The University 3MT Final was held last Friday 29 August, where six of our finalists presented their research in just three minutes, competing for the top spot and a chance to represent Flinders University at the Asia-Pacific Finals. We had an amazing audience of over 100 people attending either in person or online showing their support, and a total of 112 votes were received for the People’s Choice award.
Congratulations to Cate Sexton from the College of Science and Engineering, who has taken out the top prize in the 2025 3MTCompetition! Cate’s captivating presentation, “Meet me here: stories, fossils and deep time”, impressed the judges with its clarity, creativity, and impact—earning her the first-place award of $2000. Cate will now go on to represent Flinders University at the Asia-Pacific 3MT Final in October. We wish her all the best as she shares her research with a broader audience across the region!
We also extend our congratulations to:
- Cassandra Quarisa from the College of Education, Psychology and Social Work, who was awarded Runner-Up, and
- Stefano Zaccagnini from the College of Medicine and Public Health, who won the People’s Choice Award, and
- all our amazing finalists, who put a lot of effort and practice into their presentations, showcasing the incredible breadth and depth of research being undertaken by our HDR students.
A big thanks also to Thomas Beltrame, the 2024 University Winner, for his guidance and support of all our participants this year, and our panel of expert industry judges, who had the very difficult job of picking a winner:
- Dr Ellen Schuller, Manager Programs, Research and Innovation, Department of State Development
- Mr Gary Andrew, Managing Director, Vawt-X Energy Australia
- Dr Scott Grist, Director, Gnomix
2025 University Final Winners: (from left to right) Gary Andrews (industry judge), Scott Grist (industry judge), Cassandra Quarisa (University Runner-Up), Cate Sexton (University Winner), Dr Ellen Schuller (industry judge), Stefano Zaccagnini (University People’s Choice Winner).
2025 University Finalists: (from left to right) Cassandra Quarisa (University Runner-Up), Cate Sexton (University Winner), Gary Andrews (industry judge), Scott Grist (industry judge), Dr Ellen Schuller (industry judge), Stefano Zaccagnini (University People’s Choice Winner), Marissa Bertram (Finalist), Rebekah O’Loughlin (Finalist), Tim Cavagnaro (MC, PVC Research Training and Capabilities and Dean of Graduate Research), Ruth Canty (Finalist) online.
We had a great time celebrating all our competitors at the Finalists Reception. Big thank you to all the supervisors, friends and staff who came to celebrate our finalists.
Want to learn more? You can read more about this year’s finalists here, and videos of the presentations will be available soon on the 3MT website.
