ºÚÁÏÉçÇø’s 2025 Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition winners
Ten finalists competed in the Graduate School’s Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition Feb. 24
ºÚÁÏÉçÇø’s 2025 Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition winners
Ten finalists competed in the ºÚÁÏÉçÇø Graduate School Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition held Feb. 24.
Finalists were selected from among 15 graduate ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs who participated earlier this semester in the research communication competition.
The , held at more than 900 universities worldwide, challenges participants to present their research in just 180 seconds in an engaging form that can be understood by an intelligent audience with no background in the research area.
Winners
First place ($1,200 prize): Grace Kemmerly ’25, a combined bachelors-masters program in Cell, Molecular, and Structural Biology (CMSB) ºÚÁÏÉçÇø with a Biochemistry major and Pre-Medical Studies and Neuroscience co-majors, with faculty mentor Andrew Jones, associate professor of Chemical, Paper, and Biomedical Engineering, for her presentation “Psychedelics without the Trip.” She will compete at the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS) in Indianapolis on April 4 for the regional 3MT competition.
Second Place ($950 prize): Prachi Wele, fourth-year doctoral ºÚÁÏÉçÇø in Biology, with adviser Haifei Shi, professor of Biology, for her presentation “How Diet Shapes Colorectal Cancer Risk: Insights from Research.” Wele was also a ºÚÁÏÉçÇø 3 Oral Presenter in the 2023 Graduate Research Forum.
Third place ($600 prize): Dhruv Birla ’24, M.S. ’25, Electrical Engineering 4+1 program master’s ºÚÁÏÉçÇø, with faculty mentor Mark Scott, associate professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, for his presentation “Additive Manufacturing of High-Frequency Magnetic Components in Power Electronics.”
People’s Choice ($500 prize): Prince Obosu, second year master's ºÚÁÏÉçÇø in Geography, focus on geospatial science, with adviser John Maingi, associate professor of Geography, for his presentation “Malaria.”
Judges for the 3MT Finals
Janelle Allen, faculty member in the Department of Biological Sciences.
Angela Curl, associate professor of Social Work.
Penny Mannix, emerita assistant to the dean of the Graduate School and manager of Graduate Student Services.
Marcia Nantz, emerita program associate for Project Dragonfly.
Anna Weisling, assistant professor, Emerging Technology in Business and Design.
The ºÚÁÏÉçÇø 3MT competition is sponsored in memory of Gerald Sanders, chair of the Department of Communications from 1981-1992. Donors include Dr. Guorong Jiang and Hongyan Tang.