Three Minute Thesis (3MT®)
Three Minute Thesis is a research communication competition challenging Ph.D. students to present a compelling oration on their thesis and its significance in three minutes or less to a non-technical audience.
3MT is not an exercise in trivializing or “dumbing-down” research, but challenges students to consolidate their ideas and research discoveries so they can be presented concisely to a wider audience.
Eligibility and Rules
Voiland College Qualifying Event
Date: March 12, 2026
Time: 4:10-5:00 pm
Venue: Engineering Teaching and Research Laboratory (ETRL) 101 (map) and Zoom
Prizes
- 1st Place: $1,500 Scholarship for next Fall
- 2nd Place: $1,000 scholarship for next Fall
- 3rd Place: $500 scholarship for next Fall
Winner moves on to the WSU Competition.
WSU Competition
Date: March 25, 2026
Time: 1 pm
Venue: Veterinary Biomedical Research Building, Room 305 (map)
Prizes
- 1st Place: $3,000 travel stipend
- 2nd Place: $1,500 travel stipend
- 3rd Place: $500 travel stipend
Voiland College Qualifying Event Winners
2025
Duygu Aydin
Chemical Engineering
Thesis: Kangaroo Rat Burrow Biofilms to Improve Soil Stability
2024
Zengran Sun
Chemical Engineering
Thesis: The Switchable Method to Develop Efficient Catalysts
2023
Devon McCornack
Engineering Science
Thesis: Enhancing lateral flow assays (LFAs) with cationic isotachophoresis for bacterial and viral infection differentiation
2022
Mohammad Aghababaei
Civil Engineering
Thesis: Practical Modelling of Solute Transport in River Corridors
2021
Arjak Bhattacharjee
Materials Science and Engineering
Thesis: Effect of Essential Elements and Naturally Derived Molecules on Improving Biological and Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Calcium Phosphate Based Scaffolds and Plasma Sprayed Coatings
2020
Ashley Vu
Mechanical Engineering
Thesis: Essential Elements, Vitamins, and Natural Medicinal Additives in Calcium Phosphate Ceramics for Bone Tissue Engineering
2019
Ayumi Manawadu
Civil Engineering
Thesis: Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) of Concrete using Smart Piezo Modules (SPM)
2018
Dishary Banerjee
Mechanical Engineering
Thesis: Calcium phosphate ceramics and natural medicine for bone tissue engineering