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Alexander Wilk, a doctoral student in Earth, geographic and climate sciences in the College of Natural Sciences, was named the winner of the university’s 2026 Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition at the event held on March 6 in Old Chapel.

Presented by the Graduate School, the 3MT challenges UMass graduate students to describe their research in an engaging manner, using non-technical language, in three minutes or less before a live audience and a panel of judges. Wilk’s presentation, “Once Upon a time in Tropical East Africa: Using ancient mud to predict the future,” explored how the history preserved within ancient mud might inform new chapters in geographical history.
 

Eleven finalists representing 10 different graduate programs competed in the 3MT campus final. As UMass’s 3MT winner, Wilk 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 U.S. and Canada.

Judges selected Shakira Nyiratuza, an environmental conservation master’s student, as this year’s 3MT runner-up for her presentation, “The Power of Curvature in Advancing Sustainable Timber Design,” which explored new methods for working with timber-based structures built for longevity.
 

Audience members were also invited to vote for a “People’s Choice” award winner during the event, and those in attendance selected Prachi Gupta, a College of Natural Sciences doctoral student in chemistry, as this year’s award recipient for her presentation, “Targeted delivery of Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras (PROTACs) by Antibody Nanogel Conjugates (ANCs).”

Judges for this year’s event included: John Armstrong, the donor behind the Armstrong Graduate Research Grant Fund; Mary Burns, vice-chair on the UMass Board of Trustees; 2025 3MT winner Cristina-Maria Hirschbiegel; Shelly Perdomo, vice chancellor for student affairs and campus life; Laura Vandenberg, associate vice Chancellor and vice provost for research and engagement; and Wilmore Webley, senior vice provost for equity and inclusion.

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.