3MT® Competition for Students and Postdocs

Monday, May 20, 2024, 2:00 – 3:00 pm, St. Petersburg High School

This event is modeled after the well-known Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) competitions held at many universities worldwide. Participating Students and Postdocs will present a 5-minute summary (one slide) of your thesis work to an audience of eager high school students.

VSS will provide transportation to and from the high school for participants.

The audience will vote to choose their favorite, and the winning presenter will win $200!

ALL PARTICIPATING STUDENTS AND POSTDOCS WILL BE ACKNOWLEDGED ON THE VSS WEBSITE.
 

Who can participate?

Any current graduate student who is working on a dissertation, or any current postdoctoral trainee or postdoctoral research associate who has completed their dissertation, is eligible provided you are registered to attend VSS 2024.  

Does the work I describe have to be my dissertation?

Yes, just like in the Three Minute Thesis® competitions held worldwide. The work may be in progress and your slide can describe preliminary results. 

One slide? 3 minutes?

We’re going to keep to the one-slide policy of 3MT®, but we’ll give you up to 5 minutes.

I already participated in a 3MT® competition. Can I apply to join this event and can I use the same slide?

Yes! In fact, we encourage those who already have their slide ready to apply to join this event.

Where can I find out more about a 3MT-style slide? Can I see examples?

The 3MT® was developed by the University of Queensland, Australia. Official 3MT® competitions occur worldwide. There is plenty of information on the 3MT® website

What are the benefits?

You benefit and the community benefits. You benefit from the opportunity to explain the essence of your work to an attentive audience who are not experts in your field. The presentations will be followed by opportunities to meet the students in small groups and talk to them about your path: Why did you decide to study vision? How did you prepare? Did you face special challenges? The students attending benefit from the chance to learn something about vision and to be inspired by your example.

OK I’m in. How do I apply?

Send one PDF file containing:

    ·     A single 3MT style slide

    ·     Full contact information (name, email, phone, current address)

    ·     Name of your current research supervisor

    ·     Name of your doctoral research supervisor (if different)

    ·     Date your Ph.D. was earned or expected

    ·     Institution who granted or is granting the Ph.D.

The name of the PDF file should be YOURLASTNAME_YOURFIRSTNAME_3MTEXPO.pdf.  Send it to VSS by the extended deadline of May 1, 2024.  In the event VSS receives too many submissions to evaluate in the allotted time, preference will be given to those who submitted earliest.

The slide you send need not be the final version. If you are selected you will have the opportunity to get some feedback and revise if needed. In particular, strive to design your slide and your talk to reach THIS audience: high school students who don’t know any vision science and don’t know our jargon or why we do what we do nor why it’s important and useful.

Can I attend the event if I’m not speaking?

Unfortunately, the audience will be limited to the high school students and their teachers and the ten VSS participants. The venue will not have room for additional people. 

Will there be virtual options?

The event is in-person only.

Will I get some recognition for participating?

Yes. VSS will acknowledge your participation with a letter from the Board of Directors.

Questions?

Email .