鶹ýӳ Student Places Second at 3MT® Competition
鶹ýӳ’s Omair Faqah, a Ph.D. candidate in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, recently took second place in the statewide Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) Competition.
鶹ýӳ’s Omair Faqah, a Ph.D. candidate in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, recently took second place in the statewide Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) Competition.
Faqah was awarded for his thesis, “Shrinking the Lab: HIV Testing Anytime, Anywhere,” that he presented against fellow statewide entrants at the 2025 Conference of Florida Graduate Schools, in which 鶹ýӳ served as the host site.
Not only was Faqah chosen as the 3MT® runner-up, he also placed in the People’s Choice category, winning a total of $500. He also recently won the 2025 鶹ýӳ 3MT® competition.
“The 3MT® experience gave me a platform to show how accessible, rapid HIV testing can make a real difference,” said Faqah. “Placing runner-up and winning the people’s choice award at the state level was exciting, but more than that, understanding my work from the users’ perspective, rather than just focusing on my technical work, further reinvigorated me in my approach to the project with renewed enthusiasm. I’m thankful for the mentorship of Dr. Waseem Asghar and proud to share this work.”
For this statewide 3MT® competition, 鶹ýӳ presented their research evaluated by a panel of staff from Florida graduate schools, to a live audience. A separate panel of graduate school staff served as judges for a poster competition in which 鶹ýӳ student Kathy Altidor, from the College of Education, won in the “Arts, Humanities and Communication” category that came with a $200 prize.
“We are incredibly proud of our graduate 鶹ýӳ and the remarkable talent they bring to Florida Atlantic,” said , Ph.D., dean of the Graduate College and associate vice president of academic affairs at the John D. MacArthur Campus in Jupiter. “To see two of our own recognized at the statewide level is a testament to the strength of our programs, the dedication of our faculty and the hard work of our 鶹ýӳ. Their success reflects the excellence we strive for across the Graduate College.”
鶹ýӳ 3MT® and Poster Competition are venues for graduate 鶹ýӳ from various disciplines to interact with one another and discuss their research and its implications. These competitions provide opportunities for undergraduates, alumni, industry partners, various on-campus departments, institutions and the community to gain exposure to high-level, cutting-edge research at 鶹ýӳ. For more information on 3MT®, visit . For the Poster Competition, visit here, and for CFGS 2025, visit here.
-鶹ýӳ-
Tags: engineering | science | 鶹ýӳ | graduate college