Months of work . . . 180 seconds to explain it.
Congratulations to all presenters at the 2024 3 Minute Paper. You are all amazing!
Prize Winners
Office of Research and Innovation Overall Prize
Samantha Caudle (Gzowski College; Biology), Extending Life in the Common Water Flea
Alumni Engagement and Services First Runner Up Prize and Office of the President Best Visuals Prize
Haley Grieve (Gzowski College; Conservation Biology), The Secret Night-life of Salamanders: The Factors Impacting Nocturnal Salamander Foraging Patterns
Centre for Teaching and Learning Second Runner Up Prize
Anissah Rajpatee (Gzowski College; Indigenous Studies & Teacher Education), Land Based Learning: Reimagining Environmental Education
Office of the President Audience Choice Prize and Journal of Undergraduate Studies at Trent Social JUST-ice Prize
John Smith (Durham-GTA; Child and Youth Studies & Psychology), Dungeons, Dragons, & Neurodiversity: Fighting Demons for Friendship
3 Minute Paper 2024 Video
- What is 3MP?
- Why is it exciting?
- Eligibility and Application
- Competition Rules
- Judging criteria
- Prizes
- 3MP Videos
- Program Sponsors
- Contact Us
What is 3MP?
Three Minute Paper (3MP) is an exciting competition for undergraduate students developed in collaboration by the colleges of Trent University and the Academic Skills; this initiative was sparked by the success of the Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition where Trent graduate students explain their highly specialized research to a general audience in a short three minutes with the support of a single PowerPoint slide.
Open to Trent students completing an honours seminar, an honours thesis, or a major project in any discipline, the 3MP competition challenges undergraduates to present their work to others, in a clear, concise, and engaging manner. Participants have three minutes to explain their research from one major assignment in an upper year course. 3MP challenges students to balance complexity and depth with clarity and concision as they explain their research question, their findings, and its relevance to the Trent community; participants can use up to three PowerPoint slides as visual aids to support their talk.
Read more about the 2023 3 Minute Paper Competition
In 2024, 3MP took place in Nozhem Theatre in the Enwayaang Building on Wednesday, March 6 at 7pm.
Why is it exciting?
Testimonial from 2016 3MP Participant, Kelly McLean:
Trent News Story, 2022: Astounding Research, Innovation and Passion Take the Screen
Eligibility & Application
- Participants must be currently registered in the 3rd or 4th year of a Trent undergraduate degree program. The competition is open to students from Peterborough and Durham; further, spaces are available for students from all of Trent's colleges (Champlain, Eaton, Gzowski, Otonabee, Traill). The 3MP Committee works to ensure balanced representation between campuses, colleges, and programs of study.
- Presentations must be based on original research that is directly related to the student’s undergraduate thesis, major research project, or major research paper. Research does not need to be complete for a student to participate, but research should be in progress during the 2023-2024 academic year.
- Participants may individually present research from a group project with the permission of all group members.
- Presenters must agree to be photographed and video-taped and allow photos/videos to be shared publicly.
- All applicants must complete a written application by 4pm EST January 24, 2024 and must submit a short video by email before 11:59pm EST January 26, 2024. Details will be provided to all applicants in their application confirmation email.
- All participants must have approval from the faculty supervisor/course professor for which the research is assigned.
- Presentations are limited to three minutes maximum. Any competitor that exceeds the time limit will be disqualified.
- Presenters may use no more than three slides. Slides cannot include animations or transitions. No additional props or electronic media are permitted. All slides and presentation materials must be submitted according to deadlines set by the 3MP organizational committee.
- Presenters may use notes or cue cards.
- Presentations are to be spoken word (e.g. No songs, poems).
- Presentations are considered to have commenced when a presenter starts his or her presentation through either movement or speech.
- Presentations are to commence from the stage.
- The decisions of the 3MP college panel and the 3MP competition judges are final.
Judging Criteria
The judging panel for the 3MP competition will be comprised of members of the Trent community.
(Judging criteria adapted from 3MT®, University of Queensland)
2024 Prizes
- Office of Research Overall Prize: $250
- Alumni Engagement and Services First Runner Up: $100
- Centre for Teaching and Learning Second Runner Up: $75
- President’s Office Audience Choice Prize: $150
- President's Office Best Visuals Prize: $150
- Journal of Undergraduate Studies at Trent (JUST) Social JUST-ice Prize: $100
Top prize winners also win publication of their script in the upcoming issue of the Journal of Undergraduate Studies at Trent
Watch Past 3MP Competition Videos
2023 Competition Event Video
2023 Prize Winners
- The Office of Research Overall Prize and President's Office Audience Choice Award: Diya Shah (she/her), Otonabee College, To be or not to be - CRHR2 in Stress response
- Alumni Engagement and Services 1st Runner Up Prize and President's Office Prize for Best Visual Aids: Lindsay Young (they/he), Champlain College, The deep end of the dating pool: Transgender exclusion in dating/sexual activity
- Centre for Teaching and Learning 2nd Runner Up Prize: Abbey Politeski (she/her), Lady Eaton College, Cardiac cachexia: Do females do it better?
- The Social JUST-ice Prize (from the Journal of Undergraduate Studies at Trent): Mehmood Kohistani (he/him), Durham-GTA, Refugee Youth Participation: Paving the Path to an Equitable Education
3MP 2022- Virtual Edition
2022 Prize Winners
- Office of Research Overall Winner: Kieran Freitag (Biomedical Science, Champlain), The curious case of the missing TATA boxes in this waterborne parasite
- Alumni Engagement and Services First Runner-Up Prize and Office of the President Audience Choice Prize: Mckenna Lowrie (Biology – Psychology, Otonabee), A Memory Trace in Two Systems: The HPC and Memory
- Centre for Teaching and Learning Second Runner-Up Prize: Suruthe Janakan (Chemistry, Otonabee), Animal Neurotransmitters in Plants?
- Office of the President Best Visuals Prize: Erin Giroux (Forensic Science, Gzowski), The Key to Unlocking Solutions to SARS-CoV-
3MP 2021 - Virtual Edition
2021 Prize Winners
- Office of Research Overall Winner and Office of the President Best Visuals Prize, Ayan Niazi, Lady Eaton College: Proteins Behaving Badly! (Biology)
- Alumni Engagement and Services First Runner-Up Prize, Nicole Leach, Gzowski College: Why Is Choosing A Sunscreen Still an Enigma? A Chemical Approach To Effective Decision Making (Chemistry)
- Centre for Teaching and Learning Second Runner-Up Prize, Linda El-Ayday, Lady Eaton College: Working out a Solution: Exercise Therapy for Anxiety in Parkinson’s Disorder (Psychology)
- Office of the President Audience Choice Prize, Arlene Ononiwu, Lady Eaton College: Building Technologies for Disease Detection (Biology)
3MP 2020 - In-Person Event
2020 Prize Winners
- Office of Research Overall Prize, Sam Blondeau (Durham-GTA/Traill), Child & Youth Studies/Sociology: "Squeegee Kids are Not Broken Windows!"
- Alumni Affairs First Runner-Up, Katherine Nocera (Durham-GTA), Psychology: "We're All in This Together: The Influence of Family-Based Treatment on Adolescent Substance Use."
- Centre for Teaching and Learning Second Runner-Up, Alissa Sallans (Gzowski College), International Development Studies, "Can "Poverty Alleviation" Sustain Poverty?"
- President's Office Audience Choice Prize and Best Visuals Prize, Danielle Harper (Traill College), Biology: "Spice Up Your Life: Blood Vessel Formation and Cellular Stress"
Contact Us
Email 3mp@trentu.ca with your questions