Finalists Named for Auburn’s 2023 Three-Minute Thesis Competition

Imagine having only three minutes to explain your research to a general audience – this is the challenge for students competing in the Three Minute Thesis, or 3MT, competition. The campus community is invited to attend and support the finalists as they present in the final Auburn University competition on Nov.14 from 3-4:30 p.m. in the Melton Student Center Ballroom.

Auburn University graduate students compete for cash prizes, with a Winner, a Runner-Up and a People’s Choice winner named after the judges and audience have voted (respectively). The Auburn winner advances to the regional competition, held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Conference of Southern Graduate Schools.

Over 45 Auburn graduate students competed in six preliminary sessions on Oct. 24 and 25. Typically, the top ten competitors from the preliminary rounds advance to the final round. However, there was a tie for tenth place this year, and the 2023 competition will feature 11 finalists, listed below.

•  Jacob Botello, Biological Sciences
  What’s in a ‘Game’? How video games can change the way we teach evolution

• Natasha Grabau, Anatomy, Physiology & Pharmacology
  To sleep or not to sleep?

• Heather King, Fisheries, Aquaculture & Aquatic Sciences
  Genetic and Reproductive Enhancement in Eastern Oyster

• Dorcas Lukwesa, Horticulture
  Mitigating Kale Salinity Stress with Split-Root Technique

• Frances Neal, Kinesiology
  Who saves the heroes when the heroes need saving?

• Adebowale Oyerinde, Nutritional Sciences
  Volatile organic compounds: a new potential marker for obesity

• Kevin Pham, Geosciences
  Turn off those lights! Elucidating biological impacts of circadian misalignment

• Hannah Raitz, Communication
  The Impact of Childhood Memorable Messages on College StudentsTM Attitudes and Behaviors

• Abdelaal Shehata, Entomology & Plant Pathology
  Full Genome Sequencing of Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus Infecting Peanut in Alabama

• Shireen Singh, Chemical Engineering
   Understand the Life of Babies Born with Half a Heart

•  Jyoti Yadav, Pathobiology
  The Tale of Two Viruses

3MT, established by The University of Queensland in 2008, has now spread to graduate schools around the globe. Auburn held its first 3MT in 2013 and now holds an annual competition for all graduate students.

Read more information about the 3MT competition and previous winners at Auburn University.