Three Minute Thesis

The Three Minute Thesis (3MT) is an academic research communication competition developed by the University of Queensland (UQ), Australia. Through the competition, graduate and professional students can hone their academic and research presentation skills and their ability to effectively explain their research to a general audience. Each competitor has three minutes to speak and can use only one presentation slide.

Congratulations to the 2025 Award Recipients!

The final round of the 2024-25 Penn State Three Minute Thesis competition was exciting and engaging! The ten finalists did an outstanding job highlighting their experiences. The awardees include:

First Place

Tricia Hart, Nutritional Sciences

Second Place

Adam Smerigan, Chemical Engineering

People's Choice

Patrick Sarpong, Energy and Mineral Engineering

The People's Choice Award is sponsored by the Graduate and Professional Student Association.

View the Final Round

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Prizes
3MT Format
Contact

Prizes

First Place: $1,000
Second Place: $500
People's Choice: $500 (sponsored by the Graduate and Professional Student Association)

Competition Format

First Round - Video Submission

Submissions judged by alumni, graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, faculty, staff, and others. Submissions Due by October 25.
Final Round - In-Person

The top-ranking students from the first round are invited back to a final, in-person round live streamed from the University Park campus on Saturday, March 29.
Regional Competition

The top-ranking final round Penn State master's or doctoral student is invited to compete in a regional competition hosted by the Northeast Association of Graduate Schools.