Wednesday, February 26, was a major day for the UT 3MT 2020 Semi-Final Competitions. There were two competitions, and three competitors were selected by the judges from each. As with Tuesday’s competition, each participant, following the rules of the Three Minute Thesis organization, was given three minutes (no more) and a single slide to talk about their research to a panel of judges, who may or may not even understand their field of study. The judges were looking for a presentation that was clear, compelling, and engaging. And all of the participants gave such presentations, making the task of the judges that much more unenviable. Read about the competition and those selected to move forward.

On Tuesday, February 25, seven hardy souls took the stage at Hollingsworth Auditorium to take up the challenge of the Three Minute Thesis Semi-Final Competition. Participants in the Three Minute Thesis competition are given three minutes and a single slide to explain their research to a panel of judges, who may not even be aware of their field of study. During those few minutes, judges evaluate how clearly a competitor gets the impact of their research across and how engagingly they present their work. Read more about the competition and the winners.

Stian Romberg, graduate student in the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Biomedical Engineering, recently received recognition for his research in large-scale thermoset additive manufacturing. Romberg’s first-author conference paper, “Large-scale Additive Manufacturing of Highly Exothermic Reactive Polymer Systems,” submitted to the Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering (SAMPE) 2019 was selected for additional publication in the October 2019 edition of the SAMPE Journal. Read more about Romberg and his work at the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering.

The Graduate School is excited that Adia Evans will be our featured soloist at the Fall 2019 Graduate Hooding Ceremony. Evans will perform the national anthem and lead the audience in the Alma Mater for UT on December 12 during the ceremony, which begins at 4:30 p.m. Read more about Adia and her work.

Camera Foster, a graduating PhD student in materials science and engineering, will be the featured speaker at the Fall 2019 Graduate Hooding Ceremony. The Graduate School is looking forward to her remarks and we know that everyone will be as inspired by her words as we are by her work. Read more about Camera and her accomplishments on our featured speaker page.

Sixteen projects were funded this fall through the Student/Faculty Research Awards. Graduate students and faculty collaborate to submit proposals for grants up to $5,000 to support research or creative projects. The awards advance important research while also fostering the mentoring relationship between faculty and graduate students. Read about the awarded proposals for fall 2019.

Dennis Belisle, graduating in December with a Master of Music, received the inaugural Robert W. Pedersen Memorial Research Award this fall. The funding he received from this award is going toward allowing members of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra to perform his compositions during a special concert at 8 p.m. on Friday, November 15, at the Powell Recital Hall in the Natalie L. Haslam Music Center. You can listen to samples of Belisle’s work on his website, dennisbelisle.com and learn more about him and his work on Tennessee Today.

Tasha Lewis, an MFA student starting this fall at UT, is a recipient of the Lori Mayer Re-Entry Women’s Graduate Fellowship. The fellowship was designed to provide personal encouragement and financial support for returning adult women students. Lewis’s work includes body-cast sculptures, more than 5,000 handcrafted butterflies, and a page-by-page illustration for a classic novel. Read more about her work and her plans for the future at UT.

Marcia Chavez thought she wanted to be a clinical psychologist, but after working in a research lab as an undergraduate in California, she was fascinated to learn the possible link between mental health disorders, adolescent development, and gender. A third-year PhD student in experimental psychology who will graduate in May 2023, Chavez is one of five PhD students recently honored as Tennessee Doctoral Fellows.

Sa’Nealdra Wiggins fell in love with the field of women’s health during an undergraduate internship. Now a fourth-year doctoral student in nutrition scheduled to graduate in May 2021, Wiggins is one of five PhD students recently honored as Tennessee Doctoral Fellows.