The annual Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition will be at 6 p.m. Thursday, February 23, at the Normal Theater located in Uptown Normal. The event is free and open to the public.
The Three Minute Thesis competition is an academic competition that challenges Illinois State University graduate students to describe their research within three minutes to a general audience.
This year, 11 contestants will compete and have the opportunity to share their research with all in attendance. Hear from each contestant and learn more about their research topic, their department support, and the faculty and staff impact that has been made.
Bothwell Piason
My research topic is titled Mothering Experiences of Women in Jail. The essence of this study is driven by observable challenges that certain policies in the U.S. criminal justice system have caused to the family institution, especially along gender lines. The collateral damages of maternal incarceration have negative consequences for both the mother and the child. I think what is even more interesting about the research is the rich data generated from in-depth interviews with jailed mothers and how intersectional disadvantages of gender, race, and socio-economic status come into play when it comes to heightened risk of being incarcerated.
I have been inspired by the entire Criminal Justice Sciences Department faculty and students in numerous ways. However, my greatest influence on this research has always been my supervisor and mentor, Dr. Dawn Beichner-Thomas, whom I like to call my “academic mother.” Twelve years ago, when we met in Johannesburg, South Africa, at a victimology symposium, she believed in me and subsequently invited me to come and study in the U.S. I am here more than a decade later, working with her on this incredible topic which contributes to the global call to ending violence against women. All credit goes to her, and I feel so honored to be able to work with a great global scholar that she is.
Nicholas Steffenhagen
The topic of my research is on how professional French horn players practice, specifically what differentiates them from student French horn players. Most music students are never directly told how to practice efficiently, so they go their entire careers guessing at what is the most effective.
What we’ve done is taken several highly respected horn players from across both major ensembles and university faculty and looked for major patterns emerging in their practice habits. We then took the horn studio at ISU and repeated the process. What we found were several striking differences between the two groups.
Hopefully this research can revolutionize not only how we teach music but how we prepare our future musicians. By far the most influential person toward this project has been the French horn professor here at ISU, Dr. Rachel Hockenberry. Her expertise in the field as a professional musician has been invaluable for our data collection and has graciously volunteered her studio to be observed over several months. Most importantly, she has been a staunch supporter of this project since day one. Without her support and assistance, this project would not have nearly the scope or depth that it does now.
Reagen Tibbs
My research topic is exploring farmers’ views of precision agriculture technologies and on-farm experimentation using precision agriculture technologies. With more and more agricultural researchers looking to move their experiments off trial plots and on to farms, it is important to understand farmers’ views of working with researchers and their interest in conducting these experiments.
My advisor, Dr. Maria Boerngen, has been the biggest motivator behind this research. She has helped me focus on this topic, develop a survey, and has guided me through every stage of the process.
Holly Filsinger
In my research I explore how the contemporary art series Erased Lynchings (2006-ongoing) by photographer Ken Gonzales-Day and Future Ancestral Technologies (2018-ongoing) by artist Cannupa Hanska Luger bring attention to the construction of time in connection with identity and power.
Gonzales-Day’s photographs address lynching in the U.S. to counter historical narratives that minimize or erase racial violence. In Luger’s Indigenous futurist series, he reimagines the future decolonization of space and time. My topic highlights that time is an opportunity to transform our connections with each other. In these artistic series, viewers explore the richness of time–how it is felt, imagined, and reimagined again.
In my research process, there has not been only one person who has been more influential than anyone else. First and foremost, my thesis committee of Dr. Elisabeth Friedman, Dr. Melissa Johnson, and Dr. Byron Craig have supported my research and pursuits at every step. Dr. Alison Bailey has generously offered her expertise to me. My work has been supported and encouraged by the incredible faculty and staff in the Wonsook Kim School of Art, including the entire staff of University Galleries, who have been endlessly grounding and inspiring. I lastly want to acknowledge my peers—the graduate students who I’ve developed friendships with and have influenced my work. Everyone in the list has made ISU a place of inspiration and joy for me to develop my passion for my research.
Sadia Sultana
We all have experienced bacterial infections at some point in our life. Whenever a pathogen enters our body, neutrophils are activated as part of our immune response and kill the bugs by exposing them to a highly toxic antimicrobial cocktail. Among these neutrophilic antimicrobials is hypochlorous acid, which is also the active ingredient of household bleach and efficiently exterminates pathogens through extensive cellular damage.
We found that uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC), the culprits of urinary tract infections, is significantly more resistant to bleach and neutrophil-mediated killing compared to intestinal E coli pathotypes. I identified a stress protein responsible for these phenotypes, although its mechanism of action is still unknown. Thus, my goal is now to understand how that stress protein contributes to UPEC’s increased bleach tolerance.
Being a microbiologist, I found it fascinating that we, adult human beings, carry billions of bacteria in and on ourselves. While the majority of those bacteria are beneficial for us, some pathogens can cause severe health implications.
In Dr. Jan Dahl’s lab in the School of Biological Sciences, we are a group of passionate researchers working to decipher how some pathogens are able to defend our immune system to develop infections. Being part of this energetic group greatly impacts my passion for microbiological research and motivates me to share our findings with diverse audiences.
