SBU 3MT
Captivate a general audience with your research findings, and hone your research communication skills through the SBU 3MT competition! The top talks receive cash prizes, generously sponsored by the SBU Alumni Association.
Save the Date: SBU 3MT 2025
Friday, March 28, 2025
10 am to 3 pm
Charles B. Wang Center lecture halls
The 2025 SBU 3MT competition will feature a Postdoc Spotlight round, showcasing the innovative and invaluable research contributions of Stony Brook postdocs.
What is 3MT?
Three Minute Thesis, or 3MT® for short, is a spoken word thesis competition. 3MT is an opportunity for SBU graduate students to present their dissertation research findings to a general audience in THREE MINUTES with only one PowerPoint slide. The Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is an academic research communication competition developed by The University of Queensland (UQ), Australia. The goal is for students to engage all their communication skills to make their research vivid and engaging while emphasizing its key point without jargon.
At Stony Brook, our students also craft their talks as part of a cohort, undergoing coaching from research communication experts grounded in techniques from the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science. While there will be winners at the end, our primary goal is for all students to gain professional development and improve their skills in communicating their research.
In 3MT, PhD candidates compete from any discipline.
| English | Computer Science | Biomedical Engineering | |
| Art | Women's Gender and Sexuality Studies | History |
Speaker Sign-Up
Speaker Sign-Up Deadline: Friday, January 31, 2025
- To sign up for the Postdoc Spotlight and view eligibility criteria specific to postdocs, please visit the Postdoc Spotlight page.
- Please view theeligibility rules and speaker information before registering. After submission, you will receive confirmation
on whether you have been selected to compete. At that time, we will request a title
from selected speakers.
Competitor Selection
Please view the eligibility rules and speaker information before registering. After submission, you will receive confirmation on whether you have been selected to compete. At that time, we will request a title from selected speakers.
Speaker Information
Eligibility
To compete in 3MT, students must:
- Be SBU doctoral students who have advanced to candidacy (G5 or equivalent) by the speaker sign-up deadline;
- Be enrolled full-time in Spring 2025 and be in good standing;
- Work in any disciplinary field, with those in the Fine Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences particularly encouraged to participate;
- Have advanced in their dissertation to a stage where findings, preliminary conclusions, and broader impact can be discussed. Students may only participate in 3MT once;
- Affirm during speaker sign-up that their dissertation advisor supports presentation of their research; and
- Commit to participating in all 3 coaching sessions.
Presentation Guidelines
Talks will be three minutes long and may include only one PowerPoint slide. Speakers should craft a talk that distills the heart of their research for a general audience who may not be specialists, in the style of a TED-like talk (watch previous year's 3MT talks for examples). Speakers will receive individualized coaching on their presentation from research communication experts.
All competitors will present live and on-stage during Round 1, and the top eight will advance to Round 2, which will immediately follow with a new panel of judges.
Coaching Sessions
As a 3MT competitor, you undergo research communication coaching that is grounded in techniques from the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science. Coaching takes place in small groups where peer feedback and support is expected and encouraged while students workshop their draft presentations.
To participate as a speaker in the competition, you must commit to three mandatory coaching sessions. You have the option of attending an additional fourth coaching session, which we suggest you pencil in on your calendar.
The first session will provide an overview of best practices for honing one's message for a general audience. In the second and third sessions, speakers will receive coaching on their individual talks in small groups. Speakers may indicate a date/time preference for their small-group sessions, and organizers will do their best to accommodate everyone's busy schedules.
- Thursday, March 6, 2 - 4 pm
- Friday, March 7, 10 am - 12 pm
- Thursday, March 13, 2 - 4 pm
- Friday, March 14, 10 am - 12 pm
You can indicate a preference for coaching sessions in the sign-up form. Please try to save the coaching dates on your calendar until you know you are selected.
*Students who have already taken JRN/COM 525may opt out of the plenary session (although it's better to attend!).
Information about Postdoc Spotlight coaching is available on the Postdoc Spotlight page.
Judging
- The talks will be evaluated by a panel of judges from a range of backgrounds and disciplines for how well the speaker engages a general audience of non-specialists and can convey the excitement and innovation of their research without jargon or distortion.
- See the full judging criteria
Prizes
- Prizes will be awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place, plus a People's Choice award selected by the audience. Prizes are generously sponsored by the SBU Alumni Association.
Questions?
Contact the Graduate School Office of Professional Development at gradprofdev@stonybrook.edu