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CNR Graduate Research Symposium

Poster and 3MT Competition Guidelines

Participant Registration Deadline: COMING SOON

In order to participate in the 2024 CNR Graduate Research Symposium you must register. To register, please be prepared to provide an abstract (250 words) and up to five keywords for your research.

Participant abstracts will be compiled into a digital booklet.

Eligibility

Active graduate students, both Ph.D. and master’s, with data results are encouraged to participate. When registering an abstract, graduate students will be required to list their research adviser, who will confirm the student’s status.

Competition Selection

Participants must select one competition in which to enter: either the Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) or the Poster Competition.

Students participating in the 3MT competition may also choose to present a poster, but they will not be eligible for judging. If you are registered for the 3MT competition but would like to also present a poster, please email Robert Scheller.

Awards

Monetary award amounts for each competition are listed below. Awards will be disbursed by the business office (via direct deposit) to support each student.

Three-Minute Thesis Competition

The 3MT competition is limited to 24 participants. As a result, presenter slots will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. Please submit your registration form as soon as possible in order to receive a time slot.

Presenters will compete live on a stage, with a screen displaying slides behind them. Three rounds will take place from 3:15 – 4:40 p.m. with 8 participants each round. The three finalists and awards will be announced from 5:00 – 5:30 p.m.

The College of Natural Resources has chosen to hold a modified version of the official Three-Minute Thesis competition. While the strict three-minute format will be maintained, participants will be allowed to present up to three slides in PowerPoint format.

As of now, our 3MT judging rubrics will mirror the official 3MT judging forms.

Monetary prizes will be awarded for the top three 3MT finalists: 

  • First place: $1,000
  • Second place: $750
  • Third place: $500

Poster Competition

Posters should be roughly 3′ x 4′ and will be mounted on free-standing display boards (the boards are 6′ x 8′).

Each presenter in the poster competition should plan to remain at their poster from 1-3 p.m. During this time they will interact with symposium attendees, as well as their panel of assigned judges.

View the official poster competition judging rubric here

One master’s and one Ph.D. student from each category listed below will be awarded a monetary prize of $750:

  • Management and Policies
  • Human and Environment Interactions
  • Sustainability and the Sustainable Bioeconomy
  • Natural Systems