Five graduate students presented their research during the recent Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition, hosted by the Graduate School.
Students earned the opportunity to present their thesis after competing in 3MT Competitions at their individual colleges and advancing to the Graduate School’s contest, where they competed for prizes and the opportunity to advance to the regional Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools 3MT Competition in April.
“The 3MT Competition has become a Graduate School tradition that enables our students to hone their presentation and communication skills, while helping them build confidence in succinctly sharing their unique research to an audience outside of their discipline,” said Mary Stromberger, vice provost for graduate education and dean of the Graduate School. “I look forward to this event because it allows me to get a glimpse into the exciting research our graduate students are engaged in across the university.”
Mora Boatman, a second-year Doctor of Optometry and Master of Vision Science student in the College of Optometry, took home both the first place and the people’s choice awards for her presentation titled “Seasonal Variation in Myopia Progression and Control.” She also received a scholarship for placing first and $500 for winning the people’s choice award.
Boatman said she enjoyed the 3MT Competition because it enabled her to meet other graduate students, compete in a university-wide competition and learn about the diversity of research taking place across the Graduate School.
“The competition provided [me] an opportunity to grow my confidence in talking about my research topic, as well as grow in my public speaking skills,” she said.
In addition to Boatman, the other 3MT competitors were:
- Stephanie Almquist
Third-year PhD student, Department of Food Science and Technology
College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences
Presentation title: “All Shook Up: Reformulating Flavor Challenges in Plant Protein Beverages”
- René Castillo
First-year PhD student, School of Earth Sciences
College of Arts and Sciences
Presentation title: “Completing the Puzzle: Integration of Core, Logging, Seismic and Physical Experiments for Comprehensive Geohazard Assessments”
- Isaac Karel
Second-year PhD student, Division of Pharmaceutics and Pharmacology
College of Pharmacy
Presentation title: “Bad Breath Holds the Secret to a Healthy Kidney”
- Krutant Mehta
Fifth-year PhD candidate, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
College of Engineering
Presentation title: “Electrically Small Antenna Arrays for the Direction-of-Arrival Estimation of More Sources than Sensors”
Karel won the $400 second-place prize, and Almquist placed third and took home $300.
In preparing for the 3MT Competition, graduate students are encouraged to consult with their advisor for general support, feedback and ensuring that all competition requirements are met.
For Boatman, the consultation she received from her advisor, Jeffrey Walline OD, PhD, acting dean of the College of Optometry, was an in invaluable component of her preparation. “I could not have done [the 3MT Competition] without his encouragement and support!”
