South SFV Today

Ten finalists have been selected to present their research at Stanford University's first Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition. The event, aimed at enhancing graduate students' ability to communicate their research to a general audience, is scheduled for April 17 at Hauck Auditorium from 4 to 6 p.m. Stanford President Jonathan Levin will act as the emcee, marking Vice Provost for Graduate Education Ken Goodson's first public appearance since his recent appointment.

The finalists were chosen from various applicants across the university's schools based on videos they submitted. These videos required participants to explain their research verbally without using props or visual aids.

Judges for the event include Condoleezza Rice, Martin Shell, Michele Rasmussen, David Studdert, and W.E. Moerner. Audience members will also participate by voting for the People’s Choice Award.

Prizes for the competition are set with $5,000 for first place, $3,000 for second place, $1,000 for third place, and $500 for the People’s Choice Award.

Finalists include Kristen Abels in Chemical Engineering with her work on membranes for mineral recovery; Gabe Amador in Developmental Biology studying plant stem cells; Catharine Bowman in Epidemiology focusing on lymphedema; Lydia Burleson in English exploring American utopia; Sarah Jobalia in Computer Science with HairFlow; Jodie Lunger in Genetics engineering cells against cancer; Tamri Matiashvili in Economics examining female physicians' impact; Favour Nerrise in Electrical Engineering teaching AI about brain disease; Mikaela Ribi in Chemistry and Pathology researching cancer escape mechanisms; and Aly Singleton from E-IPER discussing development costs.

The event is open to the Stanford community. Registration is currently available.