(l to r) Kyndra Higgins, Grand Prize Winner; Daisi Brand; Skye Remko; Nathanael Mickelson; Moses Okocha; Marco Garcia, People's Choice Winner; Sarah Dhanji; Darrian Talamantes; Anthony Suryamiharja, Runner Up Winner; Sakshi Babar; Ron Walcott, Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Dean of the Graduate School
The University of Georgia's Fall 2024 Three Minute Thesis Competition (3MT) Competition drew 64 submissions from students in 43 different departments across three of UGA's campuses. Ten students - including two engineering students - advanced to the finals after scoring well with a team of judges during the preliminary heats. The 3MT Competition was open to any currently enrolled UGA master's or doctoral student.
The final competition was held Thursday, November 14, 2024, at the Morton Theatre in downtown Athens and was livestreamed on Facebook.
Kyndra Higgins was awarded the Fall 2024 Grand Prize for her presentation titled, "Breast Cancer: How Cells Shape Up."
Kyndra is a doctoral candidate in Dr. Cheryl Gomillion's Tissue RegenX Lab in the School of Chemical, Materials, and Biological Engineering, where she employs an interdisciplinary approach to investigate breast cancer metastasis. She earned her undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Georgia in 2020. Currently, her research focuses on innovative and quantifiable methods to characterize breast cancer aggressiveness, utilizing techniques such as electric cell-substrate impedance sensing (ECIS) and two-dimensional cell morphology analysis. Kyndra has shared her findings at prominent conferences, including the Society for Biomaterials, the Biomedical Engineering Society, the Society for Women Engineers, the Institute of Biological Engineering, and the Gordon Research Seminar on Mammary Gland Biology.
Marco Garcia won the People's Choice award, which is given to the contestant who receives the most votes from viewers of the competition, for his presentation, "A Multi-model Approach to Evaluate Hybrid Coastal Features: A Resilience-based Assessment."
Marco is a Graduate Research Assistant in the School of Environmental, Civil, Agricultural, and Mechanical Engineering. Originally from Guatemala, Marco graduated in 2004 with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering. He holds an MBA and an MSc. in Structures. He worked as a tenured professor at Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala for 18 years teaching courses related to structures, economics applied for engineering, and project management. He also managed his own construction company for 19 years and was a structural advisor for 6 years. In 2022, Marco was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to pursue a Ph.D. in Engineering with a concentration in Resilient Infrastructure at the University of Georgia. His research, under the direction of Dr. Felix Santiago-Collazo, is related to the combination and interaction between Natural Nature Based Solutions (NNBS) and Structural Solutions to manage the risk of floods with the objective to evaluate and improve infrastructure resilience.