Project 5 trainee David Ramotowski won the University of Iowa 3-Minute Thesis Competition. The Three Minute Thesis (3MT) challenges graduate students to communicate their research in three minutes or less in non-specialist language. Contestants represent a diverse array of disciplines and areas of study and reflect the passion and thirst for discovery common among all of Iowa's graduate students. David’s presentation explained how his research focuses on using bacteria to clean up toxic chemicals in sediments including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). His presentation was entitled “Unlikely Heroes: Keeping Toxic PCBs Out of Our Air With Bacteria and Biochar.”

David is the second ISRP trainee to win the 3-Minute Thesis Competition in the past 4 years. Moala Bannavti won in 2020. Trainee Amanda Bullert was a finalist in 2021 and trainee Nazmin Akter-Eti was a finalist in 2019.