It was no small feat for competing CSE research graduate students at this year’s Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition held on March 25 in front of a live audience in Sid W. Richardson. An 80,000-word Ph.D. thesis could regularly take nine hours to present, but these competitors were only allotted three minutes and had to use language appropriate for “non-specialist” attendees. Conducted at more than 900 universities across nearly 90 countries, 3MT is a research communication competition developed by The University of Queensland. It helps students prepare an “elevator pitch” for their research, which is useful at professional conferences, presenting at the CSE Student Research Symposium (SRS) and in future job interviews.
All CSE research (MS or Ph.D. track) graduate students are eligible to compete. Students must present on the research that will culminate in either their master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation. This year’s judging panel consisted of Michelle Clark, associate vice chancellor of Advancement Strategy and Administration; Stacy Grau, professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Practice and director of the TCU IdeaFactory; and Laura Meyn, manager of Editorial Services for TCU Magazine.
2022 CSE 3MT Results
1st Prize – $1,500
Emma Kitchner – Physics & Astronomy, Research Advisor: Dr. Karol Gryczynski
“DNA Detection: Ensuring a Positive Test”
Runner up – $750
Maverick Tamayo – Biology, Research Advisors: Dr. John Horner and Dr. Peter Fritsch
(BRIT)
“Taxonomic Re-evaluation of the Tropical Blueberry (Vaccinium L., Ericaceae) of Palawan
and Mindanao Islands, Philippines”
People’s Choice – $500
Emma Kitchner – Physics & Astronomy, Research Advisor: Dr. Karol Gryczynski
“DNA Detection: Ensuring a Positive Test”
Other Finalists
- Andrew Todd – Biology – “Small Spiders and a Big Mercury Problem”
- Katja Cunningham – Psychology – “Childhood adversity dysregulates immune function”
- Eliandreina Cruz Barros – Chemistry & Biochemistry “Oil Recovery Mission: The Labyrinth Saga”
- Sachi Weerasooriya – Physics & Astronomy – “Hunting Galaxies with Centaurus A”
Learn more about SciCom and the 3MT. 
