Jennifer Harrell, a Ph.D. student in biological sciences, earned first place in S&T’s 2025 Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition on Thursday, Nov. 6.

Harrell impressed the judges with her presentation, “Running on Empty: The Metabolic Price of Inadequate Sleep.” She will advance to the regional competition, where she will compete for a chance to present her research at the national level. The regional competition will be hosted by the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools in Kansas City in March 2026.

Effat Eskandari, a Ph.D. student in geological engineering and Kummer I&E Doctoral Fellow, was named runner-up for her presentation, “Healthy Soils, Healthy Future: Using Drones and Machine Learning to Transform Agriculture.” Eskandari will represent S&T at the regional competition should Harrell be unable to attend.

The People’s Choice Award went to Peter Ogunjinmi, a Ph.D. student in civil engineering, for his presentation, “Underwater Inspection of Bridge Scour Using Remotely Operated 3D Sonar Imaging.”

Additional finalists included Muhammad Haris Javed, Ph.D. student in civil engineering, and Mohsen Mohammadi Beirami, Ph.D. student in mechanical engineering. 

The finale was judged by John Butz, Rolla city administrator; Dr. Kate Drowne, assistant provost for faculty affairs and professor of English and technical communication; William Smith, director of engagement and belonging; Faith Barnes, Phelps County collector; and Angelica Nuno, senior assistant director of business administration.