Past 3MT Winners
2025 Three Minute Thesis Champion Aditya Goyal
Area of study: Doctoral student in materials and nanotechnology, focusing on water treatment and sustainable nanomaterials
Advisor: Achintya Bezbaruah, Gehrts Presidential Professor and department chair of civil, construction and environmental engineering
Presentation: Creating Sustainable Phosphorus Fertilizers
Since 2015, 3MT competition finalists have impressed judges and the public with their interesting and impactful research at 线上赌博app. See past winners and finalists.
2025 Champion
Aditya Goyal
Area of study: Doctoral student in materials and nanotechnology, focusing on water treatment and sustainable nanomaterials
Advisor: Achintya Bezbaruah, Gehrts Presidential Professor and department chair of civil, construction and environmental engineering
Presentation: Creating Sustainable Phosphorus Fertilizers
Other 2025 Finalists:
Justine Kilama
Area of study: Doctoral student in microbiology, focusing on livestock microbiomes and reproductive efficiency in cattle
Advisor: Samat Amat, assistant professor of microbiological sciences
Presentation: Harnessing microbiome to improve health and reproductive efficiency in cattle
Edward Cedrick Fernandez
Area of study: Doctoral student in genomics, phenomics and bioinformatics
Advisor: Zhikai Liang, assistant professor of plant science
Presentation: Uncovering Leaf Segmental Responses to Heat Stress in Barley
Allana Martins
Area of study: Doctoral student in pharmaceutical sciences
Advisor: Roberto Gomes, assistant professor of pharmaceutical sciences
Presentation: Targeting Tumor Survival: A Selective Approach to Pancreatic Cancer Therapy
Nastaran Shahzadeh
Area of study: Doctoral student in coatings and polymeric materials
Advisor: Dean C. Webster, professor and chair of coatings and polymeric materials
Presentation: Breaking the ice: innovative surface technology for superior ice protection
2024 Champion
Marcel Roy Domalanta
Area of study: Doctoral student in coatings and polymeric materials
Advisor: Eugene Caldona, assistant professor of coatings and polymeric materials
Presentation: Soy much better: Making non-stick materials stick
Other 2024 Finalists:
Kyle Boutin
Area of study: Doctoral student in environmental and conservation sciences
Advisor: Marinus Otte, professor of biological sciences
Presentation: Harnessing the Power of Wetlands to Improve Water Quality and the Climate
Bivek Chaulagain
Area of study: Doctoral student in pharmaceutical sciences
Advisor: Jagdish Singh, professor and chair of pharmaceutical sciences
Presentation: Alzheimer's Disease: Is Cannabidiol the answer?
Pooyan Vahidi Pashaki
Area of study: Doctoral student in biomedical engineering
Advisor: Dinesh Katti, professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering
Presentation: Next-Generation of Biomaterial for Sport-Related Ligaments Injury
Nastaran Shahzadeh
Area of study: Doctoral student in coatings and polymeric materials
Advisor: Dean C. Webster, professor and chair of coatings and polymeric materials
Presentation: Amphiphilically Modified coatings for Fouling Release Applications
Himani Yadav
Area of study: Doctoral student in civil engineering
Advisor: Syeed Iskander, assistant professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering
Presentation: Plastic Consciousness: A part of solution to plastic pollution
2023 Champion
Nitin Rai
Program: Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Ph.D.
Advisor: Xin “Rex” Sun
Presentation: Drone spots illegal weed plants: The future of agriculture takes flight
Other 2023 Finalists:
Sifat Karim Chowdhury
Program: Mechanical Engineering, Ph.D.
Advisor: Yan Zhang
Presentation: Fluid-Structure Interaction of Collapsible Thin-Walled Vessel under Different Flow Conditions
Shokoofeh Ghasemi
Program: Coatings and Polymeric Materials, Ph.D.
Advisor: Dean Webster
Presentation: “Anti-ice coating; Making it hard for water to freeze”
Ellysa Johnson
Program: Natural Resources Management, M.S.
Advisor: Torre Hovick
Presentation: That's One Hot Commodity: Both Cattle and Monarchs (Danaus plexippus) Eat Milkweed (Asclepias spp.) in Rangelands
Siavash Mansouri
Program: Coatings and Polymeric Materials, M.S.
Advisor: Mohiuddin Quadir
Presentation: Safe buildings by new green smart fire-fighting coating
Ankita Sawant
Program: Environmental and Conservation Sciences, M.S.
Advisor: Laura Aldrich-Wolfe
Presentation: Mycorrhizas and native prairie restoration: exploring the effects of mycorrhizal inoculum, seed origin, and phosphorus on plant performance
2022 Champion:
Kishore Chittimalli
Program: Pharmaceutical Sciences (Ph.D.)
Advisor: Yagna Jarajapu
Presentation: “Restructuring Gut Microbiome for Healthy Aging”
Other 2022 Finalists
Nathaniel Johnson
Program: Exercise Science and Nutrition, Ph.D.
