Finalists have been determined for the Graduate School's first-annual Three Minute Thesis competition. The contest is set for 1 p.m. on Friday, March 11, in Graduate Education Building room 0166.

Finalists were determined in preliminary heats held in each academic college last week. The first place winners earned $200 and a place in the March 11 contest. The runners up took home $100.

Winners are:

First Place

• Saif Mir, doctoral student in supply chain management, Sam M. Walton College of Business Administration; his adviser is John Aloysius
• Richard Perry, doctoral student in kinesiology, College of Education and Health Professions; his adviser is Tyrone Washington
• Arley Ward, doctoral student in history, J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences; his adviser is Michael Pierce
• Brynn Lawrence, master's student in cell and molecular biology, Interdisciplinary Graduate Programs; her adviser is Kenneth Korth
• Gurshagan Kandhola, doctoral student in biological engineering, College of Engineering; her adviser is Danielle Julie Carrier
• Jade Newsome, master's student in plant pathology, Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences; her adviser is Kenneth Korth

Second Place

• Siqi Ma, doctoral student in supply chain management, Sam M. Walton College of Business Administration; her adviser is John Aloysius
• Sivan Tuchman, doctoral student in education policy, College of Education and Health Professions; her adviser is Patrick Wolf
• Matthew Moudy, doctoral student in chemistry, J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences; his adviser is Wesley Stites
• Sowmya Sivakumar, master's student in cell and molecular biology, Interdisciplinary Graduate Programs; her adviser is Paul Adams
• Amir ali Ghaharikermani, doctoral student in industrial engineering, College of Engineering; his adviser is Ed Pohl
• Bri Neumann, master's student in food science, Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences; her adviser is Jamie Baum

The top finishers in the university-wide contest will vie for $500 and a trip to compete in the Conference of Southern Graduate Schools Three Minute Thesis competition in February 2017.

All members of the campus community are invited to attend the March 11 final. Members of the audience will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite presentation. The People's Choice winner will be awarded $250.

The academic contest challenges graduate students to summarize their thesis or dissertation research within three minutes to a general audience.

Presenters are judged on their ability to help audience members comprehend their research and their ability to engage the audience. In addition to the three-minute time limit, participants may use one static PowerPoint slide.

The Three Minute Thesis was founded by the University of Queensland in 2008. The event will serve as the capstone to Graduate Education Week, which kicks off March 7.