promise of Career Education

Sarah Kim, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Biophysics
Opening Doors into Cells

Binu Koirala, School of Nursing
The First Step in Preventing Deaths from Heart Failure in Nepal

Claire Konieczny, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, German and Romance Languages and Literatures
Emblems and Reading in the Renaissance

Celia Litovsky, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Cognitive Science
Why Do Some Stroke Patients Recover Better than Others?

Pramuditha Perera, Whiting School of Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Teaching Machines to Say "I'm not sure"

Allen Scheie, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Physics
Quasiparticles in Magnetic Crystals

Derek VanDyke, Whiting School of Engineering, Chemical and Biomedical Engineering
Biasing the Immune System



2018 3MT Competition

The JHM Professional Development and Career Office hosted the third annual Three Minute Thesis Competition April 18, 2018 in Mountcastle Auditorium. Twenty-seven PhD Candidates competed in the preliminary heats and ten finalists were chosen to present their 3MT talks in the final competition.


Photo of the 2018 3MT Finalists and Judges

The 2018 Judges had a broad background of research and communication experience and represented the university’s top leadership, including:

•   Ronald J. Daniels, President of Johns Hopkins University
•   Dr. Nancy Kass, Vice Provost for Graduate and Professional Education
•   Dr. Patricia M. Davidson, Dean, School of Nursing
•   Dr. Roy Ziegelstein, Vice Dean for Education, School of Medicine
•   Dr. Catherine Hueston, Associate Director of the Wharton Communications Program, UPenn
•   Joseph Shin, IGM PhD Candidate and 2017 JHU & Maryland State 3MT Competition Champion

Congratulations to all those students participating and the competition winners:

Photo of the 2018 3MT Winners

First Place and People’s Choice: Caroline Vissers, Department of Neuroscience, Biochemistry, Cellular and Molecular Biology Graduate Program, School of Medicine
Notes on Brain Health

Second Place: Valerie Rennoll, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Whiting School of Engineering
Tunable Acoustic Transducers: Harnessing the Power of Sound

Third Place: Sarah Attreed, Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Bloomberg School of Public Health
Building a Better Vaccine

Finalists:

Photo of the 2018 3MT Winners

Nikhil Anand, Department of Physics, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences
New Methods in Particle Physics

Sunjae Bae, Department of Epidemiology, Bloomberg School of Public Health
The Right Drug for the Right Patient

Kenneth Feder, Department of Mental Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health
Children in the U.S. Opioid Crisis

Talia Henkle, Department of Pathology, Graduate Program in Immunology, School of Medicine
Helping Mice Help Cancer Patients

Joseph Rehfus, Department of Biology, Cellular, Molecular, and Development Biology and Biophysics Graduate Program, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences
Force as a Probe for "Hidden" Enzyme Shapes

Tamar Rodney, School of Nursing
The Wound We Cannot See!

Dominic Scalise, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Whiting School of Engineering
Things Besides Number

2018 State Competition

All three winners from the 2018 Hopkins 3MT Competition competed in the Maryland State Competition Wednesday, May 2 at the University of Maryland, Medical Center. Sarah Attreed placed second and Valerie Rennoll won People’s Choice in the Maryland State Competition.



2017 3MT Competition

The JHM Professional Development and Career Office hosted the second annual Three Minute Thesis Competition April 5, 2017 in the Turner Auditorium.

Congratulations to all those students participating and the competition winners:

2017 Competition Winners

First Place: Joseph Shin, Institute of Genetic Medicine
Scleroderma: An Opportunity for New Therapy and New Perspectives in Biology

Second Place: Kelli DePriest, Nursing
The Power of Greenspace

Third Place and People’s Choice: Jarrett Smith, Molecular Biology and Genetics
Oil and Water: Separating the Cell

Finalists:

2017 Finalists

Tim Al-Khindi, Neuroscience
Finding the Right Partner: The Role of Semaphorins and Neuropilins in the Retina

Jonathan C. Grima, Neuroscience
Traffic Jams in Neurodegeneration

Hyejeong Hong, Nursing
Predicting TB Treatment-related Hearing Loss

Anand Malpani, Computer Science
Automated Virtual Coaching for Surgeons

Emily A. Margolis, History of Science and Technology
Space Tourism in Cold War America

Julian B. Munoz, Physics and Astronomy
A New Dark Matter Candidate

Digvijay Singh, Biophysics
Editing Life: Gene Editing Tools in Real-time Action

2017 State Competition

Winners from the 2017 Hopkins 3MT Competition competed in the Maryland State Competition Tuesday, May 9 at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. Joseph Shin placed first in the Maryland State Competition. Hyejeong Hong, who was a finalist from the School of Nursing, placed second.



