College of Charleston Announces 3MT Competition Winners

^{Above: Nick Sturr, winner of the Graduate School’s 12th annual 3MT competition, presents his research. (Photo provided by the College of Charleston Graduate School)}

Students in the Graduate School at the College of Charleston took to the stage on Nov. 6 to compete for prizes and a chance to advance to regional competition in the coveted Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition. 

Students were given three minutes each to present their research in clear, compelling three-minute talks designed to make complex ideas accessible to everyone. 

It is the 12th year the Graduate School has hosted the competition – and, with 18 students participating, double last year’s number and the highest number of competitors at the College to date, it was quite the success. This year also marked the first time a doctoral student participated. Students represented the following programs: 

• Data Science and Analytics, M.S.  
• Environmental and Sustainability Studies, M.S.  
• Environmental and Sustainability Studies, M.S., and Public Administration, M.P.A., Concurrent Master’s Degree Program   
• Learning and Inquiry in Practice, Ed.D. 
• Marine Biology, M.S.   
• Mathematical Sciences, M.S.  
• Public Administration, M.P.A./Arts and Cultural Management Certificate 

Renee Shackleton, admissions and administrative coordinator at the Graduate School, thanks competitors for their hard work and innovative research.

“That’s what brings this competition to life,” she says, noting that the first place winner will compete in the Conference of Southern Graduate Schools annual meeting in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in February 2026. “We look forward to cheering on this year’s winner, Nick Sturr, at the regional competition.”  

Sturr, an EVSS M.S. candidate, won first place for his presentation, “Dinosaur Feeding Ecology in the Lance Formation via Dental Microwear.”

Dylan McGuire, who is in the EVSS/M.P.A. concurrent program, was named runner-up for his presentation, “Affording Energy: Energy Burden in South Carolina,” and marine biology graduate student Cole Miller received the people’s choice award for his presentation, “Assessing the Effects of Freshwater Salinization on the Trophic Interactions in a Freshwater Community.”

A round of applause is also going out to everyone who supported, guided and coached the 3MT participants, including the judges:

• Courtney Howard, Vice President of the Office of Community Engagement and College of Charleston Senior Administrative Officer
• Ryan Morris, Senior HR Business Partner from Anthology Inc. and College of Charleston Alumni Association Board Member
• Paige Pilkinton, Science Grants Administrator for the College of Charleston’s School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, School of Health Sciences and School of Engineering, Computing, and Mathematics

Presentation videos will be posted on the Graduate School’s YouTube channel.  

The Three Minute Thesis is a research communication competition developed by the University of Queensland, Australia. The competition helps students develop academic, presentation and research communication skills, with a focus on explaining their work clearly to a non-specialist audience. The Graduate School at the College of Charleston hosts the competition annually in the fall semester.