CAS CONNECT 2015

PHOTO / JAMIE HADWIN PHOTO / JAMIE HADWIN 43 UNDERGRADUATE 3MT ® COMPETITION Rogers, who graduated in May with a bachelor’s in biologi- cal science, knew from personal experience that undergraduate research often was not recognized on the same level as graduate research. So how could the student council best showcase the undergraduate research at OSU? “As far as we knew, it [an under- graduate 3MT ® Competition] had never been done here, and it may not have been done anywhere else other than Australia,” Rogers says. “In showcasing these students, we were putting on display the future of research. We believed we should provide any and every opportunity to help students develop themselves personally and professionally.” The first 3MT ® Competition began at the University of Queensland, Australia, in 2008 as a research communication skills development activity. Students had only three minutes and one static slide to convey their research and its importance to a non-specialist, but educated, audience. Graduate programs across the globe soon began hosting their own 3MT ® Competitions based on this model. microbiology sophomore, received first place and $1,000 for his research on the effects of glycosylation on muscular dystrophy patients. The OSU Graduate College began hosting its graduate-level 3MT ® Competition in 2012, enjoying spon- sorship from Halliburton for the past three years. For the 2015 A&S Undergraduate 3MT ® Competition, ConocoPhillips stepped in as a sponsor. ConocoPhillips’ sponsorship and assis- tance from the Dean’s Scholarship and Excellence Fund provided the scholar- ship money and a reception. The Autumn Arts Gala and the A&S Undergraduate 3MT ® Competition are to become annual events. While the gala is more familiar to the college with its visual and performing arts theme, there is hope to expand the research competition. “For the 3MT ® Competition, I’d like to see the competitors expand to different areas and see a larger vari- ety of applicants,” 2015-2016 coun- cil President Carlie Pearson says. “I’m really excited, especially for the gala, because it went so well last year even with all the other events that were going on. I think we can have an even bigger audience this year.” PHOTO / JAMIE HADWIN After receiving permission to use the 3MT ® Competition format for undergraduates, the council opened the application process for College of Arts & Sciences students. In its first year, almost 40 undergraduate students applied. After narrowing the field down to 13 through prelim- inary rounds, the council was ready to proceed with the final round. On the evening of Feb. 19, a panel of alumni judges and a large audience listened as the 13 finalists explained their research. After the students had presented, the audience participated in a Q&A session with Dr. Toby Nelson of the OSU chem- istry department, who is researching synthesized conducting plastics for sustainable energy. Scholarship money was awarded to the first-through fifth-place winners. Ahmad Jamaleddine, a