Sogang University holds 3MT Competition final for graduate students

Sogang University held the final round of the 2026 SG 3MT Competition, a research communication competition, at its Seoul campus on Aug. 14.

The university said the Graduate School Innovation Strategy Team organized the competition to promote graduate students’ research achievements and strengthen their global research communication.

The event was also designed to support students’ participation in inter-university programs under the fourth phase of the government-led Brain Korea 21 (BK21) initiative.

In addition, the competition was aimed at encouraging students’ participation in international competitions.

SG 3MT stands for Sogang University Three Minute Thesis.

The 3MT is a research presentation competition held at universities around the world, including Yale University and Stanford University.

Participants are required to explain their thesis research within three minutes in a way that can be understood by a nonspecialist audience.

The SG 3MT Competition followed the same rules, with participants delivering their presentations in English using only one static slide, without animation, transitions or sound effects.

As participants were required to convey the key points and significance of their research solely through speech, without poetry recitation, rap, singing or props, the competition assessed both their understanding of their research and their ability to communicate it effectively.

Twelve graduate students who advanced through the preliminary round competed in the final.

Five students received awards: one grand prize, one excellence award and three encouragement awards.

The grand prize went to Lee Su-yeon, a master’s student in the department of chemistry, for her presentation “Beyond the Trade-off: A Crystal That Splits Light and Lets It Through.”

The excellence award was given to Jeong Gi-yeon, a student in the integrated master’s and doctoral program in the department of chemical and biomolecular engineering, for “Can Green Material Survive Real Life?”

The three encouragement awards went to Shin Ji-yeon, a master’s student in the department of mechanical engineering; Chae Yun-jeong, a doctoral student in the department of media and communication; and Kim Hae-min, a student in the integrated master’s and doctoral program in the department of chemical and biomolecular engineering.

The grand prize and excellence award winners will represent the university at the final round of the 2026 BK21 K-3MT National Competition, which will be hosted by Korea University on Nov. 11.

In addition, the doctoral student among the two top award winners will represent Sogang University at the Asia-Pacific 3MT Competition.

“The ability to deliver the key points in the brief time it takes to ride an elevator — often referred to as an ‘elevator speech’ — is an essential skill that researchers and developers should cultivate,” Sim said in his opening remarks.

Outlining the judging criteria, Kim Young-soo, dean of the Graduate School, said, “The key factors in judging are how concisely and clearly the research is presented and how easily the audience can understand the content and language.”

He noted that it is important to avoid technical terms and explain complex concepts in simple language that the public can understand.