Advisor: Sherri Stastny
Presentation: Protein Intake and Muscle Health
Ellysa Johnson
Program: Natural Resource Science, M.S.
Advisor: Torre Hovick, Jason Harmon
Presentation: A Piece of Cake: Updated Monarch (Danaus plexippus L.) Conservation in North Dakota Rangelands
Biraj Saha
Program: Civil Engineering, Ph.D.
Advisor: Syeed Md Iskander
Presentation: Breaking the Chain(s) of Forever Chemicals
Yue Shen
Program: Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ph.D.
Advisor: Chengwen Sun
Presentation: Chronic Central Administration Of Apelin-13 Induces Blood-pressure Elevation And Cardiac Remodeling In Conscious Rats
McKenna Wegner
Program: English, M.A.
Advisor: Holly Hassel
Presentation: 'Better Safe than Sorry’ : Social Media Responses to Emerging COVID-19 Research in the News
2021 Champion:
Riddhi Trivedi
Program: Pharmaceutical Sciences (Ph.D.)
Advisors: Jagdish Singh
Presentation: Brain Targeted Nanoparticles for Management of neuroAIDS
Other 2021 Finalists:
Niyati Borkar
Program: Pharmaceutical Sciences (Ph.D.)
Advisor: Sathish Venkatachalem
Presentation: It's All About the KISS - Gender and Asthma
Jackson Benda
Program: Coatings and Polymeric Materials (Ph.D.)
Advisor: Dean Webster
Presentation: Development of Robust Fouling-release Coatings with Amphiphilic Surfaces to Combat Biofouling
2020 Champion:
Riddhi Trivedi
Program: Pharmaceutical Sciences (Ph.D.)
Advisors: Amrita Banerjee and Jagdish Singh
Presentation: No More Hide and Seek: NanoParticles Seek Out the Hiding HIV in Brain to Combat NeuroAIDS
Other 2020 Finalists:
Jasmine Cutter
Program: Range Science (M.S.)
Advisors: Torre Hovick and Ben Geaumont
Presentation: Just Crumbs: How We’re Starving Native Bees in America’s Bread Basket
Babak Jahani
Program: Mechanical Engineering (Ph.D.)
Advisor: Xinnan Wang
Presentation: The Effects of Surface Roughness on Functionality of Orthopedic Implants
Babak Mamnoon
Program: Pharmaceutical Sciences (Ph.D.)
Advisor: Sanku Mallik
Presentation: Smart Nanosoldiers to Combat Deadliest Cancers
Alireza Rahimi
Program: Coatings and Polymeric Materials (Ph.D.)
Advisor: Dean C. Webster
Presentation: Developing of Anti-icing Paints
Hizb Ullah Sajid
Program: Civil Engineering (Ph.D.)
Advisor: Ravi Kiran Yellavajjala
Presentation: Bio-based Additives for Mitigating Corrosion in Transportation Infrastructure
2019 Champion:
Elisabeth Wilson
Program: Biological Sciences (M.S.)
Advisor: Dr. Julia Bowsher
Presentation: Micro-climate Impacts Nesting Choice and Success of Alfalfa Leafcutting Bee
Other 2019 Finalists:
Alireza Rahimi
Program: Coatings and Polymeric Materials (Ph.D.)
Advisor: Dr. Dean Webster
Presentation: Developing of Marine Paints to Combat Biofouling
Matthew Confeld
Program: Pharmaceutical Sciences (Ph.D.)
Advisor: Dr. Sanku Mallik
Presentation: Hypoxia Responsive Peptide Conjugated Nanoparticles for Treatment of Solid Tumors
Mohsen Tahmasebi Nasab
Program: Civil Engineering (Ph.D.)
Advisor: Dr. Xuefeng Chu
Presentation: How do Climate-driven Changes Affect our Water Resources?
Pranothi Mulinti
Program: Pharmaceutical Sciences (Ph.D.)
Advisor: Dr. Amanda Brooks
Presentation: Silk Bubbles to the Rescue
Priyanka Swami
Program: Pharmaceutical Sciences (Ph.D.)
Advisor: Dr. Estelle Leclerc
Presentation: Combination Therapy for Pancreatic Cancer Treatment
Raquib Hasan
Program: Pharmaceutical Sciences (Ph.D.)
Advisor: Dr. Amanda Brooks
Presentation: Putty that Treats Bone Infection
Sakshi Taneja
Program: Pharmaceutical Sciences (Ph.D.)
Advisor: Dr. Estelle Leclerc
Presentation: Evaluating the Critical Role of Receptor of Advanced Glycation Endproducts (RAGE) in Pancreatic Cancer
2018 Champion:
Farnaz Fouladi
Program: Pharmaceutical Sciences (Ph.D.)
