three minute thesis 2021

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Biochemistry, molecular and cell biology ph.d. candidate wins three minute thesis competition.

“My thesis explores the blueprint behind building a small intestine. I call it ‘to be or “knot” to be’,” began Bhargav Sanketi, a doctoral candidate in biochemistry, molecular and cell biology, at the sixth Cornell University Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition.

Alongside seven other finalists, Sanketi presented his dissertation research in just three minutes to a panel of judges and an audience from across campus. Presentations were judged by how clearly and compellingly they summarized their research using only one static slide to a general audience.

His presentation, “To be or ‘knot’ to be: Blueprint for a small intestine,” earned him first place and $1,500. Second place and $1,000 was awarded to food science and technology doctoral candidate Rachel Allison for her presentation, “What CAN we do about stinky wine?”

After nearly 200 audience members cast their ballots, votes were tallied and the People’s Choice Award and $300 were presented to entomology doctoral candidate Kara Fikrig for her presentation, “Are mosquitoes picky eaters?”

Having enjoyed the 3MT as an audience member in the past, Sanketi appreciated the opportunity to participate in – and win – this year’s competition.

“I think as scientists, we get so lost in our work that it’s easy to lose sight of what’s important,” he said. “I had attended previous editions of 3MT and always found them really entertaining. The idea of getting a diverse audience excited about a pretty heavy academic topic forces you to zoom out and see the big picture.”

For Allison, undertaking the challenge of distilling a dense topic into accessible and engaging content was a primary motivator for her participation.

“Going through the job interview process, I realized how challenging it could be to communicate my research experience to a non-specialist audience,” she said. “My career goal is to one day combine technical and business consulting in the wine industry, and adaptable communication skills will be essential. As a result, I have been trying to practice by taking advantage of more speaking opportunities.”

The 3MT competition was first held in 2008 at the University of Queensland and has since been adopted by over 600 graduate schools in over 65 countries. 3MT challenges research degree students to present a compelling story on their dissertation or thesis and its significance in just three minutes, in language appropriate to a non-specialist audience.

Cornell’s Graduate School first hosted a 3MT competition in 2015. The event has grown steadily since that time and this year, Cornell’s winner will compete in the Northeastern Association of Graduate Schools regional competition next month, and the top two winners from that event will showcase their research at the Council of Graduate Schools annual meeting in December 2021.

“I am so impressed with each and every one of this year’s competitors,” said Jan Allen, associate dean for academic and student affairs. “They are all to be recognized for their successful presentations. In addition to presenting their complex research in just three minutes, everyone rose to the challenge of doing so in a virtual format. These skills will prove beneficial in academic work as well as in future careers.”

Understanding the importance of communicating scientific topics clearly, Fikrig looked at the 3MT as a way to learn techniques for getting and holding listeners’ attention when sharing her research broadly.

“I value science communication and recognize the importance of being able to explain my science in a way that is both comprehensible and interesting to the public. This is especially true since I study mosquitoes – the threat of disease transmission underscores the need to effectively communicate about my study system,” she said. “After watching videos of past 3MT presenters, I thought that the competition would be a great opportunity to learn and practice science communication skills. And I was not disappointed!”

Cornell’s sixth 3MT final round competition was held on Thursday, March 18, 2021 at 4:15 p.m. on Zoom.

This story is also available on the Cornell Chronicle website .

Spring 2021 3MT Finalists

Watch the 2021 Three Minute Thesis competition finale .

First Place: Bhargav Sanketi, biochemistry, molecular, and cell biology doctoral candidate

Watch Bhargav Sanketi’s 3MT presentation .

Special Committee Chair: Natasza Kurpios

Area of Research: Developmental biology of the small intestine

Biography: Bhargav Sanketi is a Ph.D. candidate in the Kurpios lab studying how the small intestine obtains its looped structure during development. His investigations use a combination of chicken embryology, mouse genetics, and single cell genomics. Bhargav is from Bangalore, India and spends his free time cooking, writing music, or watching international cinema. 

Favorite Thing About Cornell: All the waterfalls and gorges nearby.

What did you learn from the 3MT? How did it help you?

I think as scientists, we get so lost in our work that it’s easy to lose sight of what’s important. I had attended previous editions of 3MT and always found them really entertaining. The idea of getting a diverse audience excited about a pretty heavy academic topic forces you to zoom out and see the big picture. It feels nostalgic, like the first time I started thinking about the project and the analogies I used to understand it better.

