Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is a research communication competition originally developed
by The University of Queensland in 2008, and now has been widely adopted at universities
around the world. The exercise challenges master’s and doctoral students to present a
compelling talk on their thesis/dissertation topic and its significance. Many theses and
dissertations can be over 80,000 words and take hours to present, but students in this
competition have just three minutes and one slide to convey their often highly-technical
research to a lay audience. Judging criteria is centered on three core competencies:
1. Communication Style: was the thesis topic and its significance communicated in
language appropriate to a non-specialist audience?
2. Comprehension: did the presentation help the audience understand the research?
3. Engagement: did the oration make the audience want to know more?
The Conference of Southern Graduate Schools (CSGS) Regional 3MT® Competition,
sponsored by TIAA-CREF, was held on Sunday, March 8, 2015 in New Orleans, LA. Twentysix graduate students across the conference competed for $2,750 in prizes – $1000 for first
place, $500 for second place, $250 for third place and four People’s Choice awards of $250.
The awardees and students participants were as follows:
1. Kimberly Smith – First Place Award
Florida State University
Doctoral Student in Neuroscience
A Behavioral and Molecular Examination of "Umami" Taste
2. Aleksandra Pivovarova – Second Place Award
University of Alabama in Huntsville
Master’s Student in Biology
The Effect of Monocarboxylate Transporters Inhibition on Viability of MCF7 and
MDA-MB-231 Breast Cancer Cell Lines
3. Katrina Knauer – Third Place Award
University of Southern Mississippi
Doctoral Student in Polymer Science & Engineering
Improving Water Filtration through Fundamental Polymer Science
4. Brandon Chicotsky – People’s Choice Award
University of Alabama
Doctoral Student in Communications & Information Sciences
How to Build Fame
5. Amanda Curtis – People’s Choice Award
Oklahoma State University
Master’s Student in Animal Science
Finding Alternatives to Antibiotics
6. Sujith Ramachandran – People’s Choice Award
University of Mississippi
Doctoral Student in Pharmacy Administration
Factors Influencing Prescription of Atypical Anti-Psychotics in Children with Mental
Health Illnesses
7. Michael Schulz – People’s Choice Award
University of Florida
Doctoral Student in Chemistry
Polymeric Radiopharmaceuticals for the Treatment of Pediatric Osteosarcoma
8. Audrey Brown
Appalachian State University
Master’s Student in Biology-Cell and Molecular
Alternative Treatments for Cervical Cancers
9. Christopher Mealey
UCSC, College of Charleston
Master’s Student in Marine Biology
Does the Release Of Hatchery-Born Red Drum Alter Genetics in the Wild?
10. Narendra Sadhwani
Auburn University
Doctoral Student in Chemical Engineering
Biomass Gasification Using Carbon Dioxide: Chemistry, Kinetics and Modeling
11. Cameron Lephew
Radford University
Doctoral Student in Physical Therapy
Identifying Risk Factors for Injury in Adolescent Athletes
12. Jacob Deal
University of South Alabama
Master’s Student in Chemical Engineering
Dispersed Pt-CeOx Catalysts for Water Gas Shift Prepared Using Supercritical Fluid
Deposition
13. Ethan Leonard
Arkansas State University
Master’s Student in Biological Sciences
Water Quality of Tailwater Recovery Systems
14. Stacy Malaker
University of Virginia
Doctoral Student in Chemistry
Stopping Cancer Before it Starts: Development of a Groundbreaking Vaccine
15. Yuanrui Sang
Western Carolina University
Master’s Student in Technology
Optimizing Ocean Wave Energy Extraction with a Slider Crank Wave Energy
Converter
16. Nathan Holland
East Carolina University
Doctoral Student in Physiology
Clean up on IL-6
17. Sharon Owino
Morehouse School of Medicine
Doctoral Student in Biomedical Sciences
Melatonin Receptor 1 (MT1), A New Player in the Pathogenesis of Type 2 Diabetes
18. Rhett Williamson
Florida International University
Doctoral Student in Chemistry
How Inkjet Printers are Changing the Art of Counterfeit Money
19. Elias Oziolor
Baylor University
Doctoral Student in Environmental Sciences
Evolution of Resistance to Pollution in Gulf Killifish
20. William Barry
Texas State University
Doctoral Student in Developmental Education
Writing and Technology: The Effects of Experimental Instruction in First-Year
College Courses
21. Brittany Bounds
Texas A&M University
Doctoral Student in History
The Response of the Silent Majority to the Protests of the Sixties
22. Mukti Patel
Mississippi State University
Doctoral Student in Mechanical Engineering
Third Generation Steels for Future Ground Vehicles
23. Arif Yurdagul
Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center at Shreveport
Doctoral Student in Cell Biology & Anatomy
Matrix Matters in Cardiovascular Disease
24. Matt Marshall
University of North Carolina-Greensboro
Doctoral Student in Environmental Health Sciences
The Genetics of Thermal Plasticity in Plantago Lanceolata
25. Nemmi Cole
Florida A&M University
Doctoral Student in Civil & Environmental Engineering
Using Surface Ambient Air Concentrations to Quantify Methane Emissions from
Landfills
26. Jianing Li
University of Kentucky
Doctoral Student in Pharmacology & Nutritional Sciences
Peanut Allergy – Not Just Peanuts
Judges were as follows:
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Mr. Garren McKelvey
System Administrator, New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts
Ms. Mallory Whitfield
Search Coordinator, FSC Interactive
Ms. Jene O’Keefe Trigg
Managing Director, Innocence Project New Orleans
Ms. Alysia Loshbaugh
Director of Budget and Financial Affairs, Office of Academic Affairs at Tulane
University
Mr. Eric Roque
Budget and Administrative Coordinator, Center for Engaged Learning and Teaching
at Tulane University
Dr. Pamela Franco
Executive Associate for Academic Affairs, Xavier University
Dr. Allen Thomas
Assistant Director for Experimental Engagement, Center for Engaged Learning and
Teaching at Tulane University
Mr. Michael Farley
CEO and Owner, HBI Construction Group
Dr. Agnieszska Nance
Executive Director, Center for Public Service at Tulane University
CSGS is an organization of over 200 graduate schools in the following fifteen states of
the southern region of the United States: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia,
Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina,
Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia.