In This Competition, Simple and Succinct are Key

04/11/2025
By Ed Brennen

In the time it takes to toast a slice of bread, biomedical engineering and biotechnology Ph.D. candidate Edidiong Etim explained years’ worth of research on why cryolipolysis, a nonsurgical procedure that uses suction and cold temperature to reduce fat deposits in certain areas of the body, works better for some people than others.

Speaking to a panel of judges at UMass Lowell’s inaugural Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition, Etim had to summarize her work in just 180 seconds — and not a second more.

“The hardest part was making it simple to understand and deciding exactly what to talk about while still giving the big picture of what I actually do,” said Etim, who edged out 12 other doctoral students from across the university to win the competition, held recently at Coburn Hall.

Besides earning a $750 first prize, a video recording of Etim’s presentation will be submitted to the Northeastern Association of Graduate Schools’ virtual regional event, slated for April 25. The top two finishers there will move on to the Council of Graduate Schools national competition.

“It was an exciting challenge. It made me take a broader look at my research and see how we actually impact people,” said Etim, a sixth-year Ph.D. student from Nigeria who spent nearly 20 hours preparing and practicing her presentation, which could include only one slide.

Started at the University of Queensland in Australia in 2008, 3MT is an international program designed to help graduate students explain their research in a succinct and compelling way to general audiences. 3MT competitions are now held at over 900 universities in more than 85 countries worldwide. It was introduced at UML this year by Sarah Merrill, a new assistant professor of psychology.

“Participating in the program provides grad students with training and an opportunity to share their research, practice their public speaking skills and win prizes,” said Partha Chowdhury, head of UML’s School of Graduate Studies.

Stephanie Madden, who is completing her Ph.D. in applied psychology and prevention science this semester, took $500 for second place as well as the $250 “People’s Choice” award for her presentation, “Harmony in Healthcare: The Role of Caregiver-Provider Alliance on Child Health.”

“This was good practice for my dissertation,” said Madden, a Connecticut native who tried not to look at the timer on the judges’ table while giving her talk. “I did toward the end, because the time gets shorter and shorter. You have to use those three minutes wisely.”

Environmental engineering doctoral student Nerissa Molejon took third place, and $250, for her talk on “Early Detection of Aquaculture Pathogens Using Acoustic Wave Sensors.”

Students participating in the program received coaching and guidance from faculty and staff before a preliminary-round competition. The program is a collaboration between the School of Graduate Studies, the Graduate Student Association and the offices of Research Development and Student Life and Involvement.

Kim Holloway, who recently joined the university as associate vice chancellor for research and innovation acceleration, served on the five-judge panel and was “blown away” by the quality of the presentations.

“I've come from two R1 institutions in my past, Cornell and Northeastern, and the students here can measure up to them and then some,” said Holloway.

She was joined at the judges table by Andy Harris, professor and associate dean for research and graduate programs in the College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences; Jeff Basara, professor and chair of the Environmental, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences department; Steve Tello, an associate professor in the Manning School of Business; and Moumita Biswas, a doctoral student in chemistry.

For Damilola Sholademi, a second-year criminology and justice studies Ph.D. student from Nigeria, the competition was an opportunity to “pressure-test” his presentation skills.

“Not everyone is an academic, so you should be able to explain your work in very basic terms that people can comprehend,” said Sholademi, who presented his research on “Understanding Female Radicalization in the United States.”

Three days before competing in the Three Minute Thesis challenge, Kanan Asif, a doctoral student of entrepreneurship, presented his work on entrepreneurial persistence at the Student Research and Community Engagement Symposium at University Crossing.

“It’s great that UMass Lowell provides these opportunities to reflect and summarize our research in a way that can be understood by people outside the field,” Asif said. “Ultimately, the goal of research is application, and if we are not communicating it properly, we are limiting the chances of that application.”