Second Place: Rachel Allison, food science and technology doctoral candidate

Watch Rachel Allison’s 3MT presentation .

Special Committee Chair : Gavin Sacks

Area of Research: Wine flavor chemistry

Biography:  Rachel Allison is a Ph.D. candidate and aspiring consultant in the field of food science. With a focus in wine flavor chemistry, her research looks at the development of reductive off-aromas during wine storage, particularly related to the stability of enological treatments with copper and interactions between wine and aluminum can packaging.

Favorite Thing About Cornell: Curiosity is always encouraged.

Going through the job interview process, I realized how challenging it could be to communicate my research experience to a non-specialist audience. My career goal is to one day combine technical and business consulting in the wine industry, and adaptable communication skills will be essential. As a result, I have been trying to practice by taking advantage of more speaking opportunities.

I credit my lab group for helping me to develop my presentation skills over the last few years. I have always received insightful feedback from my friends and colleagues, and they encouraged me to participate in the 3MT. I received many different perspectives so I learned to interpret and condense a lot of presentation lessons alongside building the thesis story. Every comment helped me to construct an effective final product. I’m sure the experience will help me as I write my thesis.

People’s Choice: Kara Fikrig, entomology doctoral candidate

Watch Kara Fikrig’s 3MT presentation .

Special Committee Chair: Laura Harrington

Area of Research: Mosquito feeding ecology

Biography: Kara Fikrig studies mosquito feeding behavior and hopes that her research will help public health efforts to reduce global suffering from mosquito-borne diseases. She believes that science communication is critical to achieve that goal. As such, she is dedicated to ensuring that science is understood and valued by the public and elected representatives.

Favorite Thing About Cornell: The easy access to beautiful nature!

First, I would like to thank my family, friends, and lab for their support, both during this competition and throughout my development as a scientist.

I decided to participate in the 3MT competition because I value science communication and recognize the importance of being able to explain my science in a way that is both comprehensible and interesting to the public. This is especially true since I study mosquitoes – the threat of disease transmission underscores the need to effectively communicate about my study system.

After watching videos of past 3MT presenters, I thought that the competition would be a great opportunity to learn and practice science communication skills. And I was not disappointed! I learned new techniques, such as portraying enthusiasm despite being nervous, and had the opportunity to practice techniques that I had learned previously, like employing a hook to grab the listeners’ attention and using relatable metaphors. It was challenging to condense my project into three minutes – but the process of doing so helped me to realize that many of the details that I considered crucial were in fact unnecessary to understand the overarching message. The skills that I developed through participating in the 3MT competition will help me to more effectively and confidently communicate my science in the future. And I’m sure that the condensed explanation of my work will come in handy once social gatherings begin again! 

Xiangkun (Elvis) Cao,  mechanical engineering doctoral candidate

Watch Xiangkun (Elvis) Cao’s 3MT presentation .

Special Committee Chair: David Erickson

Area of Research: Artificial photosynthesis, solar fuels, CO2 conversion

Biography: Xiangkun (Elvis) Cao is a Ph.D. candidate in mechanical engineering working on artificial photosynthesis at Cornell University. He is a Lindau Nobel Alumnus (2020), UNICEF Young Changemaker on Sustainable WASH Solutions (2020), Forbes 30 Under 30 Honoree (2019), and BP Future Energy Leader (2019), among others. 

Favorite Thing About Cornell: The ice cream at the Cornell Dairy Bar.

Olivia Graham,  ecology and evolutionary biology doctoral candidate

Watch Olivia Graham’s 3MT presentation .

Special Committee Chair: Drew Harvell

Area of Research: Marine ecology, disease ecology, community ecology

Biography: Olivia Graham is a Ph.D. candidate in Drew Harvell’s lab. By combining field and laboratory approaches, she studies the role of environment and biodiversity—host genetics, herbivores, and microbes—on disease dynamics in seagrass. Outside of all things marine, Olivia enjoys baking, adventures with her puppy, and science communication.

Favorite Thing About Cornell: Cornell is truly an institution where anyone can study anything. The opportunities are boundless, creating a diverse, collaborative learning environment and community.

Jessica Maya,  genetics, genomics, and development doctoral candidate

Watch Jessica Maya’s 3MT presentation .

Special Committee Chair: Maureen Hanson

Area of Research: Immunology and metabolism of chronic fatigue syndrome

Biography: Jessica Maya is a fourth year graduate student originally from Birmingham, Alabama. She has been doing scientific research since high school and has worked on projects involving human diseases for the majority of that time. Maya comes from a big Colombian family, and when she’s not in lab, she enjoys painting, quilting, and salsa dancing. 

