The “Three Minute Thesis Competition” is an annual competition held for graduate students in Southern Miss. It is an academic research competition held by Southern Miss Graduate School. This year, the preliminary round was on Oct. 31 and the final round was on Nov. 1 in Joe Paul Theater. The grand champion this year was Alyssa Shaw from Polymer Engineering.
The grand champion this year was Alyssa Shaw from Polymer Science and Engineering, whose topic was “Doped Polymer Thin Films: A Pathway to Tune Properties for Flexible Electronic.” The runner-up was Amy Coronado from Polymer Science and Engineering, whose topic was “Heat is the Key: Unlocking Dynamic Bonds for Animate Polymer Network Materials.” Madeline Klubertanz from Kinesiology won the People’s Choice with the topic “How Cushion and Support Could Save Us Millions.”
“I thought it was a great experience,” Alyssa Shaw, the grand champion said. “It was like a real person with a challenge to check my understanding because they say if you really understand the topic you should be able to explain it to an audience. And I had fun learning about other disciplines too.”
The presentations were judged based on various aspects. For comprehension and content, the judges analyzed if the presenters avoided jargon, provided enough background research information, described the significance, and were overall able to explain their research to a non-academic audience. For engagement and communication, the presenters were judged on their ability to make their audience curious, not trivialize the research, and enthusiasm for their research. The participants were also judged based on how legible their presentation was, their stage presence, and the time they spent on each topic of their research.
There were 28 total presenters in the preliminary round, eight of whom moved on to the final round. The fields that the presenters were from were Life Sciences, Social Sciences, Physical Sciences, and Arts and Humanities. There were 10 judges from different fields.
“This is an academic competition and we look forward to it every year at graduate school,” Dr. Katie Anthony, the Dean of Graduate School said. “We think it is a great resource for students to share their research.”
All the students who moved to the final round received $250. The grand champion received another $1000, the runner-up received $750, and the People’s Choice Award came with $500. The Grand Champion will also represent Southern Miss at the regional “Three Minute Thesis Competition” being held in Dallas, Texas from March 19 to 21, 2025.
The “Three Minute Thesis Competition,” originally developed by The University of Queensland, is open to all the students enrolled in Master’s or Ph. D. programs. The students who are enrolled in 100% online programs can also participate virtually.
