Justin Beltz, a PhD Candidate in the Chemistry Department, came in 1st place at the Missouri S&T 3-Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition on Thursday, November 7th 2019. During the 3MT competition, participants have just three minutes to explain the fullness and significance of their research project to a non-specialist audience. Out of 13 talented contestants, Beltz wowed the judges with his fascinating research presentation entitled “Eye drops for non-invasive prevention of cataracts.” His concise and effective representation of his research and his charismatic presentation allowed him to take home the 1st place position.

The Runner-Up for the year’s competition was Sherif Fakher, PhD in Petroleum Engineering, who presented on “The Utilization of Carbon Dioxide to Increase Oil Recovery from Unconventional Shale Reservoirs and Reduce the Environmental Impact”. Alex Douglas, PhD candidate in Mining Engineering, was voted as the year’s People’s Choice Award Recipient after his presentation on “Big Data Approach to Road Maintenance”.

Beltz will move on to represent Missouri S&T at the regional 3MT competition on April 3rd in Milwaukee, WI at the annual meeting of the Midwest Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS). Graduate students from across the region will present their research and compete for a spot at the National competition.