Favorite Thing About Cornell: My favorite thing about Cornell is how collaborative all of the labs and departments are with each other. The interdisciplinary approach that is fostered here allows for some amazing work to get done!

Seema Singh, city and regional planning doctoral candidate

Watch Seema Singh’s 3MT presentation .

Special Committee Chair: Michael A. Tomlan

Area of Research: Transport planning, gender-sensitive planning, and urban governance

Biography: Seema Singh studies gender and transport linkages in India. She hopes to reduce gender-based inequalities in cities by mainstreaming women’s needs in transport planning and policymaking. She is enthusiastic about sustainable living and was selected as a Young leader in Sustainable Transport in 2019.

Favorite Thing About Cornell: Cornell’s motto: “… an institution where any person can find instruction in any study.”

Alan Sulpizio,  biochemistry, molecular, and cell biology doctoral candidate

Watch Alan Sulpizio’s 3MT presentation .

Special Committee Chair: Yuxin Mao

Area of Research: Biochemistry and structural biology

Biography: Alan Sulpizio is interested in learning about proteins of unknown function. He considers the infectious bacteria Legionella an excellent organism to study because they use many alien-like protein weapons to hijack our cells. By discovering how these unique legionella proteins act, we can learn more about our biology and potential therapeutics.

Favorite Thing About Cornell:  Hiking through the beautiful nature surrounding campus.

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2021 Three Minute Thesis Competition

Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Event Recap

The Graduate School and Marquette University held the 3MT® competition on February 26, 2021.  The Three Minute Thesis is a global research communication competition developed by The University of Queensland in Australia.  It is an academic competition for doctoral and master’s degree students that require each participant to explain his or her research effectively in three minutes, using one slide, with no animation.

After competing in a qualifying round, the finalists were chosen to compete for the coveted prize of $500.  Additionally, $250 was awarded to the Runner-Up.

The final competition was judged by Dr. Judy Yin Shih, Retired Mental Health Clinician and Health Policy Analyst, Dr. Kimo Ah Yun, Acting Provost, Marquette University; Kelly McShane, Trustee at Marquette University; and Ms. Devi Shastri, Statewide Higher Education Reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Congratulations to this year's winner Adam Knier and runner-up Joey Avila!

Adam Knier, a doctoral student in Biological Sciences, emerged as the Three Minute Thesis competition winner with his presentation, “Potential Oxidative Protection from Transthyretin Amyloidosis (ATTR)”.  Adam will move on to represent Marquette University at the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools regional competition.

The Runner-Up was awarded to Joey Avila, a doctoral student in Biomedical Engineering, with his presentation, "Crashing into Spine Safety".

Congratulations and thank you to our winners and competitors from this year’s competition!  It was incredible to learn about the research from our graduate students. 

First Place Winner: Adam Knier - Biological Sciences

Thesis: potential oxidative protection from transthyretin amyloidosis (attr), runner-up winner: joey avila - biomedical engineering, thesis: crashing into spine safety, jesey gopez - psychology, thesis: the beginning of friendship: teaching individuals to identify common interests, xie jiayu - electrical and computer engineering, thesis: predictions for robots: so, what’s next, nasim maghboli balasjin - biological sciences, thesis: plant growth: promoting bacteria that contribute to the success of cold tolerant rice, timothy radke - electrical and computer engineering, thesis: keeping uavs safe through hardware security.

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Fall 2021 3MT® Competition | The Finals

3mt statistics, meet the finalists.

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From Agricultural Residues to Value-added Products

Steffan Green Master's Student in Chemical and Petroleum Engineering School of Engineering

Error Detection is an Essential Musical Ability

Tanya Honerman Doctoral Student in Music School of Music

Shunt the Tunnels, Shut-in the Drugs!

Ayotunde Ikujuni Doctoral Student in Biochemistry and Biophysics College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Building Peptide Drugs with Unnatural Amino Acids

Jacob R. Immel Doctoral Student in Medicinal Chemistry School of Pharmacy

Distributional Welfare Effect of Inflation

Van Nguyen Doctoral Student in Economics College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Plants to Capture Carbon: Why Diversity Matters

Laura Y. Podzikowski Doctoral Student in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Adolescent Technology-Use and Creative Activities during COVID-19: A Qualitative Study

Lauren Zaeske Doctoral Student in Counseling Psychology School of Education and Human Sciences

Three Minute Thesis - 2021 Finalists

Here are the winners of Illinois State University's Three Minute Thesis competition held on February 19, 2021, via Zoom.

