Nine University of Notre Dame graduate students will compete for $4,500 in prize money during the annual Shaheen Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition. The competition will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday (Feb. 28) inside Jordan Auditorium at the Mendoza College of Business on campus. It is open to the public.

Sponsored by the Graduate School, Graduate Student Government and the Meruelo Family Center for Career Development, 3MT is an academic competition that challenges graduate students to explain their research to a broad audience in three minutes or less, offering alumni, industry partners, various campus departments/institutes and the broader community the chance to learn about cutting-edge research at Notre Dame.

“3MT is a fantastic opportunity for graduate students across the University to convey their enthusiasm for their research and its impact on the world,” said Michael Hildreth, associate provost and vice president for graduate studies, professor of physics and astronomy and dean of the Graduate School. “I am always so impressed by the breadth of their studies and the excellence of their work. And, they are all so articulate. Everyone should come out to see this event.”

This year’s finalists are Cynthia Chen (chemical and biomolecular engineering), Liliya Chernysheva (civil and environmental engineering and earth sciences), Henry Downes (economics), Nicholas Herrud (history), Kurt Kohler (biological sciences), Josephine Lechartre (peace studies and political science), Hoon Lee (aerospace and mechanical engineering), Gowthami Mahendran (chemistry and biochemistry), and Amandhi Mathews (biological sciences).

The judges are Monica Arul Jayachandran, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at Virginia Tech; Jeff Rea, president and CEO of the South Bend Regional Chamber; Essaka Joshua, professor of English and former associate dean of the College of Arts and Letters at Notre Dame; Michael Hildreth, vice president and associate provost, dean of the Graduate School and professor of physics at Notre Dame; and K. Matthew Dames, the Edward H. Arnold Dean of Hesburgh Libraries at Notre Dame.