3MT for the Graduate School
We are excited to announce that the Graduate School is hosting the annual 3MT (3 Minute Thesis) Contest.
When: Tuesday, October 6, 2026 at 6:00 PM
Where: Student Center Ballroom
Why: Skills development for research candidates and adding to the research culture of our university.
Who is eligible: Research-based Master’s and Doctoral students who have completed their prospectus by the time of the competition.
Event: Each student competitor will have 3 minutes and one static PowerPoint slide only to present their research.
Prizes:
1st place $2,000.00
2nd place $1,500.00
3rd place $1,000.00
People’s Choice $1,000.00
Our first-place winner will also be awarded travel funds to attend the regional CSGS (Council of Southern Graduate Schools) annual meeting. The 2027 regional 3 MT competition will be February 17th-19th in Arlington, Virginia.
How Graduate Programs can help: Publicize this opportunity among their graduate students and nominate their top eligible student to participate. Nominations can now be submitted till September 11th.
2026 USA 3MT® Winners
WINNER: Joseph Hayes/College of Engineering "The fight in our water: activated carbon fabrics vs microplastics"
Mentor: Dr. Melike Dizbay-Onat
2nd PLACE: Sudhanshu Tarale/College of Engineering "AI Agent for Healthcare Education"
Mentor: Dr. Bhushan Lohar
3rd PLACE: Gracie Hankins/College of Arts and Sciences "How do nutrient addition and disturbances interactively impact decomposition of coastal dune species?"
Mentor: Dr. Jeremiah Henning
PEOPLE'S CHOICE: Gracie Hankins/College of Arts and Sciences "How do nutrient addition and disturbances interactively impact decomposition of coastal dune species?"
Mentor: Dr. Jeremiah Henning