UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State students, staff, faculty and community members interested in learning about innovative graduate student research and scholarship are encouraged to attend two upcoming free, public events this week. The Graduate School will host the 39th annual Graduate Exhibition from March 18-22 on the University Park campus and online, followed by the final round of the inaugural Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition at 10 a.m. March 23 at the Penn Stater Hotel & Conference Center and online.
At both events, community members will hear directly from graduate students across dozens of academic disciplines as they share their research and creative scholarship projects. Each event is designed for graduate students to present their work to a general audience, no matter the audience’s previous knowledge on each subject. This can help students improve their communication skills as they discuss the importance and impact of their work.
The Graduate Exhibition will feature graduate students from a variety of degree programs exhibiting research posters, visual arts, musical performances, design projects and videos as they compete for monetary prizes and share their work.
The video portion of the event can be viewed online from Monday, March 18, to Friday, March 22, on the Graduate School website. The design, research poster and visual arts sessions will take place from 1-4 p.m. in the HUB-Robeson Center on Friday, March 22, and the musical performances will be from 7-9 p.m. that night in the Music Building’s Recital Hall on the University Park campus.
Students will compete for monetary prizes in each category and research poster subcategory at the exhibition. First place in each category and subcategory will receive $1,000, followed by $500 for second place and $250 for third place. Exhibitors also can be awarded two special awards: the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award, and the Data Visualization Award. Both special awards also include monetary prizes.
From 10-11:15 a.m. on Saturday, March 23, the final round of Penn State’s inaugural Three Minute Thesis competition, presented in partnership with the Graduate and Professional Student Association and the Graduate School Alumni Society, will take place. The 3MT finalists come from a larger group of 60 students who competed in the first round.
Like the Graduate Exhibition, 3MT is a professional development opportunity in which graduate students hone their academic and research presentation skills. During 3MT each student is only allowed three minutes and one presentation slide to convey their work. The first-place award for Penn State’s 3MT competition is $1,000, and the second-place award is $500. A third award, People’s Choice, is $500 and is sponsored by the Graduate and Professional Student Association. The People’s Choice Award will be selected by in-person and virtual attendees at the end of the final round. Those interested in attending or watching online are asked to register in advance for the free 3MT event.
Interested members of the Penn State and local community can learn about both the Graduate Exhibition and Three Minute Thesis on the Graduate School website.