Montana Tech Holds 3-Minute Thesis Challenge
11/16/2020
On October 28, 2020, Montana Technological University held its first-ever online 3-Minute Thesis Challenge (3-MT). The challenge saw eight graduate students compete for cash prizes and entry into the regional 3-Minute Thesis Challenge competition in March 2021. The 3-MT competition challenges graduate students to communicate their thesis project to non-experts in 3 minutes or less, using at most one slide. It is a national event, held on many university campuses, with campus winners proceeding to regional competitions and then a national competition.
This year’s competitors were Carson Bechtel, Prakash Gautam, Paul Helfrich, Sydney Jennings, Amanda Marinovich, Marshall Metcalf, David Rathgeber, and MD Salah Uddin.
Competitors were judged by: Dr. Les Cook, Chancellor, Montana Technological University; Dr. John Garic, Professor, Business & Information Technology, Montana Technological University; Dr. Jennifer Keane Dawes, Former Dean, Graduate School, University of Maryland Eastern Shore; and Dr. K. Jodi Gear, Equine Veterinarian, Medical Illustrator (retired).
David Rathgeber, a Materials Science doctoral student, placed first for his project titled, CFD Modeling of Large Diameter Horizontal Wellbores to Study the Effects of Drill Pipe Rotation on Cuttings Transport Efficiency.
Second place went to Ecological Restoration master’s student, Paul Helfrich, whose project is title, T. bryosalmonae: The PKD Organism.
Sydney Jennings, an interdisciplinary master’s student combining biochemistry, geochemistry and industrial hygiene, took home third place for her project titled, Protein Expression in Mammalian Cell Lines After Low-Level Metal Exposure.
Honorable mention honors went to Marshall Metcalf, a master’s student in General Engineering, for his project titled, Development of Laser-Assisted Fused Deposition Modeling Process Using ABS.
Rathgeber will compete in the Western Association of Graduate Schools 3-MT Competition to take place March 24, 2021 virtually.