International 3MT competition popularises scientific research

Three Minute Thesis (3MT), which is organised by Tampere University for the first time now, is an academic competition where doctoral candidates have three minutes to present their dissertation topic to the general public as clearly and interestingly as possible. The aim is to communicate research and its results and significance in a manner that enables non-experts to understand what it is all about.

“The aim of the competition is to develop researchers’ international presentation and communication skills as well as their ability to popularise research. At the same time, 3MT offers the general public fascinating openings to the current world of scientific research,” says Kaisa Kurki, Manager of International Affairs at Tampere University.

Good communication skills increase awareness of research

The 3MT final will be held as part of the Science Forum event on Saturday, January 23, 2021. The finalists will perform live at Tampere Hall, and the audience can watch the performances online. The language of the competition is English.

Five researchers from various faculties at Tampere University made their way to the finals. Alma Yrjänäinen from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Heidi Tuorila and Veera Koskue from the Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, and Mary Nurminen and Andrei Tregubov from the Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences will perform in the finals. The finalists and their research topics are presented at the end of the website news item.

Tampere University’s experts from the Doctoral School and Research and Innovation Services have coached the competitors.

“A researcher who speaks skilfully and clearly about his or her research can reach audiences and partners outside the academic community more easily,” emphasises Matias Nurminen, Senior Specialist in Tampere University’s Innovation Culture development project who is coordinating the competition.

The winner of the Tampere competition will also participate in the international 3MT competition organised by the Southern African-Nordic Centre (SANORD) virtually in Bergen, Norway in September 2021. Tampere University pays the winner’s participation costs.

The members of jury of the 3MT competition in Tampere are Director of Innovation Taru Pilvi and Professor of Communication Sciences Pekka Isotalus from Tampere University as well as Cecilia Christersson, a representative of the international competition organisation, who is Pro Vice Chancellor, Global Engagement and Challenge Based Learning at Malmö University.

The 3MT competition was founded by the Australian University of Queensland (UQ) and it is now held in over 900 universities across more than 85 countries worldwide. In Finland, the University of Turku has organised the 3MT competition since 2017.

Visit the Doctoral School website to read more about the background and evaluation criteria of the 3MT competition. You can see the  Three Minutes Thesis final's programme on the event site. The virtual event takes place on Saturday 23rd of January starting at 14 o'clock. It can be followed without registration. The remote connection link will be updated on the 3MT event site.