History of 3MT at GW

The first 3MT competition was held at UQ in 2008, with 160 Higher Degree by Research (HDR) candidates competing. In 2009 and 2010, the 3MT competition was promoted to other Australian and New Zealand universities, and enthusiasm for the concept grew. Due to its adoption in numerous universities, a multinational event was developed, and the Inaugural Trans-Tasman 3MT competition was held at UQ in 2010.

Since 2011, the popularity of the competition has increased, and 3MT competitions are now held in over 600 universities across more than 65 countries worldwide.

The first GW 3MT competition was held in 2019 and was open only to CCAS PhD students. In 2022, this competition has been expanded to include CCAS as well as SEAS PhD students! In 2023, it expanded again to include all doctoral degree-granting schools/programs at GW!

Past 3 Minute Thesis Competitions

2025 Competition

Sponsored by GW's Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs (OGPA)

Their dissertation takes years to write. They have 3 minutes to explain it.

Congratulations to This Year's Winners!

First Place and People's Choice: Natalie Boyle

Advisor: Dr. Hui Lu
“Rewiring the Brain: Motor Training as a Therapy for Rett Syndrome”
PhD, Neuroscience, Columbian College of Arts and Sciences

Second Place: Sarah Kleb

Advisor: Dr. Brett Shook
“Investigating the Role of Adipocyte-Specific G Protein-Coupled Receptor 84 in Skin Wound Healing”
PhD, Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine and Health Sciences

Third Place: Alex Edwards

Advisor: Dr. Masaaki Torii
“Optimizing Inhibitory Cell Therapy to Treat Focal Epilepsy”
PhD, Integrated Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences

Three Students are kneeling around a digital timer that says 3 Minutes. They each are smiling and holding up certificates that say first, second and third prize

Amazing Job to all of our Competitors!

Mahdi Baghbanzadeh Advisor: Dr. Ali Rahnavard
“Cracking the Code of Life: Learning DNA Like a Language”
PhD, Health Data Science, Milken Institute School of Public Health

Sydney Bornstein Advisor: Dr. Manya Magnus
“An Examination of Older Adults Seeking Residential Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder in the United States”
PhD, Epidemiology, Milken Institute School of Public Health

Dex Burns Advisor: Dr. Julia Storberg Walker
Presentation Title: “The Relationship Between Leadership Self-Efficacy and Adaptability Among Think Tank Leaders in Washington, D.C.”
Ed.D, Human and Organizational Learning, Graduate School of Education and Human Development

Andre Calado Advisor: Dr. Elias Balaras
Presentation Title: “Turbulent Air Entrainment and Bubble Dynamics: High-Fidelity Simulations and Data-Driven Analysis”
PhD, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

Pamela Chansky Advisors: Dr. Wei Li and Dr. Catherine Bollard
“A Generative AI Approach for Predicting Response to Virus-Specific T-Cell Therapy”
PhD, Genomics and Bioinformatics, School of Medicine and Health Sciences

Abdullah Clark Advisor: Dr. Julia Storberg-Walker
“Walking the Line or Crossing the Cubicle Aisle: A Qualitative Exploratory Study of Career Federal Leader Experiences with Ideological Polarization in the National Capital Region”
Ed.D, Human and Organizational Learning, Graduate School of Education and Human Development

Jaci Dickerson Advisor: Dr. Chris Carrigan
“Untold Disaster and Prompt Action: The Impact of Bureaucratic Structure on Nuclear Nonproliferation Policy”
PhD, Public Administration and Public Policy, Columbian College of Arts and Sciences

Michael Guy Advisor: Dr. Denver Brunsman
“How the Story is Told: An Examination of Narratives and History at the Hampton National Historic Site”
PhD, Early American History, Columbian College of Arts and Sciences

Maheen Javaid Advisors: Dr. Remi Jedwab and Dr. Alessandra Fenizia
“Up in Smoke: The Educational Toll of Air Pollution”
PhD, Economics, Columbian College of Arts and Sciences

Minsoo Khang Advisor: Dr. Sylvia Marotta-Walters
“Clinical Correlates of ASMR in the Wake of Technology-Based Mental Health Solutions”
PhD, Counselor Education, Graduate School of Education and Human Development

Grey Maxson Advisor: Dr. Melissa Napolitano
“‘Don't Forget About Us’: Older Adults' Experiences and Perspectives with Active Transportation in Washington, DC”
DPH, Health Behavior, Milken Institute School of Public Health

Oluwadamilola Oke Advisor: Dr. Jason Zara
“Addressing Concerns of Pigmentation Bias in Light-Based Medical Devices”
PhD, Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

