The Three Minute Thesis (3MT) is an internationally recognized research communication competition. Participants have three minutes to deliver a compelling presentation on their thesis research for a general audience using a single, static slide. On March 21, 2023, I was among the participants of the Toronto final of the French version of 3MT, Ma Thèse en 180 secondes (MT180), at Massey College. In French, of course.
Presenting a short three minutes version of a thesis is an interesting but complicated task: it is impossible to summarize a full thesis, so we need to choose an excerpt that makes sense to a broader audience who knows nothing about our specific topic. We also need to make sure not to use words that are understood only by experts in our respective domains. Fortunately, Acfas, the organizer of the event, provided several training sessions: how to prepare ourselves, how to write, how to be on stage, etc. It was very helpful.
I presented three minutes of Critical Disability concepts and their applications to music education, with examples of accessibility workshops I gave in a music school. The competition itself was enjoyable. We were happy to be together, trying to manage our stress between participants. A few friends were supporting me in the audience.
As a reward for all my efforts, I won the competition! I will attend the national final in Montreal on May 10, 2023. Wish me luck!
An article in L’Express Toronto (in French) about the competition:
https://l-express.ca/ma-these-en-180-secondes-direction-montreal-pour-diane-kolin/
Some pictures of the event:
