Can you shorten a thesis to just 3 minutes?

Last month, PhD candidates across ANU achieved the incredible feat of condensing their thesis to just three minutes.

They were participating in the 3 Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition – a competition that sees candidates from across the country battle it out for the most succinct and compelling presentations.

Five CASS competitors (from left to right): Rosanna Stevens, Tulika Saxena, Louise Taylor, Veronica Bullock, Elisabeth Yarbakhsh.

The competition is made up of a number of rounds. CASS participants competed in initial heats until seven finalists from the College were chosen. From these seven, the two winners, Elisabeth Yarbakhsh and Sarah Cameron, will represent the College at the ANU finals, to be held on 17 September.

Both finalists have already won $1,000 in prizes for making it to finalists for the College. They will now compete for an additional $4,000 in prize money and a ticket to the 3 Minute Thesis grand final to represent ANU on the national stage.

Sarah, from the School of Politics and International Relations, entered via video. Her research is investigating the impact of the Global Financial Crisis and how this affects the way people participate in politics, based on data from the World Values Survey. 

The College’s second finalist Elisabeth is examining Iran’s response to the Afghan refugees, an enduring crisis since the USSR invaded Afghanistan in 1979.

Elisabeth said she was “shocked” to win, and only entered after being encouraged by her supervisor. “Initially, I was worried about the time it would take from my research but I've found it has been helpful in clarifying my topic, not to mention a whole lot of fun,” she says.

“The 3MT competition was a fantastic experience. It has helped me to understand more clearly in my own mind what it is I'm doing. Hearing about some of the other fantastic and diverse research that is going on across CASS has been an added bonus. I think I've also gained a great deal of confidence in public speaking.”