Watch Entire Performance

Amani Wise(First place)

Psychology: The Impact of White Privilege Awareness on Microaggression Perception

Megan Donnelly (Second Place)

Psychology: Right-wing authoritarianism, moral disengagement, and victimization: The demeaning socio-cognitive attitudes of bullies

Jessica Barrack (People's Choice)

Kinesiology and Recreation: Sleep Quality and Prevalence of Anxiety and Depression in Young Adults with Concussion History

Raeann Huffman

Agriculture: Slow and Steady Wins the Race Investigating Turtle Immunity

Whitney Green

Biological Sciences: Perceptions of Centers of Teaching and Learning regarding Practice, Outreach, and Theory

Jessica Brougham

Kinesiology and Recreation: The Impact of Social Media on the Mental Health of Student-Athletes

Shahrbanoo Hamzeh

Wonsook Kim School of Art: Welcoming in the Front Door

Kelly Murphy

Communication: Sports, Philanthropy, and Twitter: An Analysis of Corporate Social Responsibility

Kate Neally

Teaching and Learning: Underrepresentation of Minorities in STEM Education

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3-Minute Thesis Competition (2021) First-Place Winner Matthew Ellis

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In Spring 2021, eleven finalists competed in Yale’s fourth 3-Minute Thesis Competition, which challenged PhD students from Yale’s Graduate School of Arts & Sciences to clearly and engagingly present their research to a diverse panel of judges – in 3 minutes or less!

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Three Minute Thesis (3MT™) 2021

Resources > News > Three Minute Thesis (3MT™) 2021

The IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society is organizing a virtual and global 3MT™ competition.

3MT ® , founded by the University of Queensland in 2008, is an academic competition that cultivates students’ presentation and research communication skills and challenges them to describe their research within three minutes to a general audience with one static slide.

This year, the competition will be virtual and open to all students in a research-based masters or doctoral program worldwide. 

If you want to take the challenge and participate to the competition, submit a 3-minute video describing your thesis and research topic to a video platform (YouTube, Youku Tudou, etc.) or to a site accessible only by the evaluation committee with a private URL. This year, we are adding TikTok to the list, where you can record a 3-minute short clip.

The judging criteria for this phase are presentation skills (40%), scientific quality (40%) and originality (20%) of the topic presented. Any visual aid is permitted only for this phase of the competition

The top 10 submissions will be selected and invited to the final round of the competition, which will be online to an audience and adjudicating panel on October 21, 2021 at 10:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time.

The  top 3  presentations as judged by the panel will be awarded prizes in the value of $500, $300 and $200 and award certificates from GRSS.

For the initial phase, please submit your videos by  September 30, 2021,  through this form here.

If you have any questions about the competition, please send us an email at 3mt.grss@gmail.com

Timeline of Competition

By October 10, 2021: Submission of the 3-minute videos for competition Phase 1.

October 15, 2021: Top 10 submissions are invited to present virtually at 3MT™ 2021

October 21, 2021: Virtual 3MT™ competition

October 21, 2021: Winners announced

Rules of the competition

• A single static PowerPoint slide is permitted. No slide transitions, animations or ‘movement’ of any description are allowed. The slide is to be presented from the beginning of the oration.
• No additional electronic media (e.g. sound and video files) are permitted.
• No additional props (e.g. costumes, musical instruments, laboratory equipment) are permitted.
• Presentations are limited to 3 minutes maximum and competitors exceeding 3 minutes are disqualified.
• Presentations are to be spoken word (e.g. no poems, raps or songs).
• Presentations are to commence from the stage.
• Presentations are considered to have commenced when a presenter starts their presentation through either movement or speech.
• The decision of the adjudicating panel is final.

Comprehension and content

• Did the presentation provide an understanding of the background and significance to the research question being addressed, while explaining terminology and avoiding jargon?
• Did the presentation clearly describe the impact and/or results of the research, including conclusions and outcomes?
• Did the presentation follow a clear and logical sequence?
• Was the thesis topic, research significance, results/impact and outcomes communicated in language appropriate to a non-specialist audience?
• Did the presenter spend adequate time on each element of their presentation – or did they elaborate for too long on one aspect or was the presentation rushed?

