Chemistry’s Mahsa Lofti-Marchoobeh Wins Three Minute Thesis Final

Mahsa Lotfi-Marchoobeh delivers her 3MT presentation to the audience.

Mahsa Lotfi-Marchoobeh is the winner of the University of Arkansas Three Minute Thesis competition. She earned the top prize for her presentation A Miniaturized Neural Probe for Detection of Chemicals in the Brain.

As the top finisher, Lotfi-Marchoobeh won $750 and entry to the Conference of Southern Graduate Schools’ regional Three Minute Thesis contest.

Lotfi-Marchoobeh is a doctoral student in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and is advised by Ingrid Fritsch. In the regional contest Lotfi-Marchoobeh will compete against roughly 80 students from universities across the Southern Region. The contest will be held March 7 in Birmingham, Alabama.

Abass Oduola and Firuze Kordshuli tied for the People’s Choice award, voted on by members of the audience. They each won $500 for their presentations. Oduola, a cell and molecular biology doctoral student advised by Griffiths Atungulu, presented Impact of Selected Infrared Wavelengths on Inactivation of Microbes on Rough Rice. Kordshuli presented Incorporation of Cu-SIO2 Nano Particles in PDA/PTFE Thin Films, as part of her doctoral research in mechanical engineering with advisor Min Zou.

Lotfi-Marchoobeh, Oduola and Kordshuli were three of five students who earned a spot in the University of Arkansas final. Each student booked their spot in the final by winning contests in their academic colleges in February.

A version of this story also appeared in the U of A’s Newswire publication.