2016 3MT Competition

The JHM Professional Development and Career Office sponsored the inaugural 3MT™ Competition April 20, 2016; congratulations to all participating students and competition winners:

First Place and People’s Choice: Alexandra Pucsek, Immunology
Cancer Unmasked: How Inhibiting a Small Protein Could Boost Anti-Tumor Immunity (VIDEO)

Second Place: Amanda Edwards, Biomedical Engineering
Tricking the Brain into Exceeding Its Abilities (VIDEO)

Third Place: Ken Estrellas, Cellular and Molecular Medicine
Stem Cell Treatments to Restore Missing Muscle Protein (VIDEO)

The JHMI winners competed in the Maryland state-wide 3MT Competition May 5 against students from the University of Maryland-College Park, University of Maryland-Baltimore and University of Maryland-Baltimore County. Congratulations to JHMI students for placing in the state competition:

Winners of the 2016 3MT Maryland Competition: Ken Estrellas and Alexandra Pucsek

First Place in Maryland Competition: Ken Estrellas, Cellular and Molecular Medicine
(Second from the left)

Third Place in Maryland Competition: Alexandra Pucsek, Immunology
(Far left)

Training Opportunities

The PDCO offers multiple in-person training opportunities to teach PhD students how to professionally present their academic work. Participation in these sessions is not required for competition, but it is highly encouraged. In past years, students who participated in 3MT training opportunities were more likely to make it to the finals and place. Doctoral students interested in participating in 3MT can view all information, rules, and presentation tips in the JHU 3MT Student Handbook.

3MT Info Session and Workshop

Students will learn all about the 3MT competition, including key dates, preliminary heat logistics, and filming tips. Students will learn how put together a winning 3MT talk. We will cover how to condense your dissertation into three minutes, choosing a visual that enhances your talk, and presentation tips for public speaking. Students will get the chance to work on their talks in small breakout rooms.

3MT Practice Rounds

Students should come with a draft of their three-minute presentation and ready to present their talk. Past 3MT judges and communication experts will offer immediate feedback to students to help them further improve their talk. The session will be done in an open forum, where you will be able to listen to other students’ presentation and hear feedback from everyone presenting. Practice rounds will not be recorded.

One-on-One Sessions

The PDCO also offers one-on-one sessions to practice your presentation for additional feedback.

Please email kate.bradford@jhu.edu to schedule an appointment.

Eligibility

All currently enrolled JHU doctoral students are eligible*. We encourage students from all disciplines to participate! Students who have not yet had their degree conferred are eligible to compete**. Past competitors may compete again.

* 2021 3MT Competition: All doctoral students who graduated in 2020 are eligible to compete due to the cancellation of the 2020 3MT Competition. Participants must present talks covering work that was done during their dissertation and cannot include work completed post-graduation.

** Eligibility rules for the Council of Graduate School's Three Minute Thesis competition may differ.

Prize Information

Prizes for the 2021 JHU 3MT Finals Competition are as follows:

  • Winner: $1000
  • Second Place: $500
  • Third Place: $250
  • People's Choice: $250
  • Alumni Choice Award (Sponsored by the JHU Alumni Association): $250
  • Remaining finalists will be awarded $100

Rules

  • Students must present a talk on their dissertation work.
  • Presentations are limited to 3 minutes and competitors exceeding 3 minutes are disqualified.
  • Presentations are considered to have commenced when a presenter starts their presentation through speech (timing commences from when the competitor starts speaking, not the start of the video).
  • Videos must meet the following criteria:
    • Filmed on the horizontal;
    • Filmed on a plain background;
    • Filmed from a static position;
    • Filmed from one camera angle;
  • A single static 16:9 slide is permitted in the presentation (no slide transitions, animations or ‘movement’ of any description). This can be visible continuously, or ‘cut to’ (as many times as you like) for a maximum of 1 minute. Alternatively, the slide may be submitted via email if not included in the video presentation.
  • The 3-minute audio must be continuous – no sound edits or breaks.
  • No additional props (e.g. costumes, musical instruments, laboratory equipment and animated backgrounds) are permitted within the recording.
  • Presentations are to be spoken word (e.g. no poems, raps or songs).
  • No additional electronic media (e.g. sound and video files) are permitted within the video recording.
  • The decision of the adjudicating panel is final.

Please note: competitors *will not* be judged on video/recording quality or editing capabilities (optional inclusions). Judging will focus on the presentation, ability to communicate research to a non-specialist audience, and 3MT PowerPoint slide.

Judging Criteria

Presentations will be judged based on the following criteria:

Comprehension and Content
  • Did the presentation provide an understanding of the background and significance to the research question being addressed while explaining terminology and avoiding jargon?
  • Did the presentation clearly describe the impact and/or results of the research, including conclusions and outcomes? (for early-stage students: predicted impact/results)
  • Did the presentation follow a clear and logical sequence?
  • Was the thesis topic, significance, results/impact and outcomes communicated in language appropriate to a non-specialist audience?
  • Did the presenter spend adequate time on each element of their presentation - or did they elaborate for too long on one aspect or was the presentation rushed?
Engagement and Communication
  • Did the oration make the audience want to know more?
  • Was the presenter careful not to trivialize or generalize their work?
  • Did the presenter convey enthusiasm for their research?
  • Did the presenter capture and maintain their audience’s attention?
  • Did the speaker have sufficient stage presence, eye contact and vocal range; maintain a steady pace, and have a confident stance?
  • Did the PowerPoint slide enhance the presentation - was it clear, legible, and concise?