Three minute thesis clock

Three Minute Thesis (3MT®)

Final Event April 10

2024 competition

2024 event schedule

  • Heat 1: March 7, 2024, 10 a.m. at Room 050 Apotex, Bannatyne Campus

    • Somtochukwu Stella Onwah, Immunology
    • Kaden Baskerville, Pharmacology and Therapeutics
    • Raneeta Thingnam, Physiology and Pathophysiology
    • Julie Donahue, Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
    • Anam Ara, Biochemistry and Medical Genetics
    • Megan Crooks, Psychology
    • Saeid Maghsoudi, Physiology and Pathophysiology
    • Samuel Lawal, Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
    • Sara Crooks, Biochemistry and Medical Genetics
    • Akshi Malik, Physiology and Pathophysiology

    Judges:

    • Judy Anderson, UM Retirees Association
    • Dipo Olatunde, UM 3MP 1st place
    • Karen Schwartz, Director UM Human Research Ethics and Compliance
  • Heat 2: March 12, 2024, 10 a.m. at E3-262 Senate Chambers, Fort Garry Campus

    • Breanne Semenko, Human Nutritional Sciences
    • Maria Baranowski, Community Health Sciences
    • Dasinija Karikalan, Biosystems Engineering
    • Tamunoibi Ekine, Interior Design
    • Joanna Candas, Human Nutritional Sciences
    • Isanka Gimhani, Biosystems Engineering
    • Harshani Nadeeshani Vidana Hewage, Food Science
    • Foluke Oyekale, Human Nutritional Sciences
    • Surani Matharaarachchi, Statistics
    • Jocelyn Zambrano Alvarado, Microbiology
    • Dallas Murphy, Psychology
    • Abhinav Tiwari, Biosystems Engineering
    • Shanelle Gingras, Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
    • Jason Mergler, Applied Health Sciences

    Judges:

    • Fanny Levy, Director UM International Centre
    • Delaine Russo, UM Director of Environmental Health and Safety
    • Erica Jung, Director for The Centre for the Advancment of Teaching and Learning
  • Heat 3: March 13, 2024, 1 p.m. at E3-262 Senate Chambers, Fort Garry Campus

    • Dimitar Tomovski, Philosophy
    • Farzan Farnaghi, Interior Design
    • Naman Agarwal, Physics and Astronomy
    • Ruwani Wimalasekara, Microbiology
    • Kofi Oduro, Food Science
    • Cole Treyturik, Physics and Astronomy
    • Maximillian Scott, Earth Sciences
    • Termeh Shakery, Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
    • Luma Clarindo Lopes, Chemistry
    • Ishika Mittal, Physiology and Pathophysiology
    • Nnedinso Aguwa, Food Science
    • Dario Lorenzoni, Physics and Astronomy
    • Maheshi Jayasinghe, Biosystems Engineering
    • Neil Lorente Cobo, Microbiology

    Judges: 

    • Greg Smith, Vice-Provost (Academic Planning & Programs),
    • Eleanor Coopsammy, Director, UM Media Relations and Issues Management
    • Loren Oschipok, Director, UM Partnerships and Innovation

     

    • Final Competition: April 10, 2024, 7 p.m. at the Robert B. Schultz Lecture Theatre, St. John's College, Fort Garry Campus

    Challengers advancing from Heat #1:

    • Anam Ara
    • Samuel Lawal
    • Sara Crooks

    Challengers advancing from Heat #2

    • Foluke Oyekale
    • Jocelyn Zambrano Alvarado
    • Dallas Murphy

    Challengers advancing from Heat #3

    • Farzan Farnaghi
    • Ruwani Wimalasekara
    • Cole Treyturik

    Wildcard selections advancing to the final event

    • Raneeta Thingnam
    • Joanna Candas
    • Luma Clarindo Lopes
  • Western Regional Competition: May 8, 2024 at  University of British Columbia Okanagan Campus

    Western Regional Competition Website

Prizes

Prize Amount

Dr. Archie McNicol Prize for first place

This prize recognizes the legacy of the late Dr. Archie McNicol who was an enthusiastic supporter of graduate students and the Three Minute Thesis competition.

$2,000
UM Retirees Association Prize for second place $1,250
Third place $500
People's Choice Award $200

Heat and Wildcard winners

The top three winners from each heat will receive a $200 each and three wildcard selections will receive $100 each.

2024 Final Event

April 10 2024
7:00pm
Robert B. Shultz Theatre

The 2024 UM 3MT final event competition will be live and in person. Everyone is welcome to attend. Please register by March 27, 2024 using this link if planning to attend the event to assist in planning.

The event will also be broadcast live on the University of Manitoba's YouTube channel.

Meet the 2024 Finalists

Eligibility, rules and judging criteria

Eligibility

  • Three Minute Thesis is open to all full time University of Manitoba graduate students in thesis-based programs.
  • Presentations must be based on the primary research the student has conducted in their graduate program.
  • Students who have already defended their thesis but have not yet graduated are eligible.
  • Students with uncompleted projects are eligible.
  • Students in course-based programs, visiting students, exchange students and students on leave are not eligible.
  • Students must agree to be photographed and videotaped and allow any recordings to be made public. 

