Kansas State University

Attend Three Minute Thesis final tonight

Submitted by Megan Miller

The exciting conclusion of K-State's Three Minute Thesis, or 3MT, competition is tonight, Wednesday, Feb. 22, at the K-State Alumni Center Banquet Room. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. with hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar, and the formal program will follow at 6 p.m. The event is open to the public, and the audience is invited to vote for their favorite presentation.

From the first round of competition held on Feb. 8, 10 graduate students rose to the top of a pool of 52 participants to advance to the final competition. Tonight, they will compete for the 3MT title, a $500 scholarship and the chance to represent K-State at the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools' 3MT competition in March. A second-place winner will receive a $250 scholarship, and the People's Choice Award winner — selected by audience vote — will receive a $125 scholarship.

The 10 finalists:

• Hannah Dea, doctoral student in biology, "Looking out for the little guys: The importance of plant microbiomes."
• Shivaprasad Doddabematti Prakash, doctoral student in grain science, "Intervention steps for controlling salmonella contamination in wheat and wheat flour."
• Tucker Graff, master's student in grain science, "From pond to table: Meeting global animal protein demand through sustainable aquatic feed production."
• Kylee Jennings, master's student in regional and community planning, "The immobility in mobile home parks."
• Conrad Kabus, master's student in grain science, "Food 3D printing: A taste of the future."
• Abigail Kreznor, doctoral student in chemistry, "Moving brain cancer: Studying cells in inexpensive ways."
• Endy Lopes Kailer, doctoral student in agronomy, "The hidden heroes — Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and the future of climate mitigation."
• Amogh Sirnoorkar, doctoral student in physics, "Question features that promote sensemaking in science."
• Aspen Streetman, doctoral student in kinesiology, "Does resistance training empower women? And should you care?"
• Dylan Wheeler, doctoral student in electrical and computer engineering, "Engineering meaningful communication."

Judges for the final competition:

• Kimathi Choma, assistant dean of diversity, recruitment and retention, College of Arts and Sciences.
• Mary Ice, K-State alumna and advocate.
• Linda Morse, city commissioner and previous mayor of Manhattan.
• Claudia Petrescu, vice provost for graduate education and dean of the Graduate School.
• David Rosowsky, vice president for research.
• Kiana Schulze, 2022 3MT second-place winner.
• Jason Smith, president and CEO of the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce.

The Three Minute Thesis Competition began in 2008 at the University of Queensland, Australia. The competition challenges graduate students to hone their science communication skills by presenting a compelling oration on their thesis topic and its significance in three minutes using a single slide.

Questions about K-State's Three Minute Thesis Competition can be directed to Megan Miller, Graduate School student success coordinator, at mmmiller@k-state.edu.