Three Minute Thesis Competition Winners Announced
The Three Minute Thesis Competition (3-MT®), developed by The University of Queensland, prepares students to summarize their research in no more than three minutes using pre-determined guidelines. The Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS) sponsored a Three Minute Thesis Competition for its regional member institutions and a panel of judges scored presentations and recognized the top three presenters.
Two doctoral students earned recognition in Cleveland State University’s 3-MT competition. Mechanical Engineering doctoral student, Anne Koelewijn, earned the College of Graduate Studies’ Outstanding Award along with a monetary prize for summarizing her research in 3 minutes or less and went on to represent Cleveland State University at the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana from April 5-7, 2017. Thirty-one universities were represented at the competition.
Entitled "Predictive Simulations of Gait and their Application to Prosthesis Design," the goal of Koelewijn’s thesis is to improve predictive simulations such that they can be used to analyze the effect of a prosthesis on the gait of someone with a leg amputation without requiring a patient to wear the prosthesis. She shared, “My presentation went very well! The audience appeared engaged. Several persons came by later to talk to me, which is always a good thing at conferences. Only six contestants advanced to the final round. I did not and I think the jury must have had a hard time ranking the presentation, because of the variety of topics and the high quality overall.”
Subhra Nag, doctoral student in Regulatory Biology in the College of Sciences and Health Professions, earned the College of Graduate Studies’ Excellent Award for the three minute summary and a monetary prize for his dissertation topic: “Renal Epithelial Transport Can Be Altered by Hypoxia Inducible Mechanisms.” Nag describes, “During the CSU 3-MT thesis competition, I talked about the importance of my research and summarized my key research findings without using any graphs/ numbers, and also suggested how my research findings can be applicable to real-life problems. I was given the opportunity to improve my skills, to explain complex science topics in a simple language, and tell an interesting narrative in a fun and challenging environment.”
MAGS top award went to a presentation by a student from Loyola University in Chicago about the relationship between teen binge drinking and stress later in life. Second prize was awarded to a Miami University student who presented on the effect of exercise before prolonged sitting on blood vessels. The people’s choice award was given for a presentation related to learning English in South Africa by a University of Minnesota student.
Both CSU students will be recognized in the College of Graduate Studies’ Graduate Student Awards Ceremony next month.
