Watson Graduate School students place in Three Minute Challenge competition

Thursday, April 28, 2016

Raqhav Nargotra, an OSU MSIS master's student, tied for third place in the competition.

This month, the Oklahoma State University Graduate College hosted the Three Minute Challenge (3MC), and two Watson Graduate School of Management students took home awards.

The 3MC brought together the winners from the Three Minute and the Three Minute Presentation competitions. The students presented their research to a panel of judges made up of the OSU’s Presidential Fellows.

Watson students Raghav Nargotra tied as the third-place winner, and Rajesh Tolety won the People's Choice award.

Nargotra, second-year MIS master’s student, won first place in last semester's 3MT competition. Nargotra was pleased with his effort to prepare for the competition and enjoyed his experience.

“It has been a wonderful experience personally, professionally and academically,” said Nargotra. “I used to practice my talks while walking to class, before sleeping and in places where I can be interrupted, just to make sure that I keep my concentration. I feel this whole experience has helped me evolve so much, and I am going to encourage my fellow classmates take part in these competitions in the future.”

Rajesh Tolety, an OSU MSIS master's student, won the People's Choice award. — Rajesh Tolety, an OSU business analytics master's student, won the People's Choice award.

A first-year business analytics master’s student, Tolety presented his research on personalized healthcare.

“My research was on how predictive analytics can help someone to avoid the occurrences of diseases in the future,” said Tolety. “This was my first time addressing such a large audience, and it was very challenging to overcome my fear. Now I feel more confident and look forward for opportunities to continuously improve myself.”

Sarah Chabinak, Watson Graduate School of Management senior academic counselor, worked with the students to prepare for their presentations.

“I am very impressed with our students’ preparation for the 3MC competition as they have continued to refine their presentations since placing last fall,” said Chabinak. “Many hours were spent practicing, rehearsing, and memorizing, and it really showed during the finals.”

The other winners of the competition include first-place winner Sway Pradhan, MS in microbiology, cell and molecular biology; second-place winner Dane Robertson, MS in forensic sciences, and third-place winner (tie) Adam Cobb, PhD in natural resource ecology and management.

For more information, visit https://gradcollege.okstate.edu/3mc.