The Graduate School is pleased to announce the winners of the 9th Annual Three-Minute Thesis Competition
Mary Kosuth, a doctoral student in the Environmental Health program in the School of Public Health took home the First Place Award at the event on Friday, November 15. Kosuth will represent the University of Minnesota at the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS) 3-Minute Thesis competition in Spring 2025.
Doctoral student Chinasa Ufondu from the Medical School, Molecular Pharmacology & Therapeutics program, received the Second Place Award, and Masters student Rohith Sabu from the Swenson College of Science & Engineering (Duluth Campus), Civil Engineering program, received the People's Choice Award.
The Three-Minute Thesis Competition challenges graduate students to present their research in just 180 seconds, in a way that can be understood by an intelligent audience with no background in the subject. This competition helps our graduate students develop presentation and communication skills; the benefits of preparing for a three-minute thesis competition are valuable regardless of career path, degree objective, or discipline. Participants are allowed to refer to one, static slide during their presentations, but may not use any other props or media.
Special thanks goes to this year's judges:
- Dr. Jamal Adam, Executive Director, 826 MSP
- Arun Batchu, Vice President, Analyst, Gartner
- Dr. Akiko Maeker, Principal, Interculturalist, LLC
- Bo Thao-Urabe, Regent, University of Minnesota
- Dan Williamson, Director of Artificial Intelligence, Ryan Companies
Watch all of the participants' presentations:
Sarah Aitken
Grabbing for Sugars: How Bacteria Colonize your Teeth
Oral Biology DDS/Ph.D., School of Dentistry
Muskan Badola
Smart Nanovehicles to Silence Brain Inflammation
Pharmaceutics Ph.D., College of Pharmacy
Caitlin Baulch
“That’s Just an Old Wives’ Tale”: Pregnancy on Social Media and in the Archive
Rhetoric and Scientific & Technical Communication Ph.D., College of Liberal Arts
Emily Hanson
What Genes Do Methanogens Need for Biofilm Formation?
Plant and Microbial Biology Ph.D., College of Biological Sciences
Nuttha Hengtrakul
Bone-like Changes in Cat Kidneys: What It Means for Stones
Veterinary Medicine Ph.D., College of Veterinary Medicine
Mary Kosuth
Microplastics: In Everything, Everywhere, All at Once?
Environmental Health Ph.D., School of Public Health
Albert Radloff
Back to the Source: Domesticating Sabadilla, a Natural Insecticide
Applied Plant Sciences Ph.D., College of Food, Agricultural & Natural Resource Sciences
Rohith Sabu
Investigation of Optimal Fiber Properties for Faulting Mitigation
Civil Engineering M.S., Swenson College of Science & Engineering (Duluth Campus)
Alvina Salim
From Diagnosis to Care: Designing for the Overlooked Struggles of Family Caregivers
Human Factors and Ergonomics M.S., College of Design
Chinasa Ufondu
Smoke Signals: Catching the Fire Early in Breast Cancer
Molecular Pharmacology & Therapeutics Ph.D., Medical School
Melissa Walsh
Engineering TriKEs Against Cancer