The Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition began in Australia as a way for students to learn to succinctly express the content of their research to an audience of non-specialists. The idea quickly spread, and 3MT competitions are now held at universities throughout the world.
As the name suggests, students give a three-minute presentation in which they are allowed to use only one slide. This gives students an opportunity to hone their presentation skills and prepares them for the “elevator pitch” they may have to give in interviews or during their career.
A department competition was held in December. The two winners, PhD students Patrick Gambill and Molly Sutter, moved on to the College of Arts and Sciences competition in March.
In the college competition, Patrick presented his research “Mathematical Games and Redistricting.” Patrick’s work, under the direction of faculty member Daryl DeFord, uses game theory to understand the problem of bipartisan redistricting. Mathematics can be used to determine which districting plans favor a particular party and what strategies one party might use to gain an advantage.
Molly’s work, under the direction of faculty member Anne Wilhelm, explores how secondary mathematics teachers develop their identity as mathematics teachers. During a secondary mathematics methods course at WSU, participants in the study completed an autoethnography. Ten of the students, now two to five years after the course, were interviewed and were asked to relate how experiences after WSU had shaped their identity formation as a mathematics teacher. This research identifies ways to help teachers increase a sense of belonging to their profession.
Both Patrick’s and Molly’s presentations were well received. Patrick placed third, which carried a cash prize of $500.