MT180 – My Thesis in 180 Seconds
EPFL Final in 2022
For the 7th edition of the competition “My Thesis in 180 seconds” at EPFL we are pleased to announce that the Final will take place on
Thursday 30th of March 2023 at the Forum Rolex.
For participants
Information on the Competition
Each participant has three minutes to present his or her research, in plain language, to a non-specialist audience and a jury made up of researchers, journalists and business people.
The challenge: make your thesis topic easily understandable in clear, concise and convincing French or English – and with the help of only one slide! During the selections, participants are be filmed under competition conditions, and a multidisciplinary jury chooses finalists based on the videos, rating each participant’s performance according to the criteria in the official rules.
Participants also have a unique opportunity to take part in a day of training in public speaking given by media professionals. Their aim is to help you present your work effectively.
Prizes will be awarded to the top three presentations in the final. A special audience award will also be given.
The aim is also to inform the general public about the wide and exciting range of scientific research being carried out. Last but not least, it is an opportunity for participants to meet PhD students working in other fields and learn about their work.
Since 2016, the course is recognized by the EPFL Doctoral School. Participants in the MT180 competition may receive an ECTS credit towards their doctoral degree.
Conditions to receive credit are:
- To participate in one of the training course in English or in French.
- To participate in the selection process and obtain a score of 4/6 or higher.
Media professionals will provide advice on word choice, body language and intonation – the sort of feedback that will also prove useful in your future career.
Participation in one of the training session, in English or in French is one of the two conditions to receive an ECTS credit.
At EPFL 14 PhD students are selected each year to participate in the final and present their Thesis in 180 seconds, either in French or in English.
The jury for the final is made up of representatives from the scientific community and broader science world, the business world and the media.
Evaluation Criteria and Rules
Prizes
| 1st place: | CHF 1000 |
| 2nd place: | CHF 700 |
| 3rd place: | CHF 400 |
| Audience Prize: | CHF 400 |
All prizes are awarded at the final, including the audience prizes awarded during the MT180 selections, worth CHF 200 per selection day.
The best EPFL finalists will have the opportunity to compete in the Swiss final organised by CUSO, which takes place every year in May or June in its French-speaking version.
“My Thesis in 180 Seconds” competitions are implemented in several countries, with French-language versions taking place so far in Canada, France, Belgium and Morocco.
MT180 was inspired by “Three Minute Thesis (3MT®),” which was first held at the University of Queensland, Australia in 2008.
The best finalist in Switzerland can compete in the international final, which takes place in its French version every autumn.
Exclusive Partner
The support of the CVCI Foundation reflects the support of the economy for research, training and innovation in the canton of Vaud.
Organisation
My Thesis in 180 Seconds is organised at EPFL by the Science Outreach Department with support from the Doctoral School and Learning & Development, and in collaboration with Mediacom, the Audiovisual Service, Keep Learning and the Research Office.
Science Outreach Department (SPS)
Organization
Anouk Pfanzelter, phone: 021 693 00 72
Media and Jury
Farnaz Moser, Phone 021 693 00 71 (secretariat)
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