English PhD Candidate Thakshala Tissera Named Finalist for Three Minute Thesis Competition

Academics
Thakshala Tissera headshot

Thakshala Tissera, PhD candidate specializing in the Environmental Humanities and Human-Animal Studies, has been selected as a finalist in the Graduate School’s Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition, slated to take place on Friday, March 1, from 2-3:30 p.m. in the Old Chapel. 

Tissera's doctoral research on narratives of Asian elephants examines the participation of non-human animals in political and economic networks that merge the ecological and the social in the construction of colonial modernity and complicates the positionality of this species of charismatic megafauna in the backdrop of the Sixth Extinction.

The event will feature engaging three-minute presentations from UMass Amherst graduate students who advanced from the preliminary rounds. Guests can cast their votes for their favorite speaker. The winners will be announced live during a reception following the competition.

Of the 25 preliminary round participants, just 10 were selected as finalists. These finalists will compete for a $1,000 first place prize, with the runner up receiving $500. Additionally, a People’s Choice award ($500) will be selected by audience vote at the final.  

In addition to Tissera, this year’s competitors are: Prerana Balasubramanian, food science; Jayashree Bhagabati, chemistry; Seanne Clemente, organismic and evolutionary biology; Maharshi Debnath, chemical engineering; Melissa Isidora Fernandes, food science; Rehab Heikal, chemistry; Jithu Krishna, chemistry; Kay Mattena, anthropology; Nidhi Thaker, molecular and cellular biology.
  
UMass Amherst is part of a growing global network of institutions sponsoring 3MT competitions. These popular events challenge graduate students to communicate the significance of their research to a general audience, all in three minutes or less.

The event will also showcase finalists from the Images of Research competition. More information is available on the Graduate School Office of Professional Development website. 

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