KINGSTON, R.I. – April 25, 2025 — “Can you scare plants?,” asked the winner of this year’s Three Minute Thesis competition to an animated audience of more than 100 spectators at the University of Rhode Island Graduate School’s second annual 3MT event. In her winning presentation, Katherine Overstrum explained that based on her research, plants can indeed be scared and could grow differently when they detect the presence of something that could eat them. 

At this year’s finals, the audience in URI’s Avedisian Hall not only learned about plants, but also about the fascinating research of 10 graduate students from different disciplines who competed to take home $2,000 in prizes.

Overstrum, a master’s student in biological and environmental sciences, and two URI Ph.D. students were recognized for their ability to communicate their research effectively and concisely. Each graduate student who entered the competition was challenged to present the content and contributions of their research in a three-minute “elevator pitch” that attempted to capture the attention of a non-specialist audience in a vivid, cogent, jargon-free style – without reverting to academic language – while relying on a single static slide as a visual aid.  

“An 80,000-word Ph.D. thesis would take nine hours to present. Your time limit … 3 minutes,” according to the University of Queensland, which founded the 3MT competition in 2008. The competition is now replicated at over 900 universities around the world. The contest cultivates students’ academic, presentation, and research communication skills.

At URI’s finals in March, Overstrum captured first place and $1,000 prize. Retno Wulan Septiani, a Ph.D. candidate in civil and environmental engineering, was awarded runner up ($500), and the People’s Choice Award ($500 prize) went to Ololade Gbadebo, a Ph.D. candidate who is studying biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences.

“I was incredibly proud of all the participants in this year’s competition. Every finalist brought forward work that was not only impressive but inspiring,” said URI President Marc Parlange, who was one of five judges of the finals. “Their research and creativity exemplify the very best of the University. Every presentation was outstanding, and this initiative truly highlights the depth of talent and innovation thriving across our graduate community.”

Overstrum’s first-place presentation presented her research into “the ecology of fear.” According to Overstrum, participating in the competition has helped improve her science communication skills. “I am in the process of writing up my first publication, and 3MT really helped me to nail down the narrative that I want to follow for that — of course that will include a lot more detail,” she said. “It was also really fun to explain my work to people from outside of my discipline, that opportunity doesn’t come around too often for me in a formal setting.”

Septiani took second place for her presentation, “Monitoring Carbon in the Coastal Waters Through Satellite.” Her hydrological modeling research focuses on carbon concentration and rainfall data, and the effects of freshwater browning on the environment.

In his presentation, Gbadebo focused on his research in medicinal chemistry and pharmacognosy. Gbadebo’s Ph.D. thesis — “Membrane Vesicles as Courier Agents for Bacterial Communication and Antibiotic Delivery” — explores the chemical ecology of marine bacteria and antimicrobial specialized metabolites. 

“Graduate programs are the secret sauce that makes URI such a great place to study and work, and the Three-Minute Thesis competition was an incredible opportunity to showcase the innovative work that our graduate students do every day,” said Professor of Chemistry and Graduate School Dean Brenton DeBoef.

DeBoef judged this year’s finals, along with Parlange; Brian Krueger, associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences; Christopher Lavan, associate vice provost for the advancement of teaching and learning; and Samantha Meenach, associate professor in the College of Engineering.

Visit the Three-Minute Thesis Competition page to see the list of finalists and view the winners’ presentations.

This story was written by Natalie Lundsteen, a graduate career advisor in the Graduate School.