The Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition is a multinational event started by the University of Queensland in 2008. 3MT competitions are held in over 600 universities and institutions across 65 countries worldwide. This competition challenges graduate students to present their research in three minutes in a language that can be understood by a non-specialist audience and showcases students’ academic, presentation, and research communication skills.

America Sotero (second from the left) at the university wide 3MT final

America Sotero, M.S. student in biological engineering, won first place at the departmental level 3MT for the College of Engineering at the University of Arkansas and moved on to compete against other first place winners from their respective departments at the university wide final. America’s research was focused on the development of a portable impedance aptasensing system for rapid detection of Salmonella Typhimurium in poultry products.