Presenting your thesis, in three minutes or less

This year’s winner was Shi En Kim, a Ph.D. student in the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, whose presentation focused on a nanomaterial that could prevent overheating in electronics.

“That most of my audience probably wouldn't have the same graduate background as mine made it a fun challenge,” she said.

The first runner-up in the Ph.D. category was Sangmin Simon Oh, who is completing a joint program of the Booth School of Business and the Kenneth C. Griffin Department of Economics. Oh, who is studying financial economics, made the case that large jury awards are responsible for rising insurance costs. In the master’s category, the runner-up was Spring Park, a student in the Committee on International Relations; Park contended that anthropomorphic threats are likely to yield greater public support for emergency policy because it’s easier to hate a face to which evil can be attributed, rather than an insentient object or phenomenon.

For Kim, the hardest part was condensing her material into a three-minute talk.

“I wrote a script, and it really came down to questioning whether every single word I included in the final draft had a good reason to be there,” she said. “3MT really challenged me to become a better communicator. And I learned a lot from the diverse and creative approaches of the other participants to tell their research.”

The judges were Danette (Dani) Kauffman, a communications consultant and strategist; Jason Merchant, vice provost and professor in the Department of Linguistics and the College; and Laura Rico-Beck, assistant dean for Education and Outreach at the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering. The competition criteria focused on engagement, communication and content, which O’Toole described as the pillars of public speaking.

“It was remarkable to see how every student competitor did a truly effective job of conveying complex research questions and results in pithy, memorable and accessible language,” Merchant said. “This is a skill that every academic researcher should have, and it is inspiring to see Chicago graduate students excelling at it.”

In addition to helping participants refine their speaking skills, the competition can serve as preparation for interviewing and networking.

“Three minutes is about as much time as someone has to answer the question: Tell me about your research, or tell me what you do,” O’Toole said. “This experience helps students understand how to best tell their story.”

All the presentations can be viewed on the UChicagoGRAD website.