Three Minute Thesis Competition hosted by ISPGR

ISPGR is pleased to announce a continuation of the 3MT competition at the World Congress in Brisbane July 2023.

What is the 3MT® Competition?

 

The Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is an academic research communication competition developed by The University of Queensland(UQ), Australia. Graduate students present their research and its wider impact in 3 minutes or less to a panel of judges. The challenge is to present complex research in an engaging, accessible, and compelling way, using only one static slide.  The first 3MT® competition was held at UQ in 2008 with 160 candidates competing.  3MT® has grown over the years, and is now held in over 900 universities across more than 85 countries worldwide.

The 3MT® competition will provide ISPGR trainees with an opportunity to refine skills that can be transferred after graduation to diverse career paths.  Distilling complex research into a clear form, without over-simplifying, and highlighting the wider implications of the research are important skills to carry into post-graduate employment and public service.

The competition allows graduate students to showcase their research to a wider multidisciplinary audience, within the ISPGR community and to the general public. The 3MT® is a unique opportunity to communicate the innovative and significant research undertaken by ISPGR trainees.

Winner of the 3MT® Competition

Heloise Debelle
Liverpool John Moores University, United Kingdom

“Mechanical adaptations from repeated slips: can we train elderly to not fall?”

I first completed a degree in Osteopathy at Osteobio (France) before completing a MSc degree in Sport and Clinical Biomechanics at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU). I then started working on a PhD at LJMU aiming to better understand and improve the balance recovery of older adults through skill training and/or nutritional supplementation (Minerva Research Labs Ltd). With this project I first aim to understand how participants improve their balance when they are exposed to multiple gait perturbations to provide a strong rational for the development of fall prevention interventions specifically targeting these parameters. I am also investigating whether a nutritional supplement can improve the mechanical properties of tendons and thereby participants’ balance recovery. My main research interests are balance and age-related disorders, with a focus on interventional trials.

Honorable Mention

Shikha Chaudhary
Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand

“Visual fixation and motion sensitivity: An exploratory study”

Shikha Chaudhary is a Research Officer and Lecturer for the School of Clinical Sciences, Auckland University of Technology (AUT), New Zealand. She is a qualified neuro physiotherapist and is about to complete her PhD in neurosciences. She is passionate about understanding the role of the visual system in balance and vestibular disorders. Her PhD investigated visual fixations and postural parameters in adults with visually induced dizziness utilising a mobile eye tracker device. She is a part of the Rehabilitation Innovation Centre, a multidisciplinary research team at AUT. She is also an active member of the Eisdell Moore Centre for Hearing and Balance Research (University of Auckland). Her current projects include testing spatial navigation in a virtual world, investigating the effects of noisy galvanic vestibular stimulation on cognition and balance in older adults and adults with mild cognitive impairment. She is also co-designing a clinical diagnostic tool for measuring eye movements in people with chronic dizziness.

Who is eligible?

  • Presenters must be ISPGR members and be registered in a master’s (Thesis or MRP) or PhD program at the time of the 3MT® competition, and could be at any stage of progress (i.e., proposal, data collected, etc.) on their research and analysis.
  • PhD and master’s students who have defended, but have not yet convocated, are eligible to participate.

How to apply to the 3MT® Competition?

 

Eligible candidates are invited to apply by submitting an abstract through the World Congress call for submissions.  In preparation, please review the guidelines on the submission page for the individual abstracts.

Please note the following 3MT® rules

  • 3MT® presentations must represent the primary research the student conducted in his/her graduate program.
  • A single static PowerPoint slide is permitted. No slide transitions, animations or ‘movement’ of any description are allowed. The slide is to be displayed at the beginning of the presentation.
  • No additional electronic media (e.g. sound and video files) are permitted.
  • No additional props (e.g. costumes, musical instruments, laboratory equipment) are permitted.
  • Presentations are limited to 3 minutes maximum and competitors exceeding 3 minutes are disqualified.
  • Presentations are to be spoken word (e.g. no poems, raps or songs).
  • Presentations are considered to have commenced when a presenter starts their presentation through either movement or speech.
  • The decision of the adjudicating panel is final.
  • The finals of the competition will occur during the World Congress in Brisbane, Australia.

    Key Dates

    Competition submission open: October 3

    Competition abstract submissions close:December 20

    Notification of acceptance for video presentation: To be confirmed

    Worldwide competition: July 2023 in Brisbane

    The Final Competition will be held during the World Congress

    Tips and Guidelines

    For further tips and guidelines, click below to visit the 3MT® Virtual competitor guidelines page.