The Graduate School is preparing for one of its most anticipated events of the year — the Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition — and excitement is building. Earlier this month, graduate students stepped onto the stage to present their innovative research before a live audience and a panel of distinguished judges, all competing for a place in the final round. Blending enthusiasm, expertise and a touch of nerves, participants delivered compelling presentations that made this year’s preliminary rounds a true celebration of graduate scholarship.

The 3MT competition is an annual showcase in which master’s and doctoral students present their research using a single slide in three minutes or less. This fast-paced format challenges students to communicate complex ideas in a clear, engaging, and accessible way for a broad audience. The Graduate School recognizes the dedication of all 58 students who participated this year, including a record number of doctoral STEM students, and proudly congratulates the 16 finalists advancing to the final round. These talented scholars have demonstrated exceptional skill in distilling their research into concise and compelling presentations, setting the stage for an exciting finale.

Since launching the competition in 2015, the Graduate School has continued to provide graduate students with a platform to share their work and connect with the broader community. In recent years, University participants have earned recognition beyond campus. Notably, 2023 winner Kendra Isable, a doctoral candidate in anthropology, went on to place second at the regional 3MT competition in early 2024 and earned the People’s Choice Award (first place) at the national 3MT showcase hosted by the Council of Graduate Schools in December 2024. She joins a strong legacy of competitors, including Robert del Carlo, Ph.D. ’20, and Jennifer Heppner, Ph.D. ’24, whose achievements at regional levels reflect the strength and impact of graduate research at the University.

The Graduate School invites students, faculty, staff, and community members to attend the final competition and experience these dynamic presentations firsthand. The event will take place on Thursday, April 9, at 7 p.m., with a reception starting at 6:30 p.m., in the Wells Fargo Auditorium at the Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center and promises an engaging and memorable evening. In addition to the competition, attendees will enjoy food, refreshments and the opportunity to interact with a distinguished panel of judges, including Regents Joseph Arrascada and Heather Brown, and Assemblywoman Heather Goulding.

Join the University community in celebrating the creativity, innovation, and dedication of this year’s finalists. The competition will feature eight master’s students followed by eight doctoral students, each competing for top honors. The top three presenters in each category will receive prize money and, of course, well-earned bragging rights.

For those unable to attend in person, the event will be livestreamed via Zoom. Please register through Formstack to receive Zoom details.

Congratulations to all of this year’s participants, and best of luck to the finalists. We hope to see you there for an evening that highlights the very best of graduate education.

Master’s Category:

• Graham BeVier
  • Ecology, Evolution & Conservation Biology
  • “Lizard Throat Coloration: A Gamble of Sex and Death​”
• Ishika Bhattacharya
  • History
  • “Mirroring the New World: Colonial India and the Soviet Union (1920s -1940s)​”
• Quinn Contaldi
  • Computer Science & Engineering
  • “Human Centric Programming Languages”
• Caleb Gesick
  • History
  • “Vandals and Berbers and Arabs, Oh My!”
• Rosa Kirk-Davidoff
  • Ecology, Evolution & Conservation Biology
  • “Using shrubs as allies in post-fire tree planting”
• Kristina Priotto
  • Geography
  • “Bofedales as Natural Contaminant Buffers in Glacierized and Non-Glacierized Andean Headwaters​”
• Chathura Sumanasiri
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • “Steady Wings, Safer Skies”
• Jay Villanueva
  • Communication Studies
  • “(In)visibility: Trans communities online”

Doctoral Category:

• Jeshurun Biney
  • Biomedical Engineering
  • “Development of a Minimally Invasive, Wireless Thermal Time-of-Flight Sensor for Real-Time Monitoring of Cerebrospinal Fluid Flow in Hydrocephalus Shunts”
• Joshua Chukwu
  • Chemistry
  • “No Foundation No Building: Cyclohexenone - An Invaluable Building Block​”
• Omotayo Fagbule
  • Public Health
  • “Can One Simple Lesson Change a Child's Smile?”
• Abdulwarith Kassim
  • Chemistry
  • “The Plastic With an Undo Button”
• Dan Li
  • Finance
  • “Boys Will Be Boys? The Gender Trading Difference”
• Qizhou Robin Luo
  • Economics
  • “Narrow Framing and Stock Market Investment: Evidence from a Laboratory Experiment”
• Madhusudan Manjunatha
  • Cell and Molecular Biology
  • “Targeting Insulin Signaling for Precision Pest Management​”
• Aastha Pudasainee
  • Economics
  • “Impact of Unfavorable Weather on Wastewater Violations in the United States​”