3-Minute Thesis Competition
3-Minute Thesis Final Competition!
The 3-Minute Thesis competition challenges Yale PhD students to clearly and compellingly describe their thesis to a broad audience – in 3 minutes! By preparing a successful presentation, students will develop a key professional asset that is just as critical for academic conferences and job talks as it is for a job search outside of the academy. We welcome all Yale students, postdocs, faculty, and staff to attend this exciting and enlightening annual event! Register here.
Friday, April 12, 2024, 4:00 - 6:00 pm
OC Marsh Auditorium, Yale Science Building
260 Whitney Avenue, New Haven, CT 06511
Watch as winners from the preliminary divisional rounds compete for recognition and cash prizes. Cheer on the presenters as you learn about the diverse range and profound impact of graduate student research at Yale. A panel of esteemed judges drawn from Yale alumni will decide the first and second prizes, while the live and virtual audience will vote on “people’s choice” awards. The audience includes graduate students, postdocs, faculty, staff, and GSAS alumni. Join us for this celebration of professional communication!
Congratulations to our Preliminary Round Winners!
Social Sciences
- Meera Choi (Sociology), “The Rise of Heterosexual Refusal?”
- Leonardo de Siqueira Lima (Economics), “Paying Students to Graduate from High School”
Engineering
- Theodoros Trochatos (Electrical Engineering), “Fortifying Quantum Clouds: Securing Information in the Quantum Era”
- Alev Baysoy (Biomedical Engineering), “Spatial CRISPR Screening”
Physical Sciences
- Lihao Yan (Physics), “Traveling Waves Perpendicular to Macaque’s V4 Area”
- Yanyu Zhao (Chemistry), “Secret Talent of the Gut Microbiome: Metabolism of Small Molecule G Protein-coupled Receptor Drugs”
Biology
- Jenna Andrews (Microbiology), “Strike an Adipose: Illuminating Fat as a Reservoir for Q Fever”
- Arya Ökten (Immunobiology), “Making a Norovirus Vaccine: All Good Things Take Time”
Humanities
- John Webley (Slavic L&L, History of Art), “Ink, Paint, and Blood: India and the Great Game in Russian Culture”
3MT Judging Criteria
Cash prizes for winners of the final round
- 1st Prize: $1,000
- 2nd Prize: $500
- 3rd Prize: $300
- Audience Choice (Humanities/Social Sciences): $300
- Audience Choice (STEM): $300
Resources to Enhance Your 3MT Presentation
Workshops and Programs at Yale
Student participants have had access to a series of workshops and programs offered jointly by the Office of Career Strategy and the Graduate Writing Lab in the Poorvu Center for Teaching & Learning. Where possible, these sessions will be recorded so that 3MT participants can revisit this information throughout the process.
One-on-One Consultations
All participants are encouraged to schedule one-on-one advising appointments with Hyun Ja Shin and Jacob Gonzalez from the Office of Career Strategy. Available appointments can be seen and scheduled via Yale Career Link. Participants can also schedule writing consultations with the Graduate Writing Lab.
PitchVantage Public Speaking Studio at the Graduate Writing Lab
PitchVantage is a program designed to help improve public speaking skills in a variety of different sectors of life. Easily navigating the space between boardroom and lecture hall, this program focuses on different aspects of public presentation, from pacing to pitch, and evaluates performance in real time. For more information and to book time in the GWL’s PitchVantage studio, please visit the online scheduler, select the PitchVantage schedule, and reserve an appointment.
The 3-Minute Thesis Competition is sponsored by the Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and is a collaboration of the offices of the McDougal Graduate Student Center. Yale’s competition is modeled on the 3MT® competition founded by the University of Queensland.