UW Graduate Students to Compete in University-Level Three-Minute Thesis Competition

Graduate students from across the University of Wyoming will have just three minutes to make their research matter.

The UW School of Graduate Education hosts the university-level Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) competition at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 22, in the West Ballroom of the Wyoming Union.

The competition brings together the top students from UW’s college-level 3MT competitions that took place during the spring semester. Each finalist earned a spot in the university competition by placing among the top presenters in their respective college-level competition in the spring.

3MT challenges graduate students to explain their research in a way that is clear, compelling and understandable to a general audience -- all in just three minutes. Competitors may use only one static slide and cannot use animations, videos, props or other presentation aids. The format challenges students to move beyond specialized terminology and communicate the significance and potential impact of their research to people outside their field.

Originally developed by the University of Queensland in Australia, the international 3MT competition has become a popular way for graduate students to develop research communication and public-speaking skills. UW began holding college- and university-level 3MT competitions in 2025.

“Three minutes may not sound like a lot of time, but our graduate students are doing remarkable work, and 3MT gives them the opportunity to tell those stories in a way that everyone can understand,” says Carolyn Pepper, vice provost and dean of the UW School of Graduate Education. “This competition highlights not only the research taking place at UW, but also the communication skills, creativity and confidence our graduate students are developing as future scholars and professionals.”

The winner of the university-level competition will advance to the regional 3MT competition, representing UW against graduate students from other institutions.

Members of the UW community are encouraged to attend the competition and support the graduate students as they showcase their research.

For more information, go to www.uwyo.edu/uwgrad/enrolled-students/wyothreemt.html or email GradEd@uwyo.edu.