(l to r) Kyndra Higgins, Grand Prize Winner; Daisi Brand; Skye Remko; Nathanael Mickelson; Moses Okocha; Marco Garcia, People’s Choice Winner; Sarah Dhanji; Darrian Talamantes; Anthony Suryamiharja, Runner Up Winner; Sakshi Babar; Ron Walcott, Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Dean of the Graduate School
Thank you to all the students who participated in the Fall 2024 University of Georgia Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) Competition.
The Fall 2024 3MT® Competition drew 64 submissions from students in 43 different departments across three of UGA’s campuses. Ten students advanced to the finals after scoring well with a team of judges during the preliminary heats. The 3MT® Competition was open to any currently enrolled UGA master’s or doctoral student.
The final competition was held Thursday, November 14, 2024, at the Morton Theatre in downtown Athens and was livestreamed on Facebook.
Congratulations, Fall 2024 3MT® Winners!
Kyndra Higgins and Ron Walcott
The Fall 2024 Grand Prize Winner was Kyndra Higgins for her presentation titled “Breast Cancer: How Cells Shape Up.”
Kyndra is a doctoral candidate in Dr. Cheryl Gomillion’s Tissue RegenX Lab in the School of Chemical, Materials, and Biological Engineering, College of Engineering, where she employs an interdisciplinary approach to investigate breast cancer metastasis. She earned her undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Georgia in 2020. Currently, her research focuses on innovative and quantifiable methods to characterize breast cancer aggressiveness, utilizing techniques such as electric cell-substrate impedance sensing (ECIS) and two-dimensional cell morphology analysis. Kyndra has shared her findings at prominent conferences, including the Society for Biomaterials, the Biomedical Engineering Society, the Society for Women Engineers, the Institute of Biological Engineering, and the Gordon Research Seminar on Mammary Gland Biology.
Anthony Suryamiharja and Ron Walcott
The Runner Up Winner was Anthony Suryamiharja for presenting “The Development of Protein-rich Plant-based Milk through a pH-based Approach.”
Anthony, originally from Indonesia, earned his bachelor’s degree in Food Science and Technology from Oregon State University. He is currently a master’s student working under the supervision of Dr. Hualu Zhou in the Department of Food Science and Technology, College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences, at UGA’s Griffin Campus. His research focuses on innovations to improve the functionality and nutritional value of plant-based milk. He has completed his first project, which was on the encapsulation of curcumin molecules from turmeric powder in soymilk. He is now diligently at work on his second project, which focuses on improving the protein concentration of oat milk.
Marco Garcia and Ron Walcott
The People’s Choice award, which is given to the contestant who receives the most votes from viewers of the competition, went to Marco Garcia for his presentation, “A Multi-model Approach to Evaluate Hybrid Coastal Features: A Resilience-based Assessment.”
Marco is a Graduate Research Assistant in the School of Environmental, Civil, Agricultural, and Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering. Originally from Guatemala, Marco graduated in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. He holds an MBA and an MSc. in Structures. He worked as a tenured professor at Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala for 18 years teaching courses related to structures, economics applied for engineering, and project management. He also managed his own construction company for 19 years and was a structural advisor for 6 years. In 2022, Marco was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to pursue a Ph.D. in Engineering with a concentration in Resilient Infrastructure at the University of Georgia. His research, under the direction of Dr. Felix Santiago-Collazo, is related to the combination and interaction between Natural Nature Based Solutions (NNBS) and Structural Solutions to manage the risk of floods with the objective to evaluate and improve infrastructure resilience.
Special Thanks
The Graduate School would like to extend our gratitude to the Fall 2024 Panel of Judges, Master of Ceremonies, and Graduate Student Musical Performers.
Judges: Stephen Nobles, Governance & Flexibility Specialist, Clarke County School District; Dana Nichols, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Student Success for the University System of Georgia; and Jeff Sherman, Member of the Graduate Education Advancement Board
Master of Ceremonies: Narke Norton, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Office of Academic Affairs, College of Veterinary Medicine
Graduate Student Musical Performer: Elena Minko, Coach Assistant in Opera Theater and doctoral student in piano performance, Hugh Hodgson School of Music
Graduate Student Musical Performer: Antonio Azpiri, Opera Graduate Assistant and Hoveland Fellowship Award Recipient, Hugh Hodgson School of Music
Graduate Student Musical Performer: Ziyi Zhang, Opera Graduate Assistant, Hoveland Fellowship Award Recipient, and doctoral student in vocal performance, Hugh Hodgson School of Music
Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is an academic competition developed by The University of Queensland (UQ), Australia.