Thunsinee Muangthong
My research topic is Becoming a Reflective Practitioner. It is important for teachers to reflect on their teaching practices and learn to develop themselves from their experiences. Reflection is beneficial not only to student teachers but to anyone who faces a problem in their life. Reflecting on a problem thoroughly from multiple perspectives might lead us to a solution. Once we practice being with ourselves and reflect on our daily life, we will see the origin of the problem, which is a good start for discovering how to solve it. As we realize that it is normal to face a problem, we will learn from it and gain more experience.
Dr. Tom Lucey was an instructor for the course I took in the Spring of 2019 (TCH 580: Critical Studies in Diversity and Education). He gave students opportunities to reflect every week in his class. That was the beginning of how I realized that reflection is essential and helpful for my life as a student, a teacher, or a person in society. I hope my research can raise awareness that reflection is important for everybody to understand themselves and others. We will learn to be open-minded, understand that difference is the norm, and respect each other.
Rebecca Chicosky
My research looks at how the addictive drug amphetamine affects dopamine, our learning chemical that drives addiction, in the brain. Even though amphetamine is used in medication, like Adderall for ADHD, we still do not fully understand how it works in the brain. We know that if you take amphetamine, you increase dopamine in your brain’s areas that help us to learn, but we do not know whether this increase is variable in the brain.
Because of this lack of knowledge, we are not able to really take out the addictive aspect of amphetamine from medication that around 25 million Americans take. As such, if we can better understand how amphetamine affects dopamine, we can better understand the addiction aspect and hopefully remove it from our everyday drugs.
My research advisor, Dr. Paul Garris, has been such an incredible influence and resource for my research. His extensive knowledge and passion for this project has really pushed me to be the best I can be. Additionally, he has been so incredibly supportive through any personal endeavors and is always there to listen no matter what comes my way. Without his help, I truly wouldn’t have been able to tackle graduate school’s trials and tribulations.
Sanhawich Meateanuwat
I started this research because the political situation in my country inspired me. Right before I started my M.F.A. program, we had a massive protest against the government, and I saw many flyers getting translated into many languages because they wanted international attention. They wanted the world to know that something terrible was happening in Thailand.
As an artist, I have been asking myself what I can do about it. How can I help them spread the word and be their voice? How can I help my country with theatre? These questions inspired me to pursue crafting political theatre and explore how I can use my directing craft to make people aware of what’s happening in the world. My research is my journal on how I can study these impactful works from major American and Western playwrights but still make them resonate with the contemporary world.
I want to shout out to my directing advisor, Robert Quinlan; my research advisor, Kee-Yoon Nahm; and the director of the School of Theatre and Dance, Dr. Ann Haugo. They have greatly encouraged me throughout my journey. They always listen to my ideas, guide me, suggest new materials to study in my area of interest, and support me in every way possible. They created a safe space for me to explore and try out some bold choices. I’m blessed!
I also want to thank all the professors and students in the School of Theatre and Dance. Theatre is collaborative work. I couldn’t have done this research without my wonderful collaborators and their contributions. I’m grateful for these people forever.
Kathryn Keithley
My research centers on employer hiring decisions, specifically in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. As employers learn more about their workers, how much weight do they put on education? Experience? Does it change based on gender? Expanding understanding of employer learning promotes mindful hiring practices, causing greater diversity and promoting innovation and growth throughout STEM fields.
I could not have done any of this without the help of Dr. Dimitrios Nikolaou, associate professor and graduate program advisor in the Department of Economics. Dr. Nikolaou inspired the topic of my research during a Labor Economics class. He has been, and continues to be, my greatest editor and cheerleader.
Savannah Thielbar
My research involves human influences on natural geological structures in Starved Rock State Park. Through the process of people carving along the canyon walls, artificial erosion rates can be tracked and compared with natural erosion. By conducting this research, local, state, and government agencies can utilize the data and execute strict vandalism polices. Maintaining the untouched beauty of nature is not only important for these parks and the next generation but also for the environment.
My advisor, Dr. Lisa Tranel, provided tools and resources that allowed my research project to evolve into something I am passionate about. Identifying a research project that would always keep me excited has allowed me to gain the skills and knowledge I need to succeed at the next level.
Whitney Spencer
My research topic is Special Education Teacher Burnout. This is a topic that I feel is not being talked about enough. There are special education teachers who are leaving the field at alarming rates, and there are many districts across the state of Illinois that do not have a fully staffed special education department.
As the world of education has resumed normalcy after the pandemic, it has shed light on the various changes that need to be made in the field of education. It is vital that special education teachers’ voices are heard to ensure special educators remain in their job and decrease the amount of burnout they experience daily.
Dr. Jeongae Kang has been beyond influential. I had Dr. Kang as a professor in undergrad and remember just how passionate she was about teacher mental health and wellbeing. When I started my graduate career at ISU, I was hoping our paths would cross again. She has been my mentor for my final semesters of my graduate journey. She listens, motivates me, and continues to influence me to use my voice. She has pushed me to be a better teacher leader in my school district and to advocate for the needs of special education teachers. Dr. Kang is truly incredible.
