IT HAPPENED!! IT WAS INCREDIBLE!! Congratulations to our amazing presenters: Adam `An’ Zeal, Maria Evjen, Rodney Pritchard, Ki James and Emily Sandall.
Thanks to Kristen Syrett for wonderful organization and mentoring, to Gretchen McCulloh for fabulous mc-ing, and to Rajesh Bhatt for pictures and organizational support!!
What is the 3MT Showcase?
The 3-Minute Thesis (or 3MT) Showcase is an event during the LSA Summer Institute that invites emerging linguists to present their thesis work in a rapid, engaging, accessible way to an audience of fellow linguists in 3 minutes or less! The first 3MT Showcase took place in 2019 at the LSA Summer Institute hosted by UC Davis.
Each participant will be asked to present the fundamental points of their thesis in a clear, direct, engaging, and accessible way, without the use of notes, in 3 minutes! Presenters must impress a panel of ‘judges’ (real live linguists!) who will be looking for the ‘wow’ factor—presentations that are effective in communicating interesting, exciting research in an entertaining way!
Hosts: The 2023 LSA Institute 3MT Showcase will be hosted by Rajesh Bhatt (UMass Amherst) and Kristen Syrett (Rutgers).
Who can participate?
The 3MT Showcase is open to all registered students at the Institute (undergraduates, masters and PhDs) working in any area of linguistics who have thesis research to present! Students, we want to hear about your research!
EXTENDED DEADLINE: Abstract submissions due on July 2.
Abstracts should be sent as plain text/a pdf attachment to 3minute.linguist.2023@gmail.com no later than July 2.
When and Where?
The 3-Minute Thesis (or 3MT) Showcase will take place on July 8 6.30-8.30 in ILC S240
How can I participate?
Students wishing to participate should submit a 300-word abstract by the deadline of June 24. Abstracts will be evaluated by the 3MT committee, who will select a small group of 6-8 finalists to showcase their thesis research.
What could I win?
The student who delivers the best 3ML presentation will receive a free, one-year membership to the LSA, along with the highly coveted title of
How do I write an effective 3MT abstract?
Good question! Here we take a page from the ever-popular 5-Minute Linguist (5ML) event that takes place at the LSA Annual Meeting. Here are some tips.
Your abstract should be…
-300 words or less
-pitched to a general linguistic audience (not just phonologists, syntacticians, etc.)
-a concise, clear, engaging, and compelling pitch of your original research
-free of jargon and acronyms
-a chance to communicate the novelty, relevance, and intrigue of your research to a larger audience
You should…
-focus on what drew you to your research in the first place
-choose a title that’s clear, simple, and eye-catching (maybe not your thesis title!)
-include at least one example of your phenomenon of interest, and introduce it early on
-situate your work in a broader context, and make it clear why it matters and why others should care
-resist the temptation to impress people with specialized terminology and obscure references
-invite a friend to read your abstract and give you honest feedback (and listen to that feedback!)
-have fun with this! This is your thesis research, and an audience will want to hear about it!