Graduate Students Convey Research With Clear, Brief Talks During 3MT Competition

Award winners at MSU’s Three Minute Thesis competition included, from left, Mukti Patel, a doctoral student in mechanical engineering, Grand Champion; Sara Fast, a master’s student in civil and environmental engineering, People’s Choice Award; and Alyssa Barrett, a master’s student in agricultural and extension education, Grand Champion Runner Up.
(Photo by: Russ Houston)

STARKVILLE, Miss. (Press Release) — Graduate students at Mississippi State often spend months or years on research topics, but competitors in the university’s Three Minute Thesis competition proved they can break down complex information and communicate their work in relevant, understandable terminology.

Mukti Patel, a doctoral student studying mechanical engineering was named the Grand Champion at MSU’s 3MT competition Thursday [Nov. 20]. Her research talk on “Designing Third Generation Steel for Future Ground Vehicles” earned a $1,000 prize. Patel will advance to a Southeastern Conference competition.

Altogether, nearly 30 master’s and doctoral students took the challenge at MSU on Wednesday, and nine finalists spoke Thursday.

The exercise challenges graduate students conducting research to present a compelling oration on their thesis topic and its significance in just three minutes. Developed by The University of Queensland, Australia, 3MT develops academic, presentation and research communication skills, and it supports the development of research students’ capacity to explain their work effectively in language appropriate to a non-specialist audience.

“These students need to be able to explain very complex information to a person who’s not from the same background as they are. Students who participate in the Three Minute Thesis gain that capability,” said Lori Bruce, dean of MSU’s Graduate School.

“When they leave graduate school and go to their jobs in the future, whether they’re educators, they work for the government, they work in a research lab, or maybe they start their own company, the ability to communicate complex information in a short amount of time is a skill that will benefit them for life,” she said.

Students may compete in arts and humanities; life and biomedical sciences and engineering; physical, mathematical, computational sciences and engineering; or social and behavioral sciences.

Taking the Grand Champion Runner Up award was Alyssa Barrett, a master’s student in agricultural and extension education. Her talk on “Investigating Knowledge and Behavior Intention among Ghanaian Smallholder Farmers” earned her a $750 award.

Sara Fast, a master’s student in civil and environmental engineering gave a three-minute summary of her research on “Photocatalytic Removal of EDCs and PPCPs from Wastewater,” which the audience voted as the People’s Choice award-winner. Fast received a $500 award.

Finalists received $250 awards. They include:

–Anuhya Gottipati, a doctoral student in biomedical engineering, for her research talk “Engineered Cartilage on Chitosan Calcium Phosphate Scaffold.”

–Sushil Poudel, a master’s graduate in industrial and systems engineering, for his research talk “A Model for Biodiesel Supply Chain based on Paper and Pulp Wastewater.” His MSU studies continue in the doctoral program.

–Zhuo Ning, a doctoral student in forest resources, for her research talk “Forest Management Under Uncertainties of Carbon Life Cycle.”

–Xi Wang, a doctoral student in poultry science, for her research talk “Prebiotics and Probiotics on Broiler Chicken Gut Health.”

–Cecilia Langhorne, a doctoral student in animal physiology, for her research talk “Assisted Reproductive Technologies for Endangered Amphibians.”

–Aamir Sohail, a master’s student in mechanical engineering, for his research talk “Dual Injection Strategies for Diesel Engine Combustion.”

For more about MSU’s Graduate School, visit www.grad.msstate.edu.

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