Education Graduate Student Wins Three Minute Thesis Competition

Education Graduate Student Wins Three Minute Thesis Competition

Portrait of woman in business suit smiling.
Kaitlyn May

A graduate student’s presentation on Autism Spectrum Disorder won first place at this year’s virtual Three Minute Thesis competition at The University of Alabama.

Hosted by the UA Graduate School, Three Minute Thesis is a research communication competition that challenges graduate students to present a compelling oration on their research and its significance in just three minutes in language appropriate to a non-specialist audience.

Fifteen finalists competed Nov. 9 for a chance to win scholarships and monetary awards. This year’s competitors represent an array of academic departments and disciplines.

The winners were:

  • First place: Kaitlyn May, educational studies in psychology, research methodology and counseling. Talk title: “Frontoparietal Network in Executive Functioning in Autism Spectrum Disorder.”
  • Second place: Davidson Gillette, accounting. Talk title: “Lattes and Loopholes: Legitimacy and Corporate Tax Avoidance.”
  • Third place: Karena Gill, geological sciences. Talk title: “Fluid Inclusions: Uncooking Ancient Environments.”
  • Fourth place: Mark Boyd, geological sciences. Talk title: “How to Build a Solar System: First Add Cosmic Dust.”
  • People’s Choice Winner: Emily Owen, communication studies. Talk title: “More Than a Checked Box: Young Women’s Disclosures of Family Health History During Healthcare Provider Appointments.”

The People’s Choice winner is determined by the 3MT audience. All other winners are determined by the judging panel.