Three Minute Thesis
The Three Minute Thesis (3MT) is an academic research communication competition developed by the University of Queensland (UQ), Australia. Through the competition, graduate and professional students can hone their academic and research presentation skills and their ability to effectively explain their research to a general audience. Each competitor has three minutes to speak and can use only one presentation slide.
Congratulations to our 2024-25 Finalists!
Congratulations to the finalists for this year's Penn State Three Minute Thesis competition! They have advanced to compete in a final in-person round on Saturday, March 29, livestreamed from the Nittany Lion Inn on the University Park campus.
- Tanveer Ahmed, doctoral student in civil engineering, College of Engineering, “Adaptive traffic signal control measures for urban network problems”
- Brad Foster, doctoral student in molecular, cellular, and integrative biosciences, Huck Institute of Life Sciences, “Investigating the Role of Mechanobiology in Driving Fatigue Loading Induced Tendon Degeneration”
- Tricia Hart, doctoral student in nutritional sciences, College of Health and Human Development, “Eating Pecans as a Snack Reduced Heart Disease Risk Compared to Usual Diet in Adults at Increased Risk for Heart Disease”
- Daisuke Hayashi, doctoral student in nutritional sciences, College of Health and Human Development, “A Mixed Methods Approach to Explore and Define Food Noise”
- Marjan Karimizadkomarej, master’s student in landscape architecture, College of Arts and Architecture, “Seeing is Believing: Realistic Water Visualizations for Better Stormwater Solutions”
- Patrick Sarpong, doctoral student in energy and mineral engineering, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, “The potential of bioleaching in the recovery of lithium from Lithium Iron Phosphate battery waste”
- Amin Sepehri, doctoral student in architectural engineering, College of Engineering, “Buildings as Batteries via Smart Envelope”
- Younes Shekarian, doctoral student in energy and mineral engineering, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, “Development of a chemical-free process using ozone for the recovery of cobalt (Co) and manganese (Mn) from acid mine drainage (AMD)”
- Adam Smerigan, doctoral student in chemical engineering, College of Engineering, “The Untapped Treasure in Toxic Waste: Fueling Modern Technologies Sustainably”
- Tasneem Tariq, doctoral student in architecture, College of Arts and Architecture, “How to Mitigate the Urban Heat Island Effect in Baltimore: Selecting Effective Blue-Green Infrastructures Combining Simulation Study and Community Feedback”
Competitor Information
Learn more about eligibility requirements, the upcoming timeline, prize money, and more.
Learn more
Judge Information
Learn about remote judging for the opening round, who can be a judge, judging criteria, and more.
Learn morePrizes
- First Place: $1,000
- Second Place: $500
- People's Choice: $500 (sponsored by the Graduate and Professional Student Association)
Competition Format
First Round - Video Submission
Submissions judged by alumni, graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, faculty, staff, and others. Submissions Due by October 25.
Final Round - In-Person
The top-ranking students from the first round are invited back to a final, in-person round live streamed from the University Park campus on Saturday, March 29.
Regional Competition
The top-ranking final round Penn State master's or doctoral student is invited to compete in a regional competition hosted by the Northeast Association of Graduate Schools.
Co-Sponsors
2023-24 Competition
You can view a livestream of the 2024 competition below.
Contact Us
If you have questions you can reach out to the Fox Graduate School.
