CU Boulder doctoral student takes first prize in state 3MT competition for presentation on the urea molecule
Zach Schiffman (right) accepting a certificate recognizing his accomplishment.
Zach Schiffman, a doctoral candidate in chemistry, beat out participating universities within Colorado聽to win the state Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition last month. He won with his presentation, 鈥淭he Urea Molecule: From Fertilizer . . . to Climate Change?鈥�
This is the second win for Schiffman, who took first prize in the Graduate School鈥檚 annual 3MT competition earlier this year. As part of his winnings, he was then invited to represent the university at both the regional (Western Region of Graduate Schools) and state (Colorado Council of Graduate Schools) competitions.
The 3MT event, which began at the University of Queensland in 2008, challenges graduate students to describe their research within three minutes to a general audience. To prepare, CU Boulder graduate students participate in a series of workshops focusing on storytelling, writing, presentation skills and improvisation comedy techniques. The Graduate School then holds a preliminary competition to whittle down the competition to ten finalists, who participate in the final competition at the beginning of February.
More information about the 3MT competition, including how to get involved in the 2024鈥�25 school year, is available on the 3MT webpage.