PVM Graduate Student is Finalist in Three Minute Thesis Competition

April 12, 2019

Dr. Maggie O'Haire, PVM assistant professor of human-animal interaction, with Kerri Rodriguez, human-animal interaction graduate student in PVM’s Department of Comparative Pathobiology, and her dog Hendrix.
Kerri Rodriguez (left), human-animal interaction graduate student in PVM’s Department of Comparative Pathobiology, and her dog, Hendrix, pictured with her mentor, Dr. Maggie O’Haire, PVM associate professor of human-animal interaction.

Congratulations to Kerri Rodriguez, graduate student of human-animal interaction in the Department of Comparative Pathobiology, who is one of ten finalists in the Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition at Purdue.  Developed by The University of Queensland, 3MT is a research communication competition designed to enhance academic, presentation, and research communication skills and support the development of students’ capacities to effectively explain their research in language appropriate to an intelligent but nonspecialist audience.

Purdue holds its annual 3MT competition each spring as a celebration of the discoveries made by graduate students and to allow the broader community to learn about ongoing research at Purdue.  It is free and open to the public. 

The Final 3MT Competition will be this Tuesday, April 16, at 7:00 p.m., in the Loeb Playhouse in Stewart Center.  Cash prizes will be awarded to three winners, including the “People’s Choice Award” recipient, who will be selected by audience members using clickers.  The other award selections will be made by a panel of judges.  Evaluations are based on communication style, comprehension, and engagement.  The winners will be announced at the conclusion of the program, which will be followed by a reception sponsored by the Purdue University President’s Council.

In addition to Kerri, the other finalists who will be making presentations are:

  • Megan LaFollette, Animal Sciences, College of Agriculture
  • Jacob Pecenka, Entomology, College of Agriculture
  • Erin Sorlien, Biochemistry, College of Agriculture
  • Punyashloka Debashis, Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering
  • Mohamadreza Moini, Civil Engineering, College of Engineering
  • Mychaela Coyne, Health Sciences, College of Health and Human Sciences
  • Svetlana Beilfuss, Economics, Krannert School of Management
  • Nivedita Shetty, Industrial and Physical Pharmacy (IPPH), College of Pharmacy
  • Mingding Wang, Chemistry, College of Science

Currently enrolled graduate students in all disciplines at Purdue University are eligible to participate in 3MT.  The research presented must have been conducted at Purdue University, not from a previous degree, and should be in the final stages.  Click here for more information about 3MT at Purdue.

Writer(s): Kevin Doerr | pvmnews@purdue.edu

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