Carnegie Mellon University is once again hosting the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition, marking its 10th anniversary. This event encourages Ph.D. students to distill their complex research into a three-minute presentation that is accessible and engaging to a general audience.
The 3MT competition, originally created by The University of Queensland in Australia, was introduced to CMU by Helen and Henry Posner, Jr. Dean of Libraries, Keith Webster(opens in new window), in 2013. Since then, CMU has joined a global network of over 900 universities in more than 85 countries participating in this academic challenge.
This year’s 3MT Championship at CMU will take place at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 11, in the Cohon University Center’s McConomy Auditorium, with a livestream available for remote viewers. Ten finalists are set to compete for top honors.
Among the finalists is Jonathan Shulgach, a mechanical engineering student at CMU’s College of Engineering(opens in new window). Shulgach’s research focuses on high-density, flexible electromyography (HD-EMG) systems designed to capture weak muscle signals with great accuracy.
“Most commercial EMG systems can only record from several muscles at a time,” Shulgach explained. “My technology has the potential to integrate into existing and future prosthetic technologies, help individuals with spinal cord injuries monitor or regain movement, improve rehabilitation tools, and even open doors for wearable human-machine interfaces in everyday life.”
His presentation aims to show how prosthetics can become more intuitive and responsive, easing the adoption process for users. “Just because movement isn’t visible doesn’t mean it’s gone,” he said. “If we can detect those hidden signals, we can give people control over their prosthetics, rehabilitation and assistive devices in ways they never thought possible.”
Shulgach views the 3MT competition as an opportunity to broaden the reach of his research, emphasizing the importance of communicating scientific progress to diverse audiences.
Samskrathi Sharma, a finalist with a passion for science communication, is a biological sciences student in CMU’s Mellon College of Science(opens in new window). Recently awarded the 2024 Quad Fellowship(opens in new window), Sharma is dedicated to making scientific research accessible and relatable to the public.
“When we scientists are involved in experimental pursuits, we can get caught up in the nitty-gritty details specific to our fields,” she said. “However, I think we owe it to society to explain the implications of the scientific discoveries we make. I believe that even if we are doing the most interesting science, if we cannot communicate the relevance of these findings to a general audience, it can never truly benefit society.”
Her research delves into the connection between circadian rhythms and metabolism, which could eventually lead to treatments for those with disrupted sleep cycles, such as night shift workers susceptible to metabolic disorders.
Sharma has explored diverse methods to communicate her research, blending science with art to engage audiences. “Often, creative art forms and science are considered distinct,” she admitted. “But as a scientist and artist, I think science can be communicated more effectively when used with art, as it is visually appealing and relatable. I have been trying to communicate my scientific findings to diverse audiences using presentations, hands-on activities, outreach and paintings.”
Another returning finalist, Ananya Joshi, from CMU’s School of Computer Science(opens in new window), has been refining her 3MT presentation to better showcase her research on artificial intelligence systems used in public health. Her work with the university’s Delphi Group has enhanced epidemic tracking and forecasting by improving data monitoring systems.
“During the pandemic, Delphi had large volumes of data, but the data users — including public health decision-makers and modelers — were overwhelmed by the volume of data,” she explained. “Because of the noisy, ever-changing and messy nature of public health data, the theoretical limitations of existing approaches became clearer. I discovered that the core problem of ‘finding the needle in a big data haystack’ was an open one after trying various existing techniques.”
Joshi’s research has had practical applications in public health and she is now exploring potential uses in other fields, such as agriculture and finance.
CMU leadership and alumni judges will award cash prizes to the top presentations. The first, second, and third-place winners will receive $3,000, $2,000, and $1,000, respectively, while audience members will vote for the recipients of the $500 People’s Choice Award and the $750 Alumni Award.
Alumni can participate by viewing the livestream and casting their votes for the Alumni Award. The Three Minute Thesis Championship is open to the public and free to attend, though registration is required(opens in new window) for both in-person and online participation.
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