Engagement and communication

• Did the oration make the audience want to know more?
• Was the presenter careful not to trivialize or generalize their research?
• Did the presenter convey enthusiasm for their research?
• Did the presenter capture and maintain their audience’s attention?
• Did the speaker have sufficient stage presence, eye contact, and vocal range; maintain a steady pace, and have a confident stance?
• Did the PowerPoint slide enhance the presentation – was it clear, legible, and concise?

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• Texas Tech Today

2021 Three Minute Thesis Winners Announced

Amanda Bowman

October 29, 2021

Texas Tech University’s Graduate School recently hosted its annual research competition.

Four students in Texas Tech University 's Graduate School were recognized as winners of the school's annual Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition, which took place virtually on Oct. 14. Each student was allowed to use one static PowerPoint slide while effectively explaining their research in language appropriate to a non-specialist audience. Students were evaluated by a panel of judges from Texas Tech and the Lubbock community.

After individual heats, competitors advanced to the final round. The winners are:

• First place : Ian Stark, a doctoral student in the Department of English . His topic was “Neuro-Positionality in User-Centered Design: The Case of Student Disability Service.”
• Second place : Taufiq Quadria, a doctoral student in the School of Financial Planning . His topic was “Personality, Well-being and Risk-aversion of Older Adults.”
• Third place : Nicholas Clark, who is pursuing a master's degree through the Department of Geosciences . His topic was “Over the Mountains and Through the Atmosphere.”
• People's choice : Rohan Ingrole, a doctoral student in the Department of Chemical Engineering. His topic was “Dental Floss as a Novel Device for Pain-free Oral Vaccination.” 

“The Three Minute Thesis Competition is aimed at giving students an opportunity to practice telling people what they do and why it's important,” said Mark Sheridan , dean of the Graduate School. “The type of work research universities do is often questioned about why it's important and what impact it has on society. Providing our students an opportunity to practice those kinds of skills, as the people who will be working in universities and other parts of the economic sector, means they'll be able to communicate what we do and why it's important in a much better fashion.”

tags: Academics , Graduate School , Research , Stories , Vice President for Research , provost

Texas Tech University

A new era of excellence is dawning at Texas Tech University as it stands on the cusp of being one of the nation's premier research institutions.

Research and enrollment numbers are at record levels, which cement Texas Tech's commitment to attracting and retaining quality students. In fall 2020, the university achieved a goal more than a decade in the making, reaching a total student population of more than 40,000. In 2018, the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education again  placed Texas Tech among its top doctoral universities  in the nation in the “Very High Research Activity” category. Texas Tech is one of 94 public institutions nationally and 131 overall to achieve this prestigious recognition. 

Quality students need top-notch faculty. Texas Tech is home to a diverse, highly revered pool of educators who excel in teaching, research and service. The university strives to foster an environment that celebrates student accomplishment above all else.  Texas Tech is large enough to provide the best in facilities and academics but prides itself on being able to focus on each student individually. The momentum for excellence at Texas Tech has never been greater.

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The Graduate School at Texas Tech University offers unlimited opportunity for advancement with more than 160 different masters and doctoral degree programs complemented by interdisciplinary programs from 50 specialized centers and institutes.

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From toxic waste research to archaeology, from land-use programs to nationally known laser fingerprint detection studies, the Graduate School offers unlimited opportunity for aspiring scholars.

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Among other programs, the OR&I supports responsible and safe conduct of research, faculty development and recognition, interdisciplinary collaborations, externally sponsored research, partnerships with industry and community stakeholders, international research collaboration and the application of research for the benefit of society. The OR&I promotes a culture of creative expression, discovery, innovation and collaboration with the goal of advancing Texas Tech's status as an elite national research university.

3 Minute Thesis

The 3 Minute Thesis (3MT®) is a national competition celebrating the exciting research conducted by PhD candidates.

PhD candidates have just three minutes and one slide to effectively explain their research to a non-specialist audience. In the best interests of public health, the 2021 3MT Competition has moved to a virtual format, and competitors have submitted a pre-recorded video of their 3MT presentation.

The University of Adelaide 3MT Finals was held on Tuesday, 14 September 2021.

UoA 3MT final winner

Trang Nguyen Faculty of the Professions Help that banana peel rot in the right place – the Green bin

People's choice winner

Tassia Oswald Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences Green views for screen blues

Student's choice winner

Help that banana peel rot in the right place – the Green bin

Trang Nguyen - Winner Faculty of the Professions

Green views for screen blues

Tassia Oswald - People's and Student's Choice Award Winner Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences

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