Will Armentrout, Mayara Patricia Viana de Matos and Farnoush Reshadi are the winners of the 2018 Three-Minute Thesis Competition at WVU.
Some of West Virginia University’s extraordinary researchers are mapping the universe, using hair follicles to solve crimes and helping consumers understand the risks of off-label prescription drugs. Three of those researchers were celebrated last week at the Office of Graduate Education and Life’s annual Three-Minute Thesis Competition, in which 12 doctoral students from across the University competed for the top spots, all of which came with cash awards.
First place was awarded to William Armentrout, a doctoral student in the department of Physics and Astronomy, for his presentation “A User’s Guide to Mapping Our Galaxy Far, Far Away.” Armentrout is advised by Loren Anderson, who in 2013 was part of a team that discovered hundreds of previously unknown sites of massive star formation in the Milky Way galaxy.
Mayara Patricia Viana de Matos, a doctoral student in Biology, was awarded second place for her presentation “Hair Doesn’t Lie,” which examines how human hair follicles can aid crime scene investigators. Viana de Matos is advised by Glen Jackson, the Ming Hsieh Distinguished Professor of Forensic and Investigative Science in the Department of Forensic and Investigative Sciences. Jackson is a Fellow of both the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and the Royal Society of Chemistry.
Third place was awarded to Farnoush Reshadi, a doctoral student in Marketing, for her presentation “When Trusting Doctors May Be Bad for Well-Being: Consumer Understanding of Off-Label Prescription Risks and Benefits.” Reshadi works under the direction of Paula Fitzgerald, the Nathan Haddad Professor of Business Administration and the 2016 recipient of the inaugural James and Karen Caveney Alumni Association Faculty Excellence Award.
As a designated R1 Research Institution and the flagship university of our state, WVU is committed to innovative, life-changing research in all disciplines.
The 3MT Competition originated at the University of Queensland in Australia. The research communication exercise, now hosted by institutions worldwide, challenges graduate students to present a compelling oration on their thesis topics in just three minutes, using one static slide as a visual aid.
-WVU-
jm/ac/04/09/18
CONTACT: Constinia Charbonnette
Director of Graduate Student Funding and Success
304.293.0173; constinia.charbonnette@mail.wvu.edu
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