• Charles Sturt University in Port Macquarie hosts the University’s finals of the Three-Minute Thesis (3MT)© competition on Thursday 8 August

The Charles Sturt University finals of the Three-Minute Thesis (3MT)© competition will be held at the University in Port Macquarie on Thursday 8 August.

The 3MT competition challenges university PhD students to present their research in just three minutes with a balance of technical depth and public accessibility while using only one projected PowerPoint graphic.

The Charles Sturt 3MT finals will select one of its PhD students to represent the University in the Australia-wide 3MT competition. The winner from that competition will then compete in the Asia-Pacific 3MT finals.

Director of External Engagement (Port Macquarie) Ms Kate Wood-Foye said, “We are excited to host the Charles Sturt University finals of the 3MT for the first time at the campus in Port Macquarie.

“Each year, thousands of PhD candidates from around the world, including from Charles Sturt University, compete in the 3MT competition to explain to a non-expert audience in plain language the premise of their research that will help to build stronger, healthier and more resilient communities for our future.”

The Charles Sturt 3MT finals will be judged by a panel of experts:

• Professor Sarah O’Shea, Charles Sturt Dean of Graduate Research
• Mr Stewart Dowrick, Chief Executive of Mid North Coast Local Health District 
• Mr Scott Castle, Conservation Manager with Koala Conservation Australia 

Among promising candidates from other Charles Sturt Faculties and Schools is Mr Mahir Habib (pictured left), a distinguished PhD candidate in the Charles Sturt School of Computing, Mathematics and Engineering in the Faculty of Business, Justice and Behavioural Sciences.

His PhD research and 3MT topic is ‘Revolutionising farming: streamlining livestock information through microservices software architecture’.

Mr Habib’s success in this competition so far reflects his exceptional ability to communicate complex research topics in a clear and engaging manner and make sophisticated concepts understandable for a diverse audience.

“This is a cutting-edge topic within the realm of software engineering and system design, which aims to address significant challenges in the management and sharing of livestock data through the development of innovative microservice-based frameworks,” Mr Habib said.

“By leveraging advanced technologies, I seek to improve data processing efficiency and scalability for agricultural applications.

“The project has already made a significant impact, with its concepts being implemented in several commercial applications launched by the industry partner, TerraCipher.

Mr Habib’s research is supervised by a distinguished team, including his principal supervisor Associate Professor Ashad Kabir and co-supervisor Professor Lihong Zheng. His project is funded by the Food Agility CRC in partnership with TerraCipher.

Mr Habib also acknowledged the invaluable support from the Charles Sturt University Gulbali Institute for Agriculture, Water and Environment, whose stipend fund has been instrumental in allowing him to focus on his research without financial strain.

“The Gulbali resources and encouragement have played a critical role in the success of my research and my personal growth as a scholar,” he said.

Other Charles Sturt PhD finalists are:

• Ms Ebony Schoenfeld, School of Agricultural, Environmental and Veterinary Sciences in the Faculty of Science and Health; ‘Using ultrasound on a dog's feet to find grass seeds’.

• Ms Kate Margetson, School of Education in the Faculty of Art and Education; ‘Moving beyond monolingual practices with multilingual children’.

• Ms Krystal Dacey, School of Agricultural, Environmental and Veterinary Sciences in the Faculty of Science and Health; ‘Spatial modelling for search and rescue’.

• Ms Diane Cass, School of Social Work and Arts in the Faculty of Art and Education; ‘Another gap to fill’.

• Ms Shauna McTernan, School of Agricultural, Environmental and Veterinary Sciences in the

Faculty of Science and Health; ‘Salmonella in horses: what’s the risk?’.

• Mr Murray Parker, School of Agriculture Environmental and Veterinary Sciences in the Faculty of Science and Health; ‘Sensory heritage of the urban environment – an exploration of the sensory and multisensory components of intangible heritage’.

• Ms Sara Esmaeili, School of Dentistry and Medical Sciences in the Faculty of Science and Health; ‘p53: A Target for Cancer Gene Therapy’.

The Charles Sturt 3MT finals are from 5pm to 7pm on Thursday 8 August with drinks and nibbles to follow, at the Charles Sturt University Theatre (Building 802.1020/102), 7 Major Innes Rd Port Macquarie. Please RSVP via Humanitix.

The event will also be livestreamed for those not able to attend in-person. Please register via Humanitix and the link will be emailed to you 24 hours prior to the event.

For more information, please contact CSU 3MT organisers.