Brita Ostermeier Advisor: Dr. Sanjay Maggirwar
“Platelet and NK Cell Interactions During HIV Infection”
PhD, Microbiology & Immunology, Columbian College of Arts and Sciences

Weijie Pan Advisor: Dr. Ekundayo Shittu
“Renewable Expansion and Its Influence on the Electricity Market”
PhD, Systems Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

Hasara Rathnasekara Advisor: Dr. Maggie Chen
“How Do Cross-Border Digital Barriers Affect Online Consumers? Evidence From the Chinese App Ban in India”
PhD, Economics, Columbian College of Arts and Sciences

Awanti Shastri Advisor: Dr. Adam Smith
“Effect of Heat Stress on Ant Behavior”
PhD, Biological Sciences, Columbian College of Arts and Sciences

Christine St. Pierre Advisor: Dr. Jennifer Sacheck
“Factors That Shape Formation of Lifelong Dietary Habits: Measuring Food Literacy in Late Childhood”
PhD, Exercise Physiology and Applied Nutrition, Milken Institute School of Public Health

Ben Tellie Advisor: Dr. Brian Casemore
“Remembering Curriculum Together Through Art: A Currere Study of Inner Aesthetic Response and Memories of Art Creation About Difficult Knowledge with Three Former Visual Art Students”
Ed.D, Curriculum and Instruction, Graduate School of Education and Human Development

Jiaxing Yang Advisor: Dr. Roger Lang
“Three-Layer Radar Sounder Model for the Detection of Buried Ice Deposits under Martian Regolith”
PhD, Electrical and Computer Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences content.

2024 Competition

Congratulations to GW's 2024 winners! Thank you to all who participated and made the event possible!

Leah Kaplan, 1st Place

Prachi Mahableshwarkar, 2nd Place and People's Choice

Caitlin Bailey, 3rd Place

Link to the 2024 competition

Representatives by school:

CCAS

Guannan Zhai

Abbey Salvas

Caleb Schmotter

Jenna Clements

Shatakshi Gupta

Prachi Mahableshwarkar

Darren Dolan

GSEHD

Alexandra Laing

Muhammad Mehdi

GWSPH

Caitlin Bailey

Samantha Ammons

Wen-Chien Yang

Maria Jose Talayero Schettino

Laura Santacrose

Rebecca Robbins

Ramaa Chitale

SEAS

Leah Kaplan

Anmol Taploo

Sara Youssoufi

Alex Horkowitz

Emad Mashayekh

Ibrahim Yildiran

SMHS

Julie Sapp

GWSB

Li Liang

2023 Competition

First Place

Ryan Welch

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, SEAS

Linking the Process, Structure, and Performance of 3D
Printed Thermoelectric Materials

Second Place

Jacob Medina

Cancer Biology, CCAS

Photothermal Therapy of SM1 Melanoma Utilizing
Anti-CD137 Coated Prussian Blue Nanoparticles

Third Place

Nate Harris

Economics, CCAS

Do Building Height Restrictions Increase or Decrease
Welfare in a City?

People's Choice

Anastasia Sarmakeeva

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, SEAS

Landslide Simulations to Save Lives

Watch the Full 2023 3MT Competition

2022 Competition

First Place

Dustin Abele

Chemistry

Sustainable Materials for High Energy Density Lithium-ion Batters

Second Place

Ruoyu Chen

Economics

Evaluating the Effects of Carbon Trading on Power Sector Emissions in China: A View From Space

Third Place

Anthony Hennig

Systems Engineering

The Complexities of Measuring Complexity

People's Choice

Ferhan Güloglu

Anthropology

Natural Mothers in the Making

2021 Competition

On Thursday, February 24, nine Ph.D. students from across CCAS doctoral programs in the humanities, sciences and social sciences faced off in friendly competition in the third annual CCAS Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) Dissertation Competition. The competition challenges students to effectively communicate their research to a non-specialist audience in three minutes.

In this year’s virtual competition students submitted pre-recorded videos of their 3MT presentations and the winners were announced at Thursday’s live event. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners were selected by a judging panel of CCAS faculty members; Professor Heidi Bardot (Art Therapy), Professor Shelley Brundage (Speech and Hearing Sciences), Professor Harald Grassheimmer (Physics), and CCAS Dean, Paul Wahlbeck (Political Science). A People’s Choice winner was selected by the audience.

In total, student’s 3MT videos garnered almost 500 views within one week with the People’s Choice winner receiving over 170 individual views. It was a job well done by all of the doctoral students taking part in this year’s virtual Three Minute Thesis competition!