Zheng Li, a UW Bioengineering doctoral student, won the “People’s Choice Award” and $250 in the UW’s first-ever Three-Minute Thesis competition May 15.

The competition, which originated in Australia, challenges graduate students to encapsulate their research in an easy-to-understand summary for a public audience and present it in a mere 180 seconds.

Li was one of 12 graduate students from 10 departments who accepted the challenge. After his presentation on the effects of light on blood circulation, roughly 80 audience members selected him for the “People’s Choice Award.”

The event is a partnership between Core Programs in the Graduate School and the UW Libraries Research Commons.

Read about the first and second place winners, and Li’s award:

Grad Students Awarded $1K at Inaugural Three Minute Thesis Competition