The 2020 3MT® competition from the Graduate School at the College of Charleston broke new ground as the first competition to be held virtually via Zoom. Seven graduate students from three programs participated in this virtual event. The 3MT® competition is a research and communication competition that was developed by the University of Queensland, Australia. Graduate students are limited to three minutes to present an overview of their thesis (3 Minute Thesis). There are strict guidelines for these presentations, including the use of one static PowerPoint slide that cannot include any animations or media. The students are supposed to tailor the presentation to a generic audience, avoiding any technical or industry terms.
Students from the Marine Biology, Environmental & Sustainability Studies, and the concurrent Environmental & Sustainability Studies/Public Administration programs were well-represented at this year’s competition. Virtual guests included students, family, Graduate faculty and staff, as well as President Hsu, who all came out to support our graduate students and celebrate their research at the 7th annual competition held on November 9, 2020.
The first place prize winner receives $500 and a virtual trip to the Regional competition. Second place receives $250 and is the stand-in for the regional competition if the first place winner is unable to attend. We also offer a people’s choice award with a $200 prize. See our 2020 winner’s presentations below:
The 2020 3MT® winner is Haley Schanne from the concurrent Environmental & Sustainability Studies/Public administration program. Her thesis title is “Behind these Google Eyes: Measuring Nonprofit Motivations toward Public-Private Environmental Partnerships”. Haley is also our 2020 People’s Choice winner.
The 2020 3MT® runner up is Nicole Weirich from the concurrent Environmental & Sustainability Studies/Public administration program. Her thesis title is “Stream Dynamics in an Estuary Headwater System of the Atlantic Coastal Plain”.
Other participants of the 2020 competition include:
- Brooke Blosser, M.S. Marine Biology – Geographic Differences among Mircoplastic Concentrations of South Carolina Oysters
- Miranda Dziobak, M.S. Environmental & Sustainability Studies – Paper or Plastic? The Unintended Consequences of Plastic Consumption
- Jessica Ramirez, M.S. Marine Biology – Exploring Restoration of Marshes after an Oil Spill
- Nicholas Smillie, M.S. Environmental & Sustainability Studies – Marketing the Utility of Self-Report Fishing Applications
- Taylor Williams, M.S. Marine Biology – Reproductive strategy of a new cryptogenic red alga in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
See the full playlist of competitor presentations here.
Congratulations to all of these amazing graduate students for a spectacular competition!
