Many University of North Texas doctoral students write dissertations that are 100 pages or longer. But here, UNT doctoral students will each have three minutes to explain his or her research in the hope of winning cash prizes, during the Toulouse Graduate School's Three Minute Thesis, or 3MT, competition.

The College of Science is very proud of Mehrnaz Moghimi, a graduate student working with Dr. Edward Mager of the UNT Biology Department, for excelling in the 2021 Spring 3MT Master's Competition and winning People's Choice!

"The 3MT competition was a challenging and completely new experience for me," said Mehrnaz. "I really enjoyed condensing and generalizing my research for a 3-minute talk. I am so honored to win the People's Choice category award. Thanks to everyone who supported me during this competition."

In addition to giving a three-minute oration, each student may use one PowerPoint slide to effectively explain the research methodology, major findings and relevance of the research to a general audience.

"This is an excellent opportunity for students to learn how to present research without using technical language," said Joseph Oppong, associate dean of research and professional development for the Toulouse Graduate School. "Three Minute Thesis is not dumbing down the research, but is challenging students to consolidate their discoveries and present them with credibility."

"I am happy to see the tradition of Biology students doing extremely well at the 3MT competition continue," said Dr. Jyoti Shah, Chair of the UNT Biological Sciences Department. "Looking forward to Mehrnaz's success motivating other students!"

The highlights from the 2021 competition can be watched via the Toulouse Graduate School's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AXLSuEpkkY