Thirty-nine graduate students vied for fellowships as they explained their research in three minutes for a panel of judges on February 11, 2019. As students quickly summarized their research, judges scored the content and comprehension of the presentation, as well as students’ effective engagement and communication skills. Fifteen participants in the Vice President for Research 3-Minute Challenge were selected to become the next VPR Graduate Student Fellows, and Michael Nguyen-Truong, biomedical engineering graduate student, was one of them. He presented “Preparing Stem Cells in their Fight Against Heart Failure: What is their Ideal Niche?”

Nguyen-Truong will receive $4,000 in scholarship and travel support and participate in professional development workshops, mentorship, leadership and engagement opportunities over the 2019-20 academic year.