Advisor: Kristine Steffen
Presentation: The Role of the Gut Bacteria in Weight Loss Surgery
Other 2018 Finalists:
Shrinidh Joshi
Program: Pharmaceutical Sciences (Ph.D.)
Advisor: Yagna Jarajapu
Presentation: ‘Designer’ Stem Cells for the Treatment of Diabetic Complications: ‘The Future is Now’
Cecilia Monclova-Santana
Program: Plant Pathology (Ph.D.)
Advisor: Julie Pasche
Presentation: Rust: A Dry Bean Disease Story in North Dakota
Seseer Mou-Danha
Program: Communication (Ph.D.)
Advisor: Charles Okigbo
Presentation: Nothing, Nothing Justifies Terrorism
Amreen Mughal
Program: Pharmaceutical Sciences (Ph.D.)
Advisor: Stephen O'Rourke
Presentation: Regulation of Vascular Tone in Cerebral and Coronary Arteries by Apelin/APJ Receptor Mechanisms
Suresh Niraula
Program: Environmental and Conservation Sciences (Ph.D.)
Advisor: Shafiqur Rahman
Presentation: Does Manure Application Help Increase Corn Yield in ND?
2017 Champion:
Tayebeh Anajafi Marzijarani
Program: Pharmaceutical Sciences (Ph.D.)
Advisor: Sanku Mallik
Presentation: Targeted Drug Delivery in Pancreatic Cancer
Other 2017 Finalists:
Matthew Crouse
Program: Animal Sciences (Ph.D.)
Advisor: Joel Caton
Presentation: Effects of Maternal Nutrition on Fructose, Glucose, and Cationic Amino Acid Transporter Expression in Bovine Utero-placental Tissues from Days 16 to 50 of Gestation
Farnaz Fouladi
Program: Pharmaceutical Sciences (Ph.D.)
Advisor: Kristine Steffen
Presentation: The Role of the Gut Bacteria in Sustained Weight Loss after Gastric Bypass Surgery
Babak Jahani
Program: Mechanical Engineering (Ph.D.)
Advisor: Fardad Azarmi
Presentation: Development of an Advanced Composite Material Consisting of Iron Matrix Reinforced with Ultra High Temperature Ceramic Particulate (TiB2) with Optimum Properties
Xiaoxia Li
Program: Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering (Ph.D.)
Advisor: Canan Bilen-Green
Presentation: A Semiparametric Trajectory Model for Cognitive Decline
Brian Schmidt
Program: Advanced Athletic Training (M.S.)
Advisor: Shannon David
Presentation: Psychometric Evaluation of Two Self-Reported Questionnaires for Musculoskeletal Injuries Among Musicians
J Stanley
Program: Plant Sciences (M.S.)
Advisor: Hans Kandel
Presentation: Soybean Yield Gap in North Dakota
Masahiro Toyama
Program: Developmental Science (Ph.D.)
Advisor: Heather Fuller
Presentation: The Protective Power of Social Relationships in Late Life
2016 Champion:
Manpreet Bains
Program: Molecular Pathogensis (Ph.D.)
Advisor: Glenn Dorsam
Presentation: Modulatory Effects of Neural Proteins on Your Microbiome
Other 2016 Finalists:
Sajid Asif
Program: Electrical and Computer Engineering (Ph.D.)
Advisor: Banjamin Braaten
Presentation: Batteryless, Leadless Pacemaker
Renee Bourdeaux
Program: Communication (Ph.D.)
Advisor: Ann Burnett
Presentation: Financial Conversations Between Romantic, Committed Partnerships
Lauren Dennhardt
Program: Botany (Ph.D.)
Advisor: Steven Travers
Presentation: Kentucky Bluegrass Invasion of North Dakota
Prajakta Kulkarni
Program: Pharmaceutical Sciences (Ph.D.)
Advisor: Sanku Mallik
Presentation: Pancreatic Cancer Treatment
Courage Mudzongo
Program: Developmental Science (Ph.D.)
Advisor: Brandy Randall
Presentation: Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health: Lessons from an Urban Adolescent Population
2015 Champion:
Allison Peltier
Program: Nursing (DNP)
Advisor: Loretta Heuer
Presentation: Cervical Cancer Among American Indian Women: The Battle Against Health Inequalities
Other 2015 Finalists:
Lutfur Akand
Program: Civil Engineering (Ph.D.)
Advisor: Mijia Yang
Presentation: Exploring fiber reinforced porous concrete with finite element modeling and experimental studies
Adam Edwinson
Program: Molecular Pathogenesis (Ph.D.)
Advisor: John McEvoy
Presentation: Host mucins trigger replication of a pathogentic parasite
Venkata Indurthi
Program: Pharmaceutical Sciences (Ph.D.)
Advisor: Stefan Vetter
Presentation: Diabetes, high blood sugar, and protein modifications
Courage Mudzongo
Program: Developmental Science (Ph.D.)
Advisor: Brandy Randall
Presentation: Short-Term Mission Trips