Student Wins $400 Prize for Three Minute Thesis Pitch on Mosquitofish

Tanja Zerulla, a Biological Sciences graduate student, won $400 for being first place and people's choice at the Three Minute Thesis competition. Anna Radinsky/PantherNOW

Guido Gonzalez & Anna Radinsky/PantherNOW Staff

Speaking to a large audience, dwarfed by a massive screen while standing on the vast stage of an auditorium, 10 graduate students delivered a speech detailing their academic research within three minutes to win cash prizes.

FIU’s Graduate School hosted the Three Minute Thesis competition at the Student Academic Success Center, where the participants were reviewed by a judging panel and a timer.

The competitors were judged on their ability to communicate their research in an understandable, precise and engaging way.

The winner of both first place and people’s choice, a cash prize of $300 and $100 respectively, was Biological Sciences graduate student Tanja Zerulla.

Zerulla’s presentation, “Color Morphs of Eastern Mosquitofish Respond Differently to Socially Relevant Cues,” focused on the studies of different social behavior between mosquitofish with light and dark pigmentation.

Her research showed that large silver mosquitofish were aggressive toward smaller ones and made them submissive, while melanistic or spotted mosquitofish didn’t pick up on such social cues.

Zerulla hopes to use her research to help people struggling with social interaction, such as those with autism or ADHD.

When it came to deciding how to present her research, Zerulla went back to what made her enjoy the subject in the first place and had four different versions of her speech to choose from.

“I started studying fish because I like fish and the story I told just ended up having a lot more value than any other one,” she said.

Zerulla will use her $400 prize to buy a cake for her colleagues, cover travel expenses for conferences and buy more fish food.

“I’m just glad that I was able to share my research with a bigger audience than just the fish in my lab,” Zerulla said.

Sana Nasim, a Biological Engineering graduate student, won the second place prize of $200 on her research, “Phenotypic and Functional Characterization of Neural Crest Derived-Aortic Valve Interstitial Cells.”

Sana Nasim, a Biological Engineering graduate student, won the second place prize of $200 for her thesis on her research on elastin, a protein in connective tissue in the heart.

Even the master of ceremonies, Felecia Townsend, the Director of Operations at FIU’s Business Services, had trouble pronouncing the title of Nasim’s research.

“I have younger siblings and I always share my work with them to make sure that they can understand the basics of what I do. I always want to make sure that when I communicate my work anyone can understand it and the importance of it,” said Nasim.

Her research focuses on how elastin, a protein present in connective tissue, is regulated and formed in the heart.

Nasim hopes her research will help better understand cardiac issues, being one of the leading causes of death in the U.S., according to the American Heart Association.

Public speaking is the biggest phobia among Americans, according to The Washington Post. Delivering a speech in front of an audience naturally requires practice and an increase in confidence. 

Nasim gave some simple yet crucial advice on dealing with that fear.

“Keep practicing, go out there and don’t be afraid to talk about your research because what you do in the corner of your lab is very very important,” she said. 

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