Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Faculty of Applied Sciences

FAS Three Minute Thesis

The Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition challenges graduate students to present their thesis and its significance in just three minutes and one slide. The competition cultivates students' academic, presentation, and research communication skills, and celebrates exciting graduate research taking place at Simon Fraser University. Students in thesis and non-thesis based graduate programs in computing science, engineering science, mechatronics and sustainable energy engineering are invited to participate in the Faculty of Applied Sciences (FAS) heat for a chance to win cash prizes and advance to the SFU Final.

In 2022 the FAS heat will be held asynchronously, where student presentation videos will be posted on this webpage for online judging.

Prizes:
First Place - $600*
Runner Up - $200*
People's Choice Award - $200

*The top two winners determined by the judge's scoring will advance to the SFU Final to compete for $1000 and the chance to represent SFU at the Western Regional and National Competitions.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at fasevent@sfu.ca. Learn more at SFU's 3MT website.

3MT Results!

Thank you to all the amazing graduate student contestants and congratulations to the FAS 3MT winners.

Winners:
First Place - Oz Oren
Runner Up - Adlin Alwyn
People's Choice Award - Afagh Mohagheghi

The top two winners determined by the judge's scoring will advance to the SFU Final on April 6, 2022 to compete for $1000 and the chance to represent SFU at the Western Regional and National Competitions.

Engineering science MASc student Ghazal Mirabnahrazam was announced as the first-place winner of the 2022 3MT Wildcard Heat. She will also advance to the SFU final to represent FAS along with Oren and Alwyn.

SFU 3MT Final Update:

This year two FAS students took home prizes at the 2022 Three Minute Thesis (3MT) SFU Final. Mechatronics MASc student Adlin Alwyn was announced as the runner up, with Engineering MASc student Ghazal Mirabnahrazam voted as the People's Choice winner.

2022 Competition Student Presentations

Runner Up

Adlin Alwyn - Mechatronic Systems Engineering MASc Student

Does a Robot Waving at You on the Beach Help the Earth?

Mayur Mallya - Computing Science MSc Student
 

Multimodal Guidance for Medical Image Classification

First Place Winner

Oz Oren - Sustainable Energy Engineering MASc Student

Developing a High Efficiency Wood Burning Stove

Weina Jin - Computing Science PhD Student
 

Physician-Centric Explainable Artificial Intelligence

People's Choice Winner

Afagh Mohagheghi - Mechatronic Systems Engineering PhD Student

Intelligent Lighting and Monitoring Systems for Urban Horticulture

Navid Balazadeh Meresht - Sustainable Energy Engineering PhD Student

Natural Gas HPDI Engine Modeling for Long-hauling Commercial Trucks

Reza Farzam - Sustainable Energy Engineering PhD Student

Hydrogen-Diesel Dual-Fuel Engines; Modelling and Analysis

Judges

Dr. Brian Fraser 

Senior Lecturer, School of Computing Science

Dr. Brian Fraser is a senior lecturer in the software systems program for the School of Computing Science at SFU’s Surrey campus. Fraser earned his PhD in artificial intelligence from SFU and worked in industry as a software developer for 10 years. He uses his industry experience to help make each of his courses teach practical skills and inspire students to do professional quality work. He teaches courses in software engineering and embedded systems.

Dr. Teresa Cheung

Assistant Professor of Professional Practice, School of Engineering Science

Dr. Teresa Cheung is an assistant professor of professional practice at SFU’s School of Engineering Science. She earned her PhD in physics from SFU and postdoctoral training from the University of Cambridge, with which she works to develop magnetoencephalography (MEG) methods for imaging and modeling cognitive processes in the brain and advances in MEG instrumentation. Cheung is also the head of the MEG program at SFU’s ImageTech Lab at Surrey Memorial Hospital.

Dr. Carolyn Sparrey

Associate Professor, School of Mechatronic Systems Engineering

Dr. Carolyn Sparrey is an associate professor at SFU’s School of Mechatronic Systems Engineering, leads SFU’s NeuroSpine Lab and is the scientific director of SFU’s Image Tech Lab at Surrey Memorial Hospital. Additionally, she investigates spinal cord injuries with the International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD) as the research centre’s principal investigator. Sparrey’s research focuses on biomechanics and biomaterials. She earned her BASc from the University of Waterloo and her MASc from the University of British Columbia before completing her PhD in mechanical engineering from UC Berkeley and a post-doctoral fellowship in neurological surgery from UC San Francisco.

Dr. Sami Khan

Assistant Professor, School of Sustainable Energy Engineering

Dr. Sami Khan is an assistant professor at SFU’s School of Sustainable Energy Engineering where he teaches both graduate and undergraduate courses in energy engineering and leads the Engineered Interfaces for Sustainable Energy (EISEn) multidisciplinary research group interested in clean energy solutions in remote Canadian communities. A chemical engineer by training from the University of Toronto, Khan’s motivation to use his engineering knowledge to impact policymaking subsequently led him to pursue a masters’ degree in technology and policy and a PhD in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Please note that the judging panel will be required to report any conflicts of interest and not score presentations of students they are supervising.

Past Events

In 2021, we ran the competition in a virtual and asynchronous format, which required participants to submit video recordings of their three minute presentation. See last year's presentations, judging panel, and news story.