Rules

  • A single static PowerPoint slide is permitted, to be shown from the beginning of the presentation. No slide transitions, animations or "movement" of any kind are allowed. The slide must have minimum 0.5" margins for key information.
  • No additional electronic media (e.g., sound and video files, laser pointers) are permitted
  • No note cards or additional props (e.g., costumes, musical instruments, laboratory equipment) are permitted.
  • Presentations are limited to three minutes maximum, and challengers exceeding three minutes are disqualified.
  • Presentations are to be spoken word (e.g., no poems, raps or songs).
  • Presentations are to start from and remain on the stage.
  • Presentations are considered to have begun when a presenter starts their presentation through movement or speech.
  • Presentations must be based on research directly related to the student’s graduate program thesis. Research performed for employment should not be presented.
  • A three-minute clock/timer will be made visible for the students during their presentations.
  • For any images, photos or diagrams used on the slide, if not created by the presenter, the presenter must ensure the source is credited and the use is allowable by the copyright owner. When in doubt that written permission is needed, contact the UM Copyright Office for guidance.
  • The decision of the adjudicating panel is final.

Judging criteria

At every level of the competition, each challenger will be judged on the three categories of criteria listed below.

1. Comprehension: Did the presentation help the audience understand the research?

  • Did the presenter clearly outline the nature and goals of their research?
  • Did the presenter clearly communicate the significance of their research?
  • Did the presentation follow a logical sequence?
  • Did the presentation help you to understand the research being done?

2. Engagement: Did the presentation make the audience want to know more?

  • Was the presenter careful not to trivialize or "dumb down" their research?
  • Did the presenter convey enthusiasm for their work?
  • Did the presenter capture and maintain their audience's attention?
  • Do I want to know more about the speaker's research?
  • Did the PowerPoint slide enhance the presentation? Was it clear, legible and concise?

3. Communication style: Was the thesis topic and its significance communicated in language appropriate to a non-specialist audience?

  • Did the speaker use sufficient eye contact and vocal range, maintain a steady pace, and appear confident? Did the speaker avoid scientific jargon, explain terminology that was used, and provide adequate background information to illustrate points?
  • Did the presenter spend the right amount of time on each element of their presentation, or did they elaborate for too long or were rushed?
  • Did the PowerPoint slide enhance, rather than detract from, their presentation? Was it clear, legible, and concise?

 

Consent Forms

All challengers must complete these forms prior to competing:

A brief history of 3MT

  • Three Minute Thesis is a research communication competition developed by the University of Queensland, Australia. There were 160 students in the first 3MT competition at the University of Queensland in 2008. Enthusiasm for the 3MT grew into a Trans-Tasman international competition involving 33 universities in Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji in 2010.

    By 2011, the Trans-Tasman 3MT competition included 43 universities and, for the first time, regional 3MT events were held in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Hong Kong. It later spread to other universities in Asia. Currently, 3MT is held in over 900 Universities in more than 85 countries!

  • The first 3MT®competition held in Canada took place at the University of British Columbia in 2011.  UM hosted their first competition in 2013. In 2014 the first national 3MT®competition was held. Today, there are dozens of Canadian universities and research institutes that host annual competitions, with winners moving onto one of three regional competitions (Western, Ontario, Eastern) before competing in the nation-wide competition, Canada’s 3MT®.

  • Toby Le giving his 3MT presentation in front of a video camera at the University of Manitoba.
    UM master’s student Toby Le (Max Rady College of Medicine) gives his presentation in front of a video camera in June 2020, on his way to winning first place in the University of Manitoba 3MT final. This year's event was livestreamed to an at-home audience because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Past winners

2019

UM 3MT winners

  • First place: Kevin Boreskie
  • Second place: Justine Hudson
  • Third place: Avery Simundsson
  • People’s Choice: Kashfia Shafiq
  • View the 3MT 2019 videos

National 3MT competition

Videos from the 2019 Canadian National 3MT Competition

Previous years

2018 Winners

  • First place: Shervin Khalili Ghomi
  • Second place: Kyla Smith
  • Third place: Carmine Slipski
  • People’s Choice: Jill Bueddefeld
  • View the 3MT 2018 videos

2017 Winners

  • First place and People’s Choice: Rachel Nickel
  • Second place: Alexandra Ciapala
  • Third place: Colin Graydon
  • View the 3MT 2017 videos

2016 Winners

  • First place: Karlee Dyck
  • Second place: Anjali Bhagirath
  • Third place: Paul White
  • View the 3MT 2016 videos

​​​2015 Winners

  • First place: Rebecca (DeLong) Dielschneider
  • Second place: Diego Rodriguez Herrera
  • People's Choice: Rebecca (DeLong) Dielschneider
  • View the 3MT 2015 videos

​​​​​​2014 Winners

  • First place: Andrea Edel
  • Second place: Olivia Sylvester
  • People's Choice: Havva Filiz Koksel
  • View the 3MT 2014 videos

​​​​​​2013 Winners

  • First place: Leah (Wong) Guenther
  • Second place: Anthony Signore
  • People's Choice: Christopher White
  • View the 3MT 2013 videos

Past winners from other institutions

Contact us

Student and support staff contact
Graduate communications

204-272-1644