By Brandon Chapman, College of Education
Xinyue (Sheena) Dong has won this year’s Three Minute Thesis (3MT) event, held on Wed., March 27.
Dong is a pharmaceutical sciences doctoral student at WSU Spokane in the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Her presentation was titled “Drug Delivery Strategies to Overcome the Blood Brain Barrier.”
This is the fifth year 3MT has taken place at the university level. Each competitor must present their research in no more than three minutes. Judges rate their performance on ability to connect with the audience, as well as present the technical details of their research in a way non-specialized audiences can understand.
Colleges and campuses held their own events, and the nine finalists squared off in the university-wide competition.
In the end, with a presentation one judge deemed to have “just the right amount of humor,” it was Dong whom judges thought stood out the most.
However, President Kirk Schulz, who was a judge for the second year in a row, said all the 3MT presentations were top-notch.
“Every participant did an exceptional job at communicating their research with clarity and passion,” he said. “I’m glad this is an official part of Academic Showcase.”
Winners receive travel grants, sponsored by the Office of the Provost. Dong’s award is $3,000. Second place, won by Ayumi Manawadu from the Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture, is $1,500. Third place, won by Srijanie Dey from WSU Vancouver, is $500.
The College of Education administered this year’s 3MT competition. More information can found at WSU’s 3MT website.
