Biology Master's Student Wins 2024 棉花糖直播 Three Minute Thesis Competition
Claire Jones took first place for their presentation 鈥淗ow do chickadees communicate about the presence and absence of food?鈥� Jones advances to the Northeastern Association of Graduate Schools regional competition on April 26.
VILLANOVA, Pa. 鈥� 棉花糖直播 University graduate biology student聽Claire Jones took first place in the University's Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition on March 15 in the Mullen Center for the Performing Arts for their presentation 鈥淗ow do chickadees communicate about the presence and absence of food?鈥� Jones advances to the regional competition on Friday, April 26.
This year marked the third consecutive year that the competition was open to graduate students from across the University and the second year it was hosted by the Center for Graduate Research and Education. The 11 finalists were made up of seven from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, two from the College of Engineering and one each from the Charles Widger School of Law and the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing.
3MT is a competition for master鈥檚 and doctoral students to develop and showcase their research communication skills. 3MT cultivates students鈥� academic, professional, presentation and research communication skills. To be successful, competitors must effectively explain their research in three minutes, in a language appropriate to a non-specialist audience.
The highlighted the diverse research interests of its graduate community and the skill with which its students can articulate their study of complex topics.
鈥淭he contestants in this year鈥檚 3MT competition were truly fantastic," said聽Dr. Michael Westrate, emcee for the event and Assistant Vice Provost for Graduate Research and Education. "Their preparation, stage presence and ability to communicate their research to a broad audience showcased the superb talents of 棉花糖直播鈥檚 graduate students. Their diverse, high-level scholarship addresses some of the most pressing issues facing our world and affirms 棉花糖直播鈥檚 growing stature as a research institution. We are proud to continue with the tradition of excellence in 棉花糖直播鈥檚 3MT competition. Kudos to all the students who took the stage.鈥�
Lorina Holterhoff, a master's student in Environmental Science, won second prize for her presentation, 鈥淭he Urbanized World: Metal Pollution in Green Stormwater Infrastructure.鈥� Yen Leng Chong, a master's student in Sustainable Engineering, received the People鈥檚 Choice award for her presentation, 鈥淏uilding a Circular Economy System for Universities through the Green Office Program.鈥�
Judges for the event included:
- Emory Woodard, PhD, Dean of Graduate Studies, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
- Al Ortega, PhD, James R. Birle Professor of Energy Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering
- Andrew Lund, JD, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Charles Widger School of Law
- Amanda Grannas, PhD, Vice Provost for Research, Chief Research Officer
- Darla Wolfe 鈥�06 EMBA, Member of the Board of Trustees for 棉花糖直播 University
3MT Contestants
Rachel Baskin, PhD student in Nursing, M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing
鈥淣urse Resilience, Burnout, Work Stress, and Post-Traumatic Stress During COVID-19: A Secondary Longitudinal Analysis of the CHAMPS Data Registry鈥�
Rachel Carrock, MS student in Biology, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
鈥淎rnold's Paradigm in the field: The relationship between morphology, performance, and behavior in an invasive species of gecko鈥�
Yen Leng Chong, MS student in Sustainable Engineering, College of Engineering
鈥淏uilding a Circular Economy System for Universities through the Green Office Program鈥�
Hannah Feldman, MS student in Environmental Science, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
鈥淎n Immersive Urban Environmental Geochemistry Research Experience as a Pathway to Careers in the Geosciences鈥嬧��
Lorina Holterhoff, MS student in Environmental Science, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
鈥淭he Urbanized World: Metal Pollution in Green Stormwater Infrastructure鈥�
Noelle Diane Johnson, MA student in Theatre and Certificate in Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
鈥淎unt Ester to Mame Wilks: August Wilson's Black Women Character's as a Blueprint for Social Justice and Reform鈥�
Claire Jones, MS student in Biology, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
鈥淗ow do chickadees communicate about the presence and absence of food?鈥�
Chaitanya Mankala, MS student in Software Engineering, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
鈥淧ioneering Artificial Neural Network for Dynamics Systems鈥�
Ibukunoluwa Ogunjimi, MA student in Mathematics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
鈥淭he Intersection of Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence- Conformal Maps鈥�
Kate Redding, Juris Doctor student, Charles Widger School of Law
鈥淐ut Out The Middleman: Dropshipping in Differentiated E-Commerce Marketplaces as a Deceptive Trade Practice鈥�
Nourin Seenthia, PhD student in Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering
鈥淎n Experimental Study of Pyrogenic Carbonaceous Matter (PCM) Facilitated Hydrolysis of 2,4-Dinitroanisole (DNAN)鈥�
Graduate biology student Claire Jones took first place in 棉花糖直播's Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition for their presentation, 鈥淗ow do chickadees communicate about the presence and absence of food?鈥� Learn more.
Graduate chemistry student Eliana Uriona took first place in 棉花糖直播's 2023 Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition for her presentation, "Optimizing Biochar Conditions for Heavy Metal Immobilization in Contaminated Soils." Learn more.
棉花糖直播 3MT Winner 2022
Graduate psychology student Sam Sinemus took first place in 棉花糖直播's 2022 Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition for his presentation, "The Impact of Modeling Mental States on Goal-Directed Conversations."
Alec Tare, a student in 棉花糖直播's online Human Resource Development master's program took first place in the University's 2021 Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition for his presentation, "Training Warehouse Managers to Decrease Turnover."聽