Earth, Geographic & Climate Sciences Student Alexander Wilk Wins 2026 Three Minute Thesis Competition
Alexander Wilk, a CNS student in Earth, Geographic & Climate Sciences, was named 2026 3MT winner.
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Alexander Wilk, a College of Natural Sciences student in Earth, Geographic & Climate Sciences, was named the winner of the 2026 Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition for his presentation, “Once Upon a time in Tropical East Africa: Using ancient mud to predict the future” at the event held on March 6 in Old Chapel.
Alexander presented before a live audience and a distinguished panel of judges, whose names included John Armstrong, the generous donor behind the Armstrong Graduate Research Grant Fund; Mary Burns, Vice-Chair on the UMass Board of Trustees; Cristina-Maria Hirschbiegel, the 2025 3MT winner; Shelly Perdomo, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs & Campus Life; Laura Vandenberg, Associate Vice Chancellor and Vice provost for Research & Engagement; and Wilmore Webley, Senior Vice Provost for Equity and Inclusion. Alexander’s presentation kept the audience highly engaged as he explored how the history preserved within ancient mud might inform new chapters in geographical history.
3MT audience members are also invited to vote for a ‘People’s Choice’ winner during the event. Prachi Gupta, a fellow College of Natural Sciences student in Chemistry, was selected as this year’s People’s Choice winner.
Presented by the Graduate School, the 3MT challenges graduate students to describe their research in an engaging manner, using non-technical language, all in three minutes or less. Revisit Alexander’s presentation from the final event in the short video linked below:
Judges selected Shakira Nyiratuza, an Environmental Conservation student, as this year’s 3MT runner-up. Her presentation, “The Power of Curvature in Advancing Sustainable Timber Design,” explored new methods for working with timber-based structures built for longevity.
Eleven finalists representing ten different graduate programs competed in the 3MT campus final. As UMass’s 3MT winner, Alexander will go on to compete in the regional 3MT competition this April, along with 3MT winners from over 40 other graduate schools located across northeastern United States and Canada.
More information about the competition can be found on the Graduate School’s website, and additional videos for the runners-up and past 3MT winners can be found on the Graduate School’s YouTube channel