Competition 2018

Past Competitions:

The 3MT competition is much more than just a competition. I feel deeply grateful for the entire journey, which kept pointing to the bigger picture of research. 3MT started with learning to convey the technical concepts of my research to a lay audience, as well as working with the feedback of others to improve the presentation. On the way, I was humbled by the overwhelming support of my surrounding community – family, my supervisor Dr. Julian Tanner, lab-mates, friends, and more – who had been there from beginning to the end of my PhD. Finally, it was great to make a difference in the community by being able to convey the potential of my research in improving healthcare. My HKU 3MT journey was a blessing I am beyond grateful for.

Champion and People’s Choice Award Winner

Ms Mei Li KHONG

PhD. Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine

All research postgraduates can understand how easy it is to get immersed in their very focused research topic. Sometimes whilst experimenting on something as minuscule as human cells, I tend to forget what the culmination of these experiments would result in or the impact it potentially has on humanity. In preparation for this 3MT, I regained sight of the bigger picture. It also helped me consolidate the key points of my research. As I am approaching the completion of my PhD, the timing could not be more appropriate. The atmosphere at the 3MT competition was charged; contestants were firing novel ideas from an array of disciplines. By being removed from my lab bubble, I realised that at HKU we were collectively tackling global issues. I am very grateful to the constant support and guidance of my supervisor, Professor Annie Nga Yin Cheung, without whom this research would not have materialised. I would also like to thank my lab mates, family and friends, who have always listened to me and provided me with their valuable feedback.

1st Runner-up

Ms Jasmeen Kaur SETHI

PhD, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine

It was challenging to present my MPhil research in simple words within 3 minutes, but it was a rewarding experience. Writing the script was a great learning process to crystalise my 2-year research. I am thinking of using some parts of my script in my thesis.
I was so grateful to see my colleagues and even professors of the History Department showing up for the heat as well as the final. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Professor Charles Schencking, and the department’s postgraduate coordinator, Professor John Carroll, for their time and support. I also want to thank the other postgraduates of the department, for providing useful suggestions on my presentation and practising with me.
The competition was held a few days before the 7th anniversary of the 3.11 Disaster. I hope this platform can remind people to support reconstruction and recovery in the Tōhoku region.

2nd Runner-up and Online People’s Choice Award Winner

Ms Pang CHONG, Beatrice

MPhil, Faculty of Arts

Overview

Date of Competition: March 7, 2018

Eligibility Criteria

Rules and Judging Criteria

Register HERE

Registration Deadline: 6pm on January 16, 2018 (NO late registrations will be accepted.)

Each registrant must also submit his/her primary supervisor’s completed endorsement form (downloadable from the Graduate School website) to the Graduate School by January 18, 2018 to complete the registration process. If the completed endorsement form reaches the Graduate School after January 18, 2018, the registration will NOT be accepted.

A briefing session was held for RPg students who are interested in participating in the HKU 3MT:

Date of Briefing Session: December 1, 2017
Time: 1 – 2 pm
Venue: P6-03, Graduate House

Click here for the presentations.

Schedule of Presentations:

Heats
Final

Videos of Candidates and Awardees

Members of the public, colleagues and students are cordially invited to vote for the most engaging presenter for the Online People’s Choice Award via YouTube until 1700hrs, March 15, 2018. You can vote for any one of the finalists below. The finalist with the most “LIKE” votes on YouTube will be awarded a book voucher of US$130.

News in Brief

The Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) Competition 2018 of HKU was successfully held on March 7, 2018. This year 23 research postgraduate (RPg) students participated in the competition, and 10 finalists were shortlisted to compete for 3 prizes decided by the adjudicating panel and the People’s Choice Award decided by audience ballot. The Online People’s Choice Award was awarded to the finalist who received the most ‘LIKE’ votes on YouTube after the competition.

The 3MT was developed by The University of Queensland, Australia in 2008. It is an academic competition that challenges RPg students to explain their research within 3 minutes to a general audience. 3MT celebrates the discoveries made by RPg students and encourages them to develop the skills to communicate the importance of their research to the broader community.

