The 3MT goal is to help Ph.D. students focus on transforming years of complex scientific inquiry into a three-minute summary that is understood by laypeople who may not have a formal technical background.
In a world where tweets convey stories and soundbites define narratives, the U-M Engineering Graduate Symposium rewards succinct scholarly communication with its Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition.
Rebecca Pereles, a Ph.D. student in the Shea Lab, recently won the Fundamental Science Award during the 2025 Michigan Engineering event. “I registered for the competition because I wanted to practice my public speaking,” Pereles said. “I haven’t had a lot of opportunities to do that so far. My research involves long-term experiments, and I felt like I didn’t have a full story to tell until recently.” Amani Djouadi and Meghan Brucker-Hahn also represented Biomedical Engineering in the 2025 competition.
The 3MT goal is to help Ph.D. students focus on transforming years of complex scientific inquiry into a three-minute summary that is understood by laypeople who may not have a formal technical background. The emphasis is on brevity and clarity, where the clock is the main competitor to beat. The task is simple yet challenging—deliver research explanations in a jargon-reduced, conversational way. The Michigan Engineering event is modeled on the 3MT which originated at The University of Queensland in 2008. The global popularity of the competition has increased, and 3MT competitions are now held in more than 900 universities across more than 85 countries worldwide.
Pereles’ research with the Shea Lab focuses on a microporous scaffold, a biomaterial with tiny pores that allow cells to grow into them post-implantation. “In breast cancer, tumor cells dysregulate cells all throughout our body,” she noted, “so just looking at the breast cancer cells doesn’t tell us everything about the disease.” Her research uses the scaffold to examine not just tumor cells but also immune cells, enabling more accurate assessments of disease staging and progression. The findings hold promise for improved clinical decision-making, with the project now seeking FDA approval for human applications.
“For the three-minute thesis, it was challenging to distill a complex topic into such a short presentation, more so than I initially expected,” Pereles said. “The focus had to be on making complex science accessible.” Her approach was rigorous; she drafted scripts to simplify scientific jargon and rehearsed with fellow lab mates, even consulting family to ensure her explanations resonated with those outside the scientific community.
Pereles also emphasized the importance of spontaneity. “I was worried about memorizing the script, so I actually picked out key items that I wanted to say,” she added. “Each time I practiced, the presentation changed a little, which helped me stay more conversational and less robotic.”
The journey through the 3MT was not just a test of Pereles’ public-speaking skills. “This was great for building my confidence,” she said. “I demonstrated to myself that I can do hard things, and people are interested in what I have to say.” She added that it has inspired her to engage more actively with upcoming conferences, such as the Biomedical Engineering Society annual conference in San Diego in October.
Winning the Fundamental Science Award, which came with a $3,000 prize split between personal use and research funding, was a “shocking” surprise. “I couldn’t believe they announced my name, but I was very, very honored,” she said. “Without this experience, I don’t know if I would even be applying now to future conferences or submitting abstracts.”
Pereles’ advice for fellow students pondering similar competitions is succinct: “Go for it. The worst that can happen is you don’t win, but you learn something. A competition like this is a great way to step out of your comfort zone and show that your research matters.” She emphasized the importance of effective communication as a researcher, noting that “science is all about communication. Your research doesn’t go anywhere if it just stays with you.”
In her reflections, Pereles expressed gratitude for the support she received. “My advisor, Dr. Lonnie Shea, has been really great at helping me see the bigger picture of my research. All of my lab members are just incredible, offering advice and laughter.” She also thanked the College of Engineering for facilitating an accessible competition that provided an on-site event in Ann Arbor in which students with busy schedules were able to participate without needing to travel.