OHIO announces winners of Three Minute Thesis competition

Ohio University has announced the winners of the annual Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition.

In the competition, which was founded by The University of Queensland in 2008, students have three minutes to present a compelling oration on their thesis and its significance.

This year, 32 students took part in the semifinal competitions, and then eight students advanced to the finals in late February.

“I was blown away by all 32 students who took the time to stand up in front and present their research in the short span of three minutes,” said Nathan Blackburn, director of communications and professional development for the Graduate College. “We had a huge variety of students coming from different academic disciplines, and that showed as well in the finals.”

With students from a wide range of areas, including science-based fields, fine arts such as photography, history and other areas, the competition was very exciting. In addition, several students who competed in 2024 returned again in 2025 and were able to excel in their presentations.

“That was really great to see,” Blackburn said.

The finals were judged by Dr. David Koonce, dean of the Graduate College, Athens Mayor Steve Patterson and Faith Knutsen, director of social innovation and entrepreneurship for the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service.

The 2025 3MT winners

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The placements for the 2025 Ohio University Three Minute Thesis (3MT) finals are as follows:

• Nisha Singh, Physics and Astronomy: 1st Place and People's Choice (Recreating the Cosmos on Earth)
• Prothama Manna, Biological Sciences: 2nd Place (Zoo gone wild- Predicting the Fate of the Invasive Hippo Population)
• Julia Tennant, Biological Sciences: 3rd Place and People's Choice (Regulatory Role of sRNA, Teg41 on Staphylococcus aureus pathogenesis)
• Jorge Castillo, Communication Arts: Finalist (Large-Scale Immersive Pollinator Sculpture and Exhibit: Reconnecting youth with nature in Native Appalachian Forests)
• Zachary Tayler, History: Finalist (Normalization of Diplomatic Relations between the United States and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, 1975-1995)
• Nida Ajmal, Translational Biomedical Sciences: Finalist (DIRAS: A Novel Regulator of Glucose Metabolism and Pancreatic Islet Survival)
• Zhuldyz Zhigulina, Chemical Engineering: Finalist (H2S/CO2 Corrosion of Mild Steel at High Temperature)
• Alexia Tasoula, Translational Biomedical Sciences: Finalist (The Role of MKX in Insulin Resistance)

This year's prizes were sponsored by OHIO graduate Dr. Rene Paulson, founder of Elite Research LLC.

Singh will now be taking her presentation to compete in the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS) national 3MT competition on April 4, 2025, in Indianapolis.

To see recordings of the finals presentations, visit this link.

For more information about the competition, visit the 3MT competition website.