Faculty of Applied Sciences

Graduate students compete in the annual FAS Three Minute Thesis competition

March 04, 2024

The annual Faculty of Applied Sciences Three Minute Thesis (3MT) was held in-person, with students, faculty and staff gathering at SFU’s Big Data Hub to watch participants compete. A total of twelve students from our schools of computing science, engineering science, mechatronic systems engineering and sustainable energy engineering, participated in the faculty heat.

Unlike other academic competitions, 3MT invites graduate students to effectively present and communicate their research within a significant time constraint. With three minutes and using only one slide, participants are asked to present their findings in front of a panel of judges and an audience.

Sustainable energy engineering MASc student Omar Nemir was awarded first place. His research focuses on combating climate change through capturing carbon dioxide in micro-engineered textures. He captivated the audience by using the diving bell spider in his presentation to demonstrate how they can capture air bubbles under water so they can breathe.

Sustainable energy engineering MASc student Muhammad Talha Usmani was announced as the runner up. His research focuses on how elastomeric piston seals are contributing towards making the mass deployment of hydrogen powered vehicles a reality.

Engineering science MASc student, Mateen Ulhaq drew a lot of interest and discussion in the audience with his research on smart codebooks for data compression. He received this year’s People’s Choice Award based on audience votes.

This year, all three winners have been invited to participate in the SFU final on April 4, 2024 where they will compete with students across the university for the chance to win $1000 and represent SFU at the Western Regional Competition.

Visit www.sfu.ca/fas/3mt for details from the FAS heat. For full details about the overall SFU competition, including the rules and event schedule, visit www.sfu.ca/3mt.