About UK GradResearch Live!

Sponsored by The Graduate School and The Graduate Student Congress

Communicating research succinctly and engagingly, especially to general audiences, is a critical but rare skill that can give you a boost in the competitive job market inside and outside academia. An effective way to develop this skill is participation in the Three-Minute Thesis, or 3MT, which is very different than other academic exercises in research distillation, such as pitches and lightening talks. Developed in 2008 by the University of Queensland in Australia and now practiced at universities around the globe, the 3MT challenges researchers to tell an appealing story to a non-specialist audience in three minutes or less. Accompanying the narration is a single static graphic to enhance the audience’s understanding.

Timeline

GradResearch Live! is held toward the end of every fall semester so that the first and second place winners of the 3MT Track (see Tracks & Prizes below) can go on to compete in regional 3MT competitions in the spring semesters.

Tracks & Prizes

Early-Research or pre-3MT (master’s and doctoral; students in proposal stage or with preliminary findings)
- 1^st place: $500
- 2^nd place: $250
- 3^rd place: $150
- People’s Choice: $150
Late-Research or Standard 3MT (master’s and doctoral; students with results/conclusions)
- 1^st place: $750 (and advancement to regional competition)
- 2^nd place: $500
- 3^rd place: $250
- People’s Choice: $250
Postdoctoral 3MT (must be classified at UK as a postdoctoral fellow/scholar)
- 1^st place: $500
- 2^nd place: $250
- 3^rd place: $150
- People’s Choice: $150

Rules & Submission

Click here for tips and tricks on how to begin planning your GradResearch Live! presentation: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PW8ACzcPSPbdGHQhRLVQfWIXrcG12wGT/copy

Below are the official rules of the competition. Please read and follow all rules before submitting your video.

The competition is limited to currently enrolled masters and doctoral students, or postdocs, at the University of Kentucky who have not previously won a campus-wide 3MT competition. (Postdocs are only eligible to compete in the postdoc track.)
Finalists must present live in the Esports Theater on Thursday, November 10th, 2022, without the aid of notecards or cheat-sheets
No additional sound or video is permitted in the presentation.
No additional props (e.g. costumes, musical instruments, laboratory equipment, etc.) are permitted.
Presentations are limited to 3 minutes maximum; competitors exceeding 3 minutes are disqualified. (A timer will be displayed at the finals.)
Presentations are to be spoken-word prose (e.g. no poetry, raps, or songs).
Presentations are considered to have commenced when a presenter starts their presentation through either movement or speech.
The decision of the judges is final.

About 3MT

UK GradResearch Live! was born out of the The University of Queensland’s 3-Minute Thesis (3MT) competition, a research presentation initiative that challenges graduate students to effectively communicate their research to a general audience, with a single slide, in three minutes or less. Click here to learn more about the history of 3MT.

The Graduate School and Graduate Student Congress have hosted 3MT competitions at The University of Kentucky since 2013, and our participants have found them an excellent way to practice their communication and presentation skills while sharing their research with their peers.

This year we’re rebranding and expanding the competition to reach a larger audience across campus and throughout the local community with a public showcase, numerous prizes, and a reception. Keep reading to learn more about UK GradResearch Live!

Congratulations to our 2022 Winners

(From Left to Right: Courtney Martin, Pre-3MT Winner, Abdullah Al Masud, Postdoctoral Winner, and Feitong Lei, 3MT Winner)

3MT Track (Late Stage Research)

First Place: Feitong Lei
Second Place: Kathryn Mattingly-Flynn
Third Place: Erica Jacquay
People's Choice: Emily Naser-Hall

Pre-3MT Track (Early Stage Research)

First Place: Courtney Martin
Second Place: Kasey Vigil
Third Place: Jordan Parker
People's Choice: Jordan Parker

Postdoctoral Track

First Place: Abdullah Al Masud
Second Place: Alec Tewsley-Booth
People's Choice: Abdullah Al Masud

(Back Row Left to Right: Alec Tewsley-Booth, Courtney Martin, Kathryn Mattingly-Flynn, Gertrude Arthur, Jordan Parker, Meet Patel, and Emily Naser-Hall)

(Front Row Left to Right: Feitong Lei, Joshua Nowacki, Abdullah Al Masud, Kasey Vigil, and Erica Jacquay)

Additional Resources

Below are some different resources related to UK GradResearch Live! and Three Minute Thesis. For specific questions, please contact Morris Grubbs.

7 Steps to Effective Communication (PPT
Videos of previous winners from various universities
ARCHIVE OF UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY 3MT® COMPETITIONS
- Fall 2021
- Fall 2020
- Fall 2019
- Fall 2018
- Fall 2017
- Fall 2016
- Fall 2015
- Fall 2014
- Spring 2014
  - Click here for "UK at the Half" radio interview with graduate students about the 3MT®, which aired Jan. 28, 2014.
- Fall 2013