BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State University’s Cratis D. Williams School of Graduate Studies held the 12th annual 3 Minute Thesis (3MT) competition on Friday, November 3, 2023. For the competition, graduate students explain their research or scholarly/creative projects in jargon-free language to a general "lay" audience in three minutes with the help of only one static slide. This year, 14 students representing the Beaver College of Health Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, College of Fine and Applied Arts, and Walker College of Business participated.
The 2023 3MT participants were:
Chijioke Agupugo (Technology) presented "Design of Smart Renewable Energy Microgrid for Nigerian Airforce Base Kaduna." Agupugo is advised by Dr. Marie Hoepfl, professor in the Department of Sustainable Technology and the Built Environment.
Michael Akers (Technology) presented "Infill Development for Sustainable Growth in the Town of Boone, North Carolina." Akers is advised by Dr. Marie Hoepfl, professor in the Department of Sustainable Technology and the Built Environment.
Stella Cybulski (Public Administration) presented "Bugs and Balls: Boosting Wellbeing through Physical Activities in Educational Settings." Cybulski is advised by Dr. Brooke Towner, assistant professor in the Department of Recreation Management and Physical Education.
Hannah D’Angelo (Psychology) presented "The Relationships Between Physical Activity and Mental Health." D’Angelo is advised by Dr. Reagan Breitenstein, assistant professor in the Department of Psychology.
Lauren Gray (Biology) presented "Genetic Diversity Assessment of Allium Tricoccum Populations in Great Smoky Mountains National Park." Gray is advised by Dr. Matt Estep, associate professor in the Department of Biology.
Jordynn Hellinger (Athletic Training) presented "Partly Cloudy: Forecasting Mental Health Practices in the SBC." Hellinger is advised by Dr. Jennifer Howard, associate professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences.
Hunter Kinney (Applied Data Analytics) presented "Family Forest Carbon Projects." Kinney is advised by Dr. Jason Xiong, associate professor in the Department of Computer Information Systems.
Layla Koroleva (Applied Data Analytics) presented "The Dark Side of Blockchain Technology." Koroleva is advised by Dr. Jason Xiong, associate professor in the Department of Computer Information Systems.
Jenifer Mallinoff (Biology) presented "Impacts of Climate Change and Distribution of Small Mammals in the Southern Appalachian Mountains." Mallinoff is advised by Dr. Jon Davenport, associate professor in the Department of Biology.
Haley Martin (Biology) presented "Comparing Oviposition Preference and Toxin Survival Rates to Indicate Sympatric Speciation in Fruit Flies." Martin is advised by Dr. Clare Scott Chialvo, assistant professor in the Department of Biology.
Sean Melia (Applied Data Analytics) presented "Analysis of Smishing Persuasian Techniques and How to Identify Them." Melia is advised by Dr. Wei Xie, assistant professor in the Department of Computer Information Systems.
Jeremy Roberts (Computer Science) presented "Causality in Bayesian Optimization." Roberts is advised by Dr. Mitch Parry, associate professor in the Department of Computer Science.
Daniel Rose (Technology) presented "How to Make Concrete." Rose is advised by Dr. Sharareh Shirzad, assistant professor in the Department of Sustainable Technology and the Built Environment.
Steven Vogel (Industrial-Organizational Psychology and Human Resource Management) presented "The American Pasttime: Using Baseball Data to Examine Racial and Ethnic Bias." Vogel is advised by Dr. Tiberiu Ungureanu, assistant professor in the Department of Management.
Agupopo received first place, Rose received second place, and Cybulski received the People's Choice Award, voted by the event's attendees. All winners received cash awards to support travel and research. The first-place winner, Agupopo, will represent Appalachian State at the regional competition held at the annual Conference of Southern Graduate Schools in Greenville, South Carolina in March 2024.
Stella Cybulski '17, graduate student in the public administration program, received the 3MT People's Choice Award for her presentation, titled "Bugs and Balls: Boosting Wellbeing through Physical Activities in Educational Settings." Cybulski is advised by Dr. Brooke Towner, assistant professor in the Department of Recreation Management and Physical Education. Photo by Melissa Auten.
The judges of this year's competition were:
Dr. Harvey Durham, Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Emeritus and Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at Appalachian State University
Dr. Mike McKenzie '99, Vice Provost for Program Development and Strategic Initatives at Appalachian State University
Jeannine Underdown Collins '79 '81, Chair of the Appalachian State University Foundation
The 3MT competition was started at the University of Queensland in Australia in 2008 and has since been adopted at universities worldwide. To learn more about this competition, visit graduate.appstate.edu/enrolled-students/3-minute-thesis-competition.
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About Graduate Education at Appalachian
Appalachian State University’s Williams School of Graduate Studies helps individuals reach the next level in their career advancement and preparedness. The school offers 80 graduate degree and certificate programs in a range of disciplines, including doctoral programs in education (Ed.D.) and psychology (Psy.D.). Classes are offered at the main campus in Boone as well as online and face-to-face at locations around northwestern North Carolina. The graduate school enrolls more than 2,000 students. Learn more at https://graduate.appstate.edu.
By Lauren Andersen
November 15, 2023
BOONE, N.C.
Appalachian State University’s Cratis D. Williams School of Graduate Studies held the 12th annual 3 Minute Thesis (3MT) competition on Friday, November 3, 2023.
Appalachian State University’s Cratis D. Williams School of Graduate Studies held the 12th annual 3 Minute Thesis (3MT) competition on Friday, November 3, 2023.