For most PhD candidates, completing their thesis is a culmination of years of grueling research, hundreds of meticulously written pages and hours of stressful dissertation defenses. The average 80,000-word PhD dissertation can be so dense that it would take about nine hours to present orally.
So try sprinting through it in three pressure-packed minutes—while a large digital clock counts down in front of you.
That was the seemingly impossible task taken up by the George Washington University PhD students who participated in the recent 7th annual Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition. The high-speed contest challenged students to swiftly summarize their research in language that was engaging and appropriate to a non-specialist audience—with cash prizes and a spot in a national competition at stake.
This year’s first place winner was Natalie Boyle, a fourth-year neuroscience PhD candidate in the Columbian College of Arts & Sciences (CCAS). For her project, “Rewiring the Brain: Motor Training as a Therapy for Rett Syndrome,” Boyle received $1,000 in prize money and will have the opportunity to compete in the Northeastern Association of Graduate Schools (NAGS) regional tournament this spring.
“Students, the bar for you has already been set high,” said Suresh Subramaniam, vice provost for graduate and postdoctoral affairs, in welcoming the 23 PhD candidate contestants from five different schools. “Our last year’s 3MT winner, Leah Kaplan of SEAS [GW School of Engineering and Applied Science], went on to win the People’s Choice award at the [NAGS regional competition]. But I’m confident that you will do just as well, if not better, and I’m looking forward to a great competition.”
The contest, which was first launched in 2008 by the University of Queensland, is now held in nearly 1,000 academic institutions across more than 85 countries worldwide. The GW 3MT began as a CCAS competition in 2019. This year marked the second time students from all GW schools were eligible to participate. The event was livestreamed to more than 500 viewers in addition to the 40 audience members.
“We’re so proud of the important research being conducted by our doctoral students,” said CCAS Dean Paul Wahlbeck. “This contest showcases not only their scholarship, but also the critical ability to communicate effectively about their work. Congratulations to Natalie and to all those who stepped up to the challenge.”
Boyle also won the People’s Choice award—a $500 prize voted on by the 3MT audience members. “As a scientist, we tend to use very technical terms which do not necessarily translate to a broad audience,” she said. “Changing the way I think about my project and how to present it outside of the scientific community was a great exercise in science communication—and allowed me to think about the big picture of my work.”
Sarah Kleb, a third-year PhD candidate in the microbiology and immunology program within the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS) won the second place $750 prize for her project, “Investigating the Role of Adipocyte-Specific G Protein-Coupled Receptor 84 in Skin Wound Healing.”
The $500 third place prize went to PhD candidate Alex Edwards for his project on “Optimizing Inhibitory Cell Therapy to Treat Focal Epilepsy.” Edwards, Boyle and Kleb are all part of the interdisciplinary Integrated Biomedical Sciences program, a jointly administered SMHS and CCAS initiative that promotes scientific innovation and supports the education and advancement of early-career investigators.
“It is very exciting to see the accomplishments of these young scientists who represent the next generation of biomedical researchers,” said Professor of Neurology Alison K. Hall, SMHS’ senior associate dean for research.
One slide, no sounds!
The presentations were judged on criteria such as whether students clearly described their results and conclusions and whether they conveyed enthusiasm for the topic, captured the audience’s attention and exhibited sufficient stage presence.
Under contest rules, participants could display only a single static PowerPoint slide. They were prohibited from using sound, video or props. All presentations had to be in spoken word, with no raps, poems or songs allowed. Competitors who exceed the strict three-minute time limit could be automatically disqualified.
Boyle’s research involves Rett syndrome—a severe neurodevelopmental disorder that impairs neural communication among 1-in-10,000 girls every year. It can lead to the loss of motor function, social communication and cognition. Boyle is using a specialized motor training intervention to strengthen neural circuits and restore cognitive function in Rett syndrome sufferers. So far, her experiments have revealed that motor training reduces anxiety and improves spatial learning in genetically modified mice.
Kleb’s project looks at the role a protein called GPR84 in fat cells plays in the skin wound healing process. When genetically removing GPR84 from the fat cells of mice, Kleb saw significant delays in wound closure and the formation of blood vessels within the wound bed.
The long-term goal of her research, she said, is to identify potential targets for therapeutics to treat chronic, non-healing wounds.
“The next time you fall down and scrape your knee or burn your hand at the stove, remember to thank your fat cells for helping you heal,” she said.
Edwards’ project targets focal epilepsy, a treatment resistant version of the disorder in which seizures originate in one specific area of the brain. Focal epilepsy is caused by an imbalance between excitatory and inhibitory cells in the brain. “To conceptualize this idea, think of excitatory cells as telling the brain to go and inhibitory cells as telling the brain to stop,” Edwards explained. “When there is too much go and not enough stop, a seizure occurs.”
Efforts to correct the imbalance have been frustrated by the inhibitory cells’ tendency to migrate away from the affected areas. Edwards is working on a medical device called the Biocage that would stop inhibitory cell migration.
Other participants in the 3MT contest were: Mahdi Baghbanzadeh (health data science); Sydney Bornstein (epidemiology); Dex Burns (human and organizational learning); Morgan Byrne (health data science); Andre Calado (mechanical and aerospace engineering); Pamela Chansky (genomics and bioinformatics); Abdullah Clark (human and organizational learning); Jaci Dickerson (public administration and public policy); Michael Guy (early American history); Maheen Javaid (economics); Minsoo Khang (counselor education); Grey Maxson (health behavior); Oluwadamilola Oke (biomedical engineering); Brita Ostermeier (microbiology and immunology); Weijie Pan (systems engineering); Hasara Rathnasekara (economics); Awanti Shastri (biological sciences); Christine St. Pierre (exercise physiology and applied nutrition); Ben Tellie (curriculum and instruction); and Jiaxing Yang (electrical and computer engineering).
This year’s panel of judges were Udunopa Abalu, MA ’15, director of new business development at the International Development Group; Zhenyu Li, associate professor of biomedical engineering at the GW School of Engineering and Applied Science; Prachi Mahableshwarkar, PhD ’24, the second place finisher and People’s Choice winner at last year’s GW 3MT competition; CCAS Professor of History Daniel Schwartz; and Heather Young, professor of epidemiology, environmental and occupational health and vice chair of the Milken Institute School of Public Health.
Watch the Competition