Professor Lap-Chee Tsui, President of the Academy of Sciences of Hong Kong, Ms Priscilla Wong, JP, Barrister, and HKU Council Member, and Ms Janice Chan, Director of the Hong Kong Women’s Imaging Limited, served on the adjudicating panel as our guests of honour. Internal members of the adjudicating panel included Professor John Bacon-Shone, Associate Director of the Knowledge Exchange Office (KEO), who served as the Chairman of the panel, Professor John Kao, Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Global), Professor Pauline Chiu of the Department of Chemistry, Professor Maggy Lee of the Department of Sociology and Professor Ben Young, Associate Dean of the Graduate School.

Congratulations to all the winners of the HKU 3MT Competition 2018. They are:

Champion and People’s Choice Award Winner

Name: Ms Mei Li Khong
PhD candidate in the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine
Presentation Title: Too Many P-s Spoil the Protein
Primary Supervisor: Dr Julian Alexander Tanner

1st Runner-up

Name: Ms Jasmeen Kaur Sethi
PhD candidate in the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine
Presentation Title: The Ovarian Cancer Games: Catching HNF-1β targets
Primary Supervisor: Professor Annie Nga Yin Cheung

2nd Runner-up and Online People’s Choice Award Winner

Name: Ms Pang Chong
MPhil candidate in the Faculty of Arts
Presentation Title: Altruism or Opportunism: International humanitarian assistance to Japan following the 3.11 Disaster
Primary Supervisor: Professor John Charles Schencking

The HKU 3MT Competition was jointly organised by the Graduate School and KEO.

Awardees, finalists and supervisors at the HKU 3MT Competition 2018 with members of the adjudicating panel

(From left, back row) Ms Chae Yin Cher (finalist), Mr Kam Wa Chan (finalist), Dr Karen Chan (supervisor of the finalist Ms Dai Pu), Dr Moon Ho Alexander Leung (finalist), Ms Dai Pu (finalist), Ms Lin Guo (finalist), Dr Oscar Sanchez-Sibony (supervisor of the finalist Mr Rustam Khan), Mr Rustam Khan (finalist), Professor John Bacon-Shone

(From left, front row) Professor Ben Young, Professor Ricky Kwok (Associate Vice-President [Teaching and Learning]), Professor Pauline Chiu, Professor Bernadette Tsui (Director of the Development & Alumni Affairs Office), Ms Janice Chan, Ms Jasmeen Kaur Sethi (1st Runner-up), Professor Lap-Chee Tsui, Ms Mei Li Khong (Champion and People’s Choice Award Winner), Ms Pang Chong (2nd Runner-up and Online People’s Choice Award Winner), Ms Priscilla Wong, Professor John Kao, Professor Maggy Lee, Professor SP Law (Acting Dean of the Graduate School), Dr Julian Alexander Tanner (supervisor of the Champion Ms Mei Li Khong)

2018 Asia-Pacific 3MT Competition

The 2018 Asia-Pacific 3MT Competition was held on Thursday, September 27, 2018 at The University of Queensland (UQ), Brisbane. Doctoral students representing 58 universities in Australia, New Zealand and Asia participated in this competition.

The Champion and People’s Choice Award winner of the 2018 HKU 3MT Competition, Ms Mei Li Khong, PhD candidate in the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, represented HKU in the 2018 Asia-Pacific 3MT Competition. Ms Khong was one of the 10 finalists who got into the Final. Please click here for the presentation of the 10 finalists.

What a wonderful experience, REALLY! During the semi-finals of Asia Pacific 3MT 2018, I was extremely impressed by the quality of research and presentation from all the competitors. They are all winners and champions of their own university and country. Being in the midst of them gave me a deeper appreciation of how much I am learning from all these through the efforts HKU has put through. What stood out to me the most was the spirit of the competition where everyone encouraged and supported one another to be their best – which is the perfect reflection of how academia and intellectual exchange should be. Honestly, I was surprised when I was announced to be one of the top 10 finalists because all 58 competitors were excellent communicators with perfect delivery of their 3MT speech. I feel very honoured and grateful to be able to represent HKU in the Finals and be part of the Top 10. None of this would be possible without the enthusiastic support I received from my loved ones and HKU. There is so much to be proud of, being part of HKU, as we continue to shine in the international arena. I hope that my sharing here would encourage more to participate in our University's 3MT… because it is not just about how you finish. It is about how you grow personally and academically throughout your 3MT journey.