UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — In the final round of the first Penn State Three Minute Thesis competition in March 2024, 11 graduate students took the stage at the Penn Stater Hotel & Conference Center to show off their research, represent themselves, and compete for both prize money and the opportunity to compete in a regional 3MT competition. Coming from disciplines ranging from engineering to psychology, nursing, anthropology, food science and civil engineering, these students only needed three minutes to convey months and years of challenging research and scholarship in front of an in-person and online audience.  

For Aditya Sapre, a doctoral student studying chemical engineering, and the first-place award recipient in the final round, the word “exciting” was how he described the event.  

“It’s such a wide variety of topics and it’s very exciting to see how everyone else is so excited to talk about their research,” he said. “I’m very surprised I got the award because everyone was so on point.” 

Sapre’s presentation focused on one of the foremost challenges in drug discovery, pinpointing the specific target protein that can bind with the correct drug. 

Other presentations covered topics ranging from bacterial diversity in farming and the thought process behind determining if a hot dog is a sandwich, to irritable bowel syndrome, the impact of messaging at airport curbside performance, leveraging duckweed as fertilizer, and the need for supporting nurses providing end-of-life care to their patients, among others.  

The first two of those topics were covered by the other two award recipients on the day, Auja Bywater, a doctoral student in food science and technology, who took home second place, and Paul Distefano, a doctoral student in cognitive psychology, who was awarded the People’s Choice Award sponsored by the Graduate and Professional Student Association.  

In her presentation, Bywater shared about her longitudinal study that assessed microbial load of nutrient solution in different hydroponic farming systems. DiStefano provided an overview of a novel measure he developed that is designed to assess over-inclusive thinking.     

Both students echoed many of Sapre’s thoughts on what it meant to be recognized among the impressive group, the support that got them there, and what it was like to be part of the entire event. 

“It’s always a goal as a graduate student and a researcher to be able to spread your research to other people,” Bywater said. “This recognition is great, I’m really honored. I’m so grateful for all the people that helped me get here — my adviser, my labmates, my husband — I couldn’t have done it without them.” 

DiStefano said he appreciated the chance to be surrounded by students from all different programs.  

“It is inspiring to see the other work the other Penn Staters are doing. Obviously, there is a lot of diverse research that is going on here and to see how passionate everyone is and how well everyone can communicate that, it’s something I can take back to my own field and apply that passion to what I do,” he said. 

Other finalists echoed DiStefano, adding how much they enjoyed hearing each other present. 

“As grad students, I often feel we are so focused on our own world we don't branch out into other fields,” said Makenna Lenover, a doctoral student in anthropology, whose topic covered the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome. “I loved hearing about work across the University. It may not be a journal I read or a field I follow closely, but learning about discoveries in engineering or psychology was very exciting, since I am a student at heart and love to learn.” 

“I really enjoyed being able to hear other students’ passions, their stories, their projects that they’re working on,” added Kaléi Kowalchik, a doctoral student in nursing who presented on supporting nurses providing end-of-life care to their patients. “I don’t get to see what other students are doing often unless it’s published or connecting at an event like the Graduate Exhibition, so this event was really inspiring to see other students who are at different levels of their programs and seeing the work that they’re doing.” 

For Kowalchik, sharing research gave her the chance to represent her college in a way that doesn’t always happen.  

“In health care, we’re trying to get away from being siloed, specifically in nursing,” she said. “It was a big honor to be able to represent the college and show some of the amazing work that nurses can do, not just at the bedside, but beyond as well.” 

As the finalists thought back on the event, it allowed them to find new ways to share topics they are passionate about.  

“One of my biggest takeaways from the event was the value of an elevator pitch-style presentation of your research,” Lenover said. “I had never actually sat down and got to the core of my research in such a concise manner, and it really proved to be a useful tool to conceptualize my project, and to present it to others who may not be experts like I am.” 

“My biggest takeaway was regardless of what your project is, what populations you’re studying, there are so many ways to disseminate your data with people beyond your college and discipline,” Kowalchik added. “That was the most meaningful part to me, to be able to share my work and its importance with people from many different disciplines and backgrounds.”   

Looking ahead, the finalists said they would recommend that other students take a chance and apply for the Three Minute Thesis in 2025. 

DiStefano and Lenover both recognized how this opportunity will help them long after the competition, with DiStefano highlighting his improved communication skills and how he plans to apply again for 2025. For Bywater, there were nerves going in, but she said it was well worth it in the end.  

“I was a little nervous,” Bywater said. “I didn’t know if I was going to submit something or not, but I’m so glad I did, and I’d encourage everyone to just go for it. You never know what could happen.” 

Registration is open now for the 2024-25 Penn State Three Minute Thesis competition. Those who are interested in applying for this year’s competition, either as a competitor or a judge, can learn more at the Fox Graduate School’s website.