Grand champion at the 3MT competition at MSU
January 23, 2015
“Communication – the human connection – is the key to personal and career success,” Paul J. Meyer said. Effective communication is a key skill for all career fields, and engineering is no exception. By successfully combining communication with engineering, Mukti Patel, a doctoral student in mechanical engineering,, was named grand champion and awarded $1,000 at the 3 Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition at Mississippi State. The competition challenged Patel to deliver a brief presentation on her research topic “Designing Third Generation Steel for Future Ground Vehicle” in just three minutes.
Three Minute Thesis is a research communication competition developed by The University of Queensland in Australia for graduate students,. In three minutes, participants must present a compelling and comprehensive summary of their thesis and its significance. A 3MT® competition was organized by the graduate school at Mississippi State, and graduate students with diverse research topics and concentrations participated in the competition. Patel was named grand champion out of the 28 participants and will represent MSU in the Southeastern Conference competition in 2015.
After finishing high school in Nashik, India, in 2009, Patel packed her bags to begin her journey at Mississippi State.
“Interest to pursue a career in physics and math-related fields brought me here, to one of the finest engineering schools in the United States,” Patel said.
Patel earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Mississippi State in May 2014. She said she has thoroughly enjoyed the mechanical engineering program at Bagley College of Engineering, especially courses related to material science, which is also her area of pursuit towards a doctoral degree.
“Some of the many reasons of why I stayed at MSU to pursue a doctoral degree is that we have a very distinguished engineering program and an extensive research environment supported by a very talented faculty who prioritize student learning,” Patel said.
Patel’s current research is on designing third generation advanced high strength steel, which is projected to have applications in the automobile industry. This cost-effective lightweight steel will have the potential to make automobiles more fuel efficient and safer for passengers while reducing the carbon footprint of the vehicle. She is currently being supervised by Dr. Haitham El Kadiri, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering.
“I am very enthusiastic about my research and how it will impact the future by providing better and environmentally friendly solutions to one of the fastest growing industry,” Patel said.