3MT 2023 Finalists

One slide and three minutes is all 10 graduate student finalists have during the popular Three Minute Thesis, or 3MT, competition to present their research and explain its significance on February 24.

Hosted by the University of Oklahoma’s Graduate College, the competition is at 1:30 p.m. in Meacham Auditorium in the Oklahoma Memorial Union. Those unable to attend in-person may register for the 3MT livestream. Virtual registration is available via Zoom at bit.ly/3mtoulive. Winners will be announced at a reception immediately following the event.

"The 3MT competition is an exciting opportunity for graduate students to highlight their thesis or dissertation research and demonstrate their ability to communicate these efforts in a clear and compelling way," said Dr. Randall Hewes, Graduate College Dean. "Through 3MT, we see the breadth and quality of the innovative work being done by OU graduate students."  

The first-place awardee in OU’s 3MT competition will receive $2,000 and the runner-up will receive $1,500. Audience members will also select the winner of a $1,000 People’s Choice Award during the event.

The 3MT competition was created by the University of Queensland in Australia in 2008 and has since spread to over 900 universities world-wide. It provides a unique opportunity for graduate students to showcase their research to a wider audience and to gain valuable experience in communicating their work effectively.

This year's competition features students from a variety of disciplines, including science, engineering, arts, and humanities. The students will present their research to a panel of judges and an audience of their peers, family, and members of the public.

2023 3MT finalists include, in a randomly selected order:

1. Elizabeth McElroy, in the Department of Sociology, presenting “The Religious Pleasure Gap”
2.  Joshua Davis, in the Department of Sociology, presenting “So Shall You Reap: How Race and Religion Influence Attitudes towards Criminal Justice in the United States”  
3. Jeremy Massengale, in the Department of Physics, presenting “Shattering records! How new efforts are shaping the future of mid-infrared lasers”  
4. Gloria Nakyagaba, in the Department of Geography and Environmental Sustainability, presenting “The Other Toilet: Risks and Opportunities in Kampala”  
5. Ares Boira Lopez, in the Department of Pschology, presenting on “Understanding and mitigating the effects of extremist social media messaging”  
6. Sergio Pineda Castillo, in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, presenting “Personalized Brain Aneurysm Therapy Using Shape Memory Polymers”  
7. Himel Talukde, in the Department of Geography and Environmental Sustainability, presenting “Movement and Contact-based Disease transmission Network”   
8. Emily Bonner, in the Department of Sociology, presenting “The Price is Not Right: Grocery Taxation and Food Insecurity in the Pandemic.”  
9. Sreehari Puthan Purayill, in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, presenting “Devices for Brain-like Electronics.”  
10. Tess McGee, in the Department of Sociology, presenting “Sex Work, Race, and Bias: Police Violence Against Trans People.”