Five Boise State University graduate students earned top honors at Boise State’s annual Three Minute Thesis competition, held Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025. In this highly competitive event, 14 graduate students from four academic colleges were tasked with presenting their graduate research in just three minutes – a challenge equivalent to summarizing an 80,000-word paper in the time it takes to brew a cup of coffee.
Holly Olvera, a doctoral student of biomedical engineering, claimed first place for her presentation, “Common Infant Product Materials Negatively Impact Breathing.” Thomas Wenzel, a master’s student of kinesiology earned second place for his work. Mia Toronto, a doctoral student of biomolecular sciences finished in third place, while Aman KC, a doctoral student of geophysics took fourth. Colin Martin, a master’s student of biology, was selected as the audience choice winner.
The top four students will represent Boise State at the statewide Three Minute Thesis competition in Coeur d’Alene on Feb. 17. There, the students will compete against peers from Idaho State University and the University of Idaho for the chance to win top in state honors.
The statewide competition will be streamed online at 2 p.m. MST, offering the public an opportunity to support Boise State’s talented graduate students. More details about the statewide competition will be posted soon on the Boise State Three Minute Thesis website.