Fall 2023 3MT® Competition @ KU
SAVE THE DATE!
Nov. 7
The preliminary heats are the first round of the competition and include presentations from all graduate students participating in the competition.
Preliminary Heats
Tuesday, Nov. 7
2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Burge Union
Preliminary Heats
Tuesday, Nov. 7
2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Burge Union
Nov. 14
The top presenters from the preliminary heats compete for 1st and 2nd place, as well as People's Choice Award.
Finals
Tuesday, Nov. 14
2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Burge Union
Finals
Tuesday, Nov. 14
2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Burge Union
Meet the judges!
Judges are educated professionals in a variety of positions in academia, corporate, government, and non-profit industries. We are excited to share that our judges this year include KU alumni, faculty, and members of the greater Lawrence community.
Meet the competitors!
The graduate students that rose up to the challenge of sharing the story of their research in 3 minutes or less are listed below. They competed in the preliminary heats for the top 6 spots to advance to the final round of the competition.
Join the conversation!
COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES
Miyuru De Silva, Doctoral Student in Chemistry
From Video Games to Cancer Diagnosis
Samantha Ghali, Doctoral Student in Child Language
Strategies Bilingual Parents Use to Help Their Children Learn to Read
Riddhi Golwankar, Doctoral Student in Chemistry
Unlocking Uranium's Potential
Margaret Lazarovits, Doctoral Student in Physics
Searching for Science Fiction through Space and Time
Saeideh Nasiri, Doctoral Student in Biochemistry and Biophysics
Good Bacteria Protects Humans from Bad Bacteria
Prabhavie Opallage, Doctoral Student in Chemistry
Low-Cost Amino Acids Testing in Newborns in Developing Countries
SCHOOL OF EDUCATION AND HUMAN SCIENCES
Abhishek Juneja, Doctoral Student in Educational Psychology and Research
Missing Pieces of Belonging
SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING
Jasmine Deng, Doctoral Student in Bioengineering
Making New Connections: Improving Traumatic Brain Injury Outcomes
Grant Downes, Doctoral Student in Bioengineering
Altering Your Memory: A Game of Telephone to Combat Type 1 Diabetes
Clement Feyijimi, Master's Student in Mechanical Engineering
Predictive Modelling of NOx Emissions in Internal Combustion Engines
Vahidreza Gharehbaghi, Doctoral Student in Civil Engineering
Innovative Dam Inspection
Kara Hageman, Doctoral Student in Bioengineering
The Material Team to Beat Orthopedic Infection
Mahmudul Hasan, Doctoral Student in Computer Science
Trojan Resilient Computing in COTS Processors Under Zero Trust
Quentin Jarrell, Master's Student in Bioengineering
Unravelling our Genetic Puzzle
Sean Kang, Master's Student in Mechanical Engineering
Streamlined Battery Safety: Nonlinear Double Capacitor Model for Internal Short Circuit driven Thermal Runaway Detection and Isolation
Payal Makhasana, Doctoral Student in Civil Engineering
Predicting Drought from Space
Mashfiq Rizvee, Doctoral Student in Computer Science
A Persistent Hierarchical Bloom Filter-based Framework for Scalable Authentication and Tracking of ICs
Fairuz Shadmani Shishir, Doctoral Student in Computer Science
MetaLLM: Residue-wise Metal Ion Prediction Using Deep Transformer Model
Steven Stennett, Master's Student in Construction Management
Designing and Constructing for Safety
SCHOOL OF MUSIC
Matt Anderson, Doctoral Student in Music
Understanding Ourselves: National Identity Through Music
Emily Riding, Master's Student in Music
Gender Gap in the Brass Section
SCHOOL OF PHARMACY
Srija Ramisetty, Doctoral Student in Pharmaceutical Chemistry
Forecasting Drug Distribution in Human Organs: The Power of Mathematical Computer Models
Mikayla Smith, Doctoral Student in Pharmaceutical Chemistry
Stopping the Spit: Increasing Access to HIV Treatment
2023 3MT Competition at KU in the News
Graduate Students to Compete in 3 Minute Thesis Competition
Entrepreneurs often have an “elevator pitch,” a concise speech to explain their business in 30-60 seconds. Research can be more complicated, so a group of University of Kansas graduate students will get a full 180 seconds to explain their projects in the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition this month.
“The 3MT competition is an amazing platform that allows you to look into the creative aspect of the complex research we conduct. It is a nice feeling to have your five-year-long thesis summarized in a way that everyone can finally get you,” said Sayuri Niyangoda, KU doctoral candidate and last year’s first-place and people’s choice winner.
“The competition offers a dual opportunity,” Roberts said. “Students learn to be concise and engaging in describing their research, and the audience gets a quick introduction to groundbreaking research in a variety of fields.”
“The 3MT competition is an amazing platform that allows you to look into the creative aspect of the complex research we conduct. It is a nice feeling to have your five-year-long thesis summarized in a way that everyone can finally get you,” said Sayuri Niyangoda, KU doctoral candidate and last year’s first-place and people’s choice winner.
“The competition offers a dual opportunity,” Roberts said. “Students learn to be concise and engaging in describing their research, and the audience gets a quick introduction to groundbreaking research in a variety of fields.”
Seven Graduate Students Advance to KU 3MT Competition Finals
Seven University of Kansas graduate students will advance to the finals of the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition. The winner will represent KU in the Midwest regional competition.
“The passion, creativity and innovation on display through these graduate student participants was inspiring,” said Jennifer Roberts, senior vice provost for academic affairs & graduate studies. “The first round of KU’s 3MT competition highlighted just a fraction of the compelling and impactful research being done at the university. To briefly and successfully relay the importance of that work to the wider public is an essential skill.”
“The passion, creativity and innovation on display through these graduate student participants was inspiring,” said Jennifer Roberts, senior vice provost for academic affairs & graduate studies. “The first round of KU’s 3MT competition highlighted just a fraction of the compelling and impactful research being done at the university. To briefly and successfully relay the importance of that work to the wider public is an essential skill.”
Three Graduate Students Claim Awards in KU's2023 3MT Competition
After weeks of preparation and just 180 seconds each to convey their research topics, three University of Kansas graduate students earned honors and cash prizes at the conclusion of the KU Three Minute Thesis Competition (3MT) on Nov. 14.
Quentin Jarrell, master’s student in bioengineering, won first place and took home the People’s Choice award. “It is really special to have the opportunity to represent KU at the regional competition,” Jarrell said. “From my experience as an undergraduate at KU through my master’s program, I know how much amazing research goes on at KU. I’m very proud to share my role in that culture and to share that with other schools throughout the Midwest at regionals.”
Quentin Jarrell, master’s student in bioengineering, won first place and took home the People’s Choice award. “It is really special to have the opportunity to represent KU at the regional competition,” Jarrell said. “From my experience as an undergraduate at KU through my master’s program, I know how much amazing research goes on at KU. I’m very proud to share my role in that culture and to share that with other schools throughout the Midwest at regionals.”