Gabrielle Delima Wins 2022 3MT Competition

Gabrielle Delima, a 5th year Ph.D. candidate in the Microbiology and Molecular Genetics program, emerged victorious with her presentation on “Flu Viruses: Better Together.” Her research centers on influenza A viruses and she plans to pursue a career in science communication upon graduation from the Laney Graduate School.

Doctoral students spend hours immersed in the intricacies of their research. Every spring, the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition challenges them to explain that extensive research in only three minutes, using non-specialist language and a single, static presentation slide.

On April 6, the Laney Graduate School held its annual 3MT competition as part of Graduate Student Appreciation Week. The event was conducted as hybrid event, with both virtual and in-person attendance options. Eleven finalists competed for cash prizes and the winning title, which was decided by a panel of alumni judges. These judges evaluated the students based on the effectiveness of their communication style, overall clarity, and comprehension.

Gabrielle Delima, a 5^th year Ph.D. candidate in the Microbiology and Molecular Genetics program, emerged victorious with her presentation on “Flu Viruses: Better Together.” Her research centers on influenza A viruses and she plans to pursue a career in science communication upon graduation from the Laney Graduate School.

Runner-up, Timothy McNinch, is a Ph.D. candidate in Religion, who studies the narrative literature of the Hebrew Bible. McNinch presented a “3-Dimensional Reading of the Biblical Ark Story.”

In addition to the overall 3MT winner, participants also competed for the “People’s Choice” award. The virtual audience and in-person attendees could vote for their favorite presentation to select the winner. The virtual champion was Kaylyn Sanbower, an applied microeconomist, who presented on “The Effects of Information Disclosure in Health Care Markets.”

Those who attended in-person at the Hatchery crowned Irving Martinez the “People’s Choice” winner for his mathematical perspective on why stents are still a problem.

Since the inaugural event in 2013, Laney Graduate School has hosted this challenge to give students the opportunity to explain their thesis in an interdisciplinary setting and practice conveying their research to wider audiences.  This competition also prepares students entering the workforce to practice telling the story of their academic research to diverse audiences, such as prospective employers or potential funding committees.

As the event continues to grow, the Laney Graduate School hopes that students will leverage it as an opportunity to practice engaging others in their research and further their evolution as researchers. The skills gained from exercises like 3MT play a valuable role in bridging the communication gap between academia and broader audiences, increasing the impact of their valuable research on the world.