Ten UB PhD candidates will show off their research and communication skills on March 7 at the ninth annual Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition.

The contest will begin at 3 p.m. in the Screening Room in the Center for the Arts, North Campus. Those attending should RSVP by March 3. Members of the UB community can also watch a livestream.

The concept for 3MT is simple: Contestants have up to three minutes to present their dissertation research in an engaging way to a non-specialist audience using just one PowerPoint slide.

Contestants are judged based on their communication style, the audience’s comprehension of their research and engagement with the audience. 

Prizes are awarded for first place ($2,000), second place ($1,500) and third place ($1,000). Members of the audience can cast their vote to select the winner of the People’s Choice Award, who will receive $500.

The finalists who will be competing in this year’s 3MT, their departments and the topics of their thesis research:

Samantha Wallace, Learning and Instruction, “Gesturing Toward Success: Embodied Fraction Learning.” Wallace’s research examines how elementary students' gestures reveal their understanding of fraction operations. Her goal is to improve math learning for all students by understanding how gestures can reveal and support their thinking.

Guangpeng Xu, Physics, “Quantum Light: A Dim Light That Brightens the Future.” By leveraging machine learning, Xu’s research tackles the challenge of identifying quantum light emitters, which are inherently dim and demand delicate experiments. At the quantum level, light manifests as discrete packets of energy — photons, offering exceptional precision, sensitivity and communication security beyond the capabilities of classical optics. These properties have enabled applications in diverse fields, including metrology, computer science and communication. 

Deschana Washington, Microbiology and Immunology, “Is Obesity Man’s Kryptonite?” Washington’s research looks at how how obesity impacts the immune system in lung cancer. By exploring the relationship between obesity and induced immune dysfunction in the tumor microenvironment of the lung, Washington seeks to identify potential therapeutic targets to improve cancer treatment in obese patients. 

Anarghya Das, Computer Science and Engineering, “MindVoice: A Future Driven by Thought.” Das’ research focuses on creating algorithms for wearable Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) that use non-invasive electroencephalography (EEG) data to decode thoughts into actions. His work advances smart health wearables to create practical tools for everyday life, such as helping individuals with speech impairments communicate and improving accessibility through innovation.

Isaac Kolding, English, “Art vs. Propaganda: Abolition’s Afterlives in American Literature, 1852-1901.” Kolding analyzes how 19th-century novels appropriated radical antislavery rhetoric, showing that critics and novelists distinguished between “good literature” and “propaganda” more rigidly from the 1850s to the 1900s. He aims to understand the relationship between politics and literature, and more broadly, between art and life.

Elizabeth Lavoie, Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, “Mitigating Injury in Female Service Members One Step at a Time.” Lavoie investigates injury risk through gait, strength, power and balance analysis in females after heavy military-style backpacking to help better explain/understand why they have a higher injury occurrence/risk than their male counterparts.

Omkar Desai, Chemical and Biological Engineering, “MOPs: Unlocking the Future of Gas Separation.” Desai’s research focuses on enhancing gas-separation capacity and decreasing gas-separation costs by using molecular simulation to simulate MOP’s gas absorption and separation capacity.

Megan Bailey, Social Work, “Exploring the Role of Activity in the Lives of Refugee Youth.” Bailey’s research explores the impact of activities on refugee youths’ well-being to better understand how participating in an activity influences adolescent development and acculturation — specifically, if participation supports identity development, belonging and overall well-being. 

Tahleen Lattimer, Communication, “Health in a Hearing World.” Lattimer addresses critical health barriers for marginalized communities, particularly the Deaf in ADRD care, with a goal of creating equitable resources, amplifying minority voices and driving systemic change to benefit all navigating this disease.

Samantha Schwarz, Biochemistry, “When Your Brain’s Game of Telephone Goes Wrong — and How to Reconnect the Line.” Schwarz studies specialized proteins in the brain called NMDA receptors, which are essential for learning and development. Mutations in these receptors result in disease states. The ultimate goal of her research is to help find new and more efficient treatment options for patients with these mutations.

The UB 3MT competition is co-hosted by the Graduate School and the Startup and Innovation Collaboratory (CoLab) powered by Blackstone LaunchPad.