3MT: Three Minute Thesis

Three Minute Thesis (3MT) celebrates the exciting research conducted by master’s or Ph.D. students around the world. Developed by The University of Queensland, the competition cultivates students’ academic, presentation, and research communication skills. Presenting in a 3MT competition increases students' capacity to explain their research in three minutes in a language appropriate to a non-specialist audience. Competitors are allowed one PowerPoint slide, but no other resources or props.

Karas Award

The Karas Award for Outstanding Dissertation has been established to recognize excellence in doctoral research at Iowa State University. Each year the two winners of this award become Iowa State University’s nominees to the national competition for the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS)/University Microfilms International (UMI) Distinguished Dissertation Award. Awards are selected annually in two of the rotating four broad disciplinary areas announced by the Council of Graduate Schools—Humanities and the Fine Arts, Mathematical and Physical Sciences and Engineering, Biological Sciences, and Social Sciences. (The CGS/UMI Distinguished Dissertation Award, consisting of an honorarium of $2,000 and a certificate of citation, is presented at the annual meeting of the Council of Graduate School in early December each year.)

The two disciplinary areas for consideration in odd years (2025, 2027, 2029, etc.) are:

1. Humanities and Fine Arts
2. Biological Sciences

The two disciplinary areas for consideration in even years (2024, 2026, 2028, etc.) are:

1. Mathematical and Physical Science and Engineering
2. Social Sciences

Zaffarano Prize Award

The award is offered each spring semester: to recognize superior performance in publishable research by an ISU graduate student. Publishable research is defined as work written and accepted for publication in a national or international refereed journal. Both the quality and the number of publications produced while a student at ISU will be considered. Nominees must either be currently enrolled at ISU or have graduated in the 2 preceding terms.

Deadlines: Nominations Due by March 15

Nominations should be submitted by DOGEs, Major Professors, or Graduate College Staff according to Department/Program award submission guidelines. Students do not apply directly for this award.

Submit electronic nominations to our Paper Forms box.

Winner will be notified by mid-April. Award presented at the Sigma Xi banquet in April.

Purpose:

To recognize superior performance in publishable research by an ISU graduate Student. A check for $1,500 and a plaque will be presented to the winner at the Sigma Xi banquet in April.

Philosophy:

Dr Daniel Zaffarano, vice president for research at Iowa State University from 1973-1988, established this award. He believed accomplishments in research contribute to our knowledge capital when they are made widely available to other workers, usually through publication, for review and use. Until results are disseminated, a research project is not completed. Part of graduate education is practice in explaining research results, orally or in writing. With the encouragement of their advisors, many students prepare and submit for publication significant achievements in their research even before a dissertation or thesis is completed. Students who gain this experience will have a competitive advantage when they seek further education or employment, and the purpose of this prize is to honor and reward those who excel for their effort and achievement.

Teaching Excellence Award

Award Submission Deadlines:

All nominations can be submitted online by designated faculty members or department staff. Follow the selection process for your department/program. Submissions by students are not allowed. Up to three reminders will be sent to departments in the weeks leading up to the deadlines. Please be mindful of the deadlines and adhere to them.

• Teaching Excellence Award Form

Purpose of Program

The purpose of these awards is to recognize and encourage outstanding teaching achievement by graduate students. The intent is to recognize up to 10% of the graduate students involved in teaching each year. Departments can choose to be more restrictive in the number of awards they give out, according to their criteria and policies.

Description of Awards

Each Teaching Excellence Award consists of:

• a letter of commendation from the ISU President,
• a certificate of achievement signed by the ISU President and the Graduate Dean,
• an honor cord to be worn at commencement, and
• an official notation on the student’s transcript.

Many Teaching Excellence Award winners will not be graduating at the time they receive their award. Recipients should keep their honor cord and wear the cord at the time of their graduation. A citation will be listed by their name in the ISU Commencement Program. Funding is not available through this program to offer cash prizes. However, departments are encouraged to use their own funds for this purpose whenever possible. Any cash prize should be handled directly by the department.