Texas A&M 2024 Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) Finals: Graduate Students Compete in Annual Research Presentation Competition

Doctoral and master’s students will vie for top honors in Texas A&M’s 12th Annual Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) finals on Tuesday, November 12, at Rudder Forum.

COLLEGE STATION, October 31, 2024 -- Eight doctoral students and three master’s students had top scores at the Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) preliminary competition on October 24 and 25 and will move on to compete in the finals on November 12. At stake is $4,000 in prize money in master’s and doctoral divisions and, for the overall winner, the opportunity to represent Texas A&M at the regional 3MT competition in March 2025.

Developed in 2008 by the University of Queensland in Australia, 3MT challenges competitors to present a compelling oration on their research and its significance to a non-specialist audience in just three minutes, using only one slide. The event quickly became popular in Australia and has since been adopted by universities worldwide.

The winner’s home department will take possession of the coveted 3MT Cup for the upcoming year. The cup has resided with the Department of Multidisciplinary Engineering since the 2023 competition as a result of Andrea Porter’s win. 

Texas A&M was among the first U.S. institutions to hold a 3MT competition in 2013. This year marks the 12th annual installment on our campus. The event – including development and feedback sessions and the preliminary competition leading up to the finals -- is hosted by the Graduate and Professional School.

The finals will be held in Rudder Forum and will be emceed by Dr. Adam Seipp, professor of history and associate dean for graduate studies in the College of Arts and Sciences.

This year’s esteemed judges are: Dr. Joerg Steiner, regents professor and university distinguished professor in the Department of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery and the Department of Veterinary Pathobiology; Al Pulliam, director of corporate and foundation relations at the Texas A&M Foundation; Stacy Colvin, operations manager for KBTX, Channel 3 and CW8 Aggieland; Megan Lacy, assistant vice president for strategic initiatives in the Division of Marketing and Communications; and Andrea Porter, interdisciplinary engineering doctoral student and 2023 3MT winner.

The event is free and open to the public. Anyone from the campus and greater community interested in learning about graduate student research or cheering on their favorite competitors is welcomed to attend. For more information or registration links, visit grad.tamu.edu/3MT. 

This year's finalists:

Master’s Division

Kimberly Breyfogle, Anthropology
"Addressing Sulfuric Acid in Archaeological Wood"
Faculty Chair: Chris Dostal

Alyssa Carpenter, Anthropology
"The Origin of 20 Guns Recovered in Savannah, Georgia"
Faculty Chair: Chris Dostal

Julia Tapilatu, Ecology & Conservation Biology
"Safe Guarding Zebra Shark Population through Research and Conservation Efforts"
Faculty Chair: Masami Fujiwara

Doctoral Division

Saptarshi Biswas, Biomedical Engineering
"Expandable Biomaterials for Hemostasis and Wound Healing Applications"
Faculty Chair: Akhilesh K. Gaharwar

Poojashree Chettiar, Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences
"GluD1 and PKC: Helping the Brain Let Go and Adapt"
Faculty Chair: Shashank Dravid

Sarah Chu, Soil & Crop Sciences
"Catch and Kill Weed Seeds"
Faculty Chair: Muthukumar Bagavathiannan

Zahra Ghiasi, Chemical Engineering
"Stabilizing mRNA Vaccines for a Global Health Solution"
Faculty Chair: Qing Sun

Tatlock Lauten, Medical Physiology
"Targeting the Immune System as a New Treatment for PTSD"
Faculty Chair: Adam Case

Siun Lee, Agricultural Economics
"Myopic Loss Aversion in Groups"
Faculty Chair: Paul Feldman

Dallas Williams, Soil & Crop Sciences
"Rethinking Rain Gardens: Sustainable Design for a Resilient Future"
Faculty Chair: Briana Wyatt

Aditya Varma Yalamanchili, Mechanical Engineering
"Transforming Sheet Metal Production: A Single Step Process"
Faculty Chair: Prabhakar Pagilla