13th Annual UGA 3MT® Competition Results

Thanks to all the scholars who participated on this yr’s College of Georgia Three Minute Thesis (3MT^®) Competitors.

This yr’s 3MT^® competitors drew over 70 submissions from college students in departments throughout UGA’s campuses. Ten college students superior to the finals after scoring effectively with a crew of judges through the preliminary heats. The 3MT^® annual contest was open to any at the moment enrolled UGA grasp’s or doctoral pupil.

The ultimate competitors was held Wednesday, April 3, 2024, on the Morton Theatre in downtown Athens and was livestreamed on Fb.

Congratulations, 2024 3MT^® Winners!

(l to r) Viviana Bravo, Folks’s Alternative Winner; Jordan Parker, Runner-Up Winner;  Hannah Ericson, Grand Prize Winner

This yr’s Grand Prize Winner was Hannah Ericson, a doctoral candidate in Genetics, for her presentation titled “Catalyzing Change: What Helps Division Heads Be Profitable?”

Hannah Ericson, Grand Prize Winner

Hannah is at the moment a Ph.D. candidate finding out biology schooling within the Genetics division within the Franklin School of Arts and Sciences. Hannah works with Dr. Tessa Andrews finding out educating evaluations at UGA.   To advertise using evidence-based educating practices, educating analysis must help, acknowledge, and incentivize their use. Instructing analysis is insufficient on this regard at many establishments, relying solely on pupil surveys as an alternative of a number of sources of proof. Hannah’s analysis focuses on the adjustments to educating analysis which might be occurring at UGA, in addition to components influencing these shifts in several STEM departments. Hannah is keen about using evidence-based educating practices, to offer the very best expertise for STEM college students. 

Initially from Illinois, she earned her bachelor’s diploma in Biology from the College of Iowa. Whereas there, her analysis centered round utilizing fruit flies as a mannequin to check epilepsy. She additionally helped within the description of a brand new species of parasitic wasp.

The Runner-Up Winner was Jordan Parker, a doctoral candidate in Comparative Biomedical Sciences, for presenting “Stem Cells In: The Journey to Websites of Harm.”

Jordan Parker, Runner-Up Winner

Jordan is a doctoral candidate within the twin DVM-PhD program, Veterinary Scientist Coaching Program, Comparative Biomedical Sciences Division on the UGA School of Veterinary Medication. The UGA Graduate Faculty awarded Parker a graduate fellowship to pursue her Ph.D., and the CVM awarded her an identical assistantship to assist fund her analysis. Parker works underneath Dr. John Peroni, whose lab focuses on regenerative drugs analysis. She designed her personal Ph.D. venture round exploring stem cell trafficking to websites of damage. Since becoming a member of UGA, Parker has received 1st prize for a graduate oral presentation on the UGA CVM Steeve Giguere Science of Veterinary Medication Symposium. Moreover, her Ph.D. venture pre-proposal was one in every of 4 chosen to symbolize UGA in making use of for a Mather’s Basis Grant. She hopes to in the future work in academia, educating the following technology of veterinary scientists.

Born and raised in Marietta, Georgia, Jordan has lived throughout the southeastern United States. For the previous 6 years, she has lived in Lexington, KY, the place she graduated magna cum laude along with her BS in Equine Science and Administration from the College of Kentucky. She entered UK’s Veterinary Science Grasp’s Program in 2021 underneath Dr. Emma Adam and Dr. Allen Web page on the Gluck Equine Analysis Middle. Her microbiology-focused thesis labored on exploring the multi-faceted relationship between the gastrointestinal microbiota communities, the host, and antibiotics.

The Folks’s Alternative award, which is given to the contestant who receives probably the most votes from viewers of the competitors, went to Viviana Bravo, a doctoral candidate within the Odum Faculty of Ecology, for her presentation of “Tiny Clues, Large Discoveries: Harnessing Environmental DNA to Examine Macroinvertebrates Communities.”

Viviana Bravo, Folks’s Alternative Winner

Viviana is a doctoral candidate on the Odum Faculty of Ecology.  She is supervised by Dr. Raven Bier and Dr. Krista Capps. 

Viviana graduated in 2020 from the Escuela Politécnica Nacional in Ecuador with a level in environmental engineering. She earned the Nationwide Environmental Analysis Park Scholar Assistantship, which allowed her to pursue a grasp’s program in Conservation and Sustainable Improvement on the College of Georgia.  In 2023, she was acknowledged for her tutorial achievements, successful the title of Greatest Discuss in Session on the Odum Faculty Ecology Graduate Scholar Symposium. She additionally acquired the Odum Faculty of Ecology Graduate Variety Award, showcasing her dedication to inclusivity and excellence in her area. Moreover, she was honored by the Society for Freshwater Science with the Emerge Fellowship Program for 2 consecutive years, together with Journey Awards to current her analysis at worldwide conferences.

Her analysis focuses on finding out macroinvertebrate communities in streams, reflecting her ardour for freshwater ecosystems. All through her grasp’s analysis, she has built-in conventional biomonitoring strategies reminiscent of macroinvertebrate sampling whereas additionally exploring rising methodologies like environmental DNA (eDNA) evaluation, harnessing its potential as a strong instrument for finding out macroinvertebrates in aquatic environments.

Her skilled objectives are to advance scientific understanding whereas informing conservation practices and environmental administration methods. She hopes to discover a job that can permit her to use the information she has gained all through her profession, encourage others, make a optimistic affect, and contribute to the conservation of ecosystems for the good thing about future generations.

Three Minute Thesis (3MT^®) is an educational competitors developed by The College of Queensland (UQ), Australia. 

Tags: #3MT, #Committo, #DepartmentofGenetics, #FranklinCollegeofArtsandSciences, #GradStudies, #OdumSchoolofEcology, #UGA, #UGACollegeofVeterinaryMedicine, #UGAgraduateschool