It is estimated that an 80,000-word thesis would take nine hours to fully present, but graduate students at Missouri University of Science and Technology will have only three minutes Nov. 16-17 when they take part in a Three-Minute Thesis competition.

This public event is an opportunity for graduate students to develop their research communication skills. The competition will take place in three rounds. The preliminary rounds will begin at 1 p.m. Monday, Nov. 16, in the lobby of the Engineering Management Building at Missouri S&T. The semi-final round will be held at 2:30 p.m. later that day at the same location. The final round will be held at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17, in Room 140 Toomey Hall at Missouri S&T.

Students will have to simplify their research while delivering a large volume of new information. They will be judged on the level of comprehended content and the level of engagement by the audience during individual presentations. Participants will only be allowed to use one PowerPoint slide to enhance their presentation. No props, additional media or audience participation are allowed.

Three-Minute Thesis is a competition for graduate students to develop and showcase their communication skills. Developed in 2008 by the University of Queensland in Australia, the competition challenges students to present a compelling oration on their dissertation and its significance in just three minutes, in language appropriate to a non-specialist audience. Competitions are now held at over 170 universities in over 18 countries.

For more information about the event, visit grad.mst.edu/services/events/3mt.