The traditional "Three Minute Thesis" (3MT) competition took place at Vilnius University's (VU) Scholarly Communication and Information Centre Conference Hall. A total of 15 PhD students competed, and the jury awarded the first place to Indrė Lapinskienė, a PhD student from the VU Faculty of Medicine. The second place went to Gerda Jasinevičienė from the Life Sciences Center (LSC), while the third place was awarded to Jonas Žurauskas from the Faculty of Chemistry and Geosciences (CHGE).
This year, the competition featured PhD students from various VU faculties, including Philosophy, Medicine, Physics, and Communication.
"This was an incredible and enriching experience. Not only did I learn how to present complex scientific topics in an engaging and accessible way, but I also had the chance to meet young VU researchers from different fields. It made me realize what a warm and supportive community we have and how ‘cosmic’ the projects we are working on truly are. I am proud of all the participants and hope to see more events like this in the future," said the first-place winner, Indrė Lapinskienė.
Her research topic, "Can We Spot the Signs Before It’s Too Late?" focuses on predicting brain death in patients with intracranial pathology at an early stage of treatment.
The second-place winner, LSC PhD student Gerda Jasinevičienė, presented her research on "Uncovering the Relationship of Yeast Viral Elements." She acknowledged that summarizing the essence of her scientific work in just three minutes was a challenge, but the experience was invaluable.
"For the first time, I had to prepare my research presentation for an audience unfamiliar with natural sciences. It was difficult to decide what to explain in three minutes and what to keep as essential scientific information, avoiding complex terminology. Additionally, presenting without slides and memorizing the entire speech was an unusual experience since I couldn't glance at notes. The jury’s positive feedback boosted my confidence and helped me understand how to improve my presentations in the future. I highly recommend participating in this competition – it was an incredibly valuable experience!" shared Gerda Jasinevičienė.
The third-place winner, CHGE PhD student Jonas Žurauskas, presented his research on "Visible Light Photoredox Catalysis." He expressed his excitement about the competition and the opportunity to meet talented individuals dedicated to both science and the art of communication.
"The best way to prepare for a competition like this is to try explaining your research in one minute to your closest family members—your mother, grandfather, or grandmother—so that they understand. If you see doubt on their faces, try again a few days later. When your family no longer has any questions about your research, I believe you’re ready! You’ll soon realize that all those complex scientific terms are unnecessary because everything is much simpler than it seems. A big thank you to the organizers and the jury" reflected Jonas Žurauskas.
The "Three Minute Thesis" competition originated in 2008 at the University of Queensland (Australia) and has since gained global recognition, becoming a prestigious academic platform for young researchers. The competition encourages PhD students to effectively communicate complex scientific ideas to a broad audience.
As the VU competition winner, Indrė Lapinskienė will represent Lithuania in the Coimbra Group Universities selection, where participants will compete for a spot in the international 3MT final.
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