Three Minute Thesis
First Place
Daniel Martinez Perez
Public Health, PhD
College of Public Health and Social Work
Title: In Search of an Early Detection of Alzheimer’s
Description: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder worldwide affecting millions of people and their families. The etiology of AD is still not known, which may explain the lack of effective therapies. Among the biggest challenges with this disorder are an early diagnosis and neuroinflammation. Our research is focused on a protein called TSPO as an early biomarker of neuroinflammation and AD progression using animal models and postmortem human brain tissue from a unique AD population in Colombia, South America, which may lead to earlier treatment and better outcomes in the AD patients.
PhD Advisor: Dr. Tomás R. Guilarte
Second Place
Rahmina Rubaiat
Computer Science, PhD
College of Engineering and Computing
Title: Speech as a Biomarker for Concussion
Description: Concussions are often invisible injuries, making detection challenging without expensive scans. My research explores whether speech patterns can reveal concussions by analyzing voice samples from young adults. By converting speech into log-mel spectrograms—visual representations of sound—I trained a deep learning model to identify subtle changes in speech. This AI-driven tool has the potential to provide a quick, accessible, and non-invasive concussion screening method, transforming how concussions are detected and managed.
PhD Advisor: Dr. Christian Poellabauer
People’s Choice
Derrick Boakye Boadu
Public Affairs, PhD
School of International and Public Affairs
Title: Sustaining Shared Leadership Insight from an Anti-Displacement Community Collaboration in Miami
Description: Sustaining the sharing and rotation of leadership roles—shared leadership—within cross-sector, multi-organizational collaborations addressing climate-related issues remains a challenge. My research explores the cognitive and social mechanisms that collaborating community organizations, such as the Miami Climate Alliance, Catalyst Miami, and Miami-Dade local government agencies, can leverage to activate and sustain shared leadership. These mechanisms include both instrumental and value-based mechanisms, such as buffering external pressures and fostering a shared identity through internalization and construction.
PhD Advisor: Dr. Alexander Kroll
1st Place
Ashli Wright
Biology, PhD
College of Arts, Sciences & Education
Title: Professors’ Motivation to Read and Teach with Primary Scientific Literature
Description: Primary scientific literature (PSL) is the main way scientists communicate their research and is an efficient tool for teaching science skills. Undergraduate professors want students to know how to read PSL, but they aren’t motivated to teach them how to do it. Our research has implications for how science is taught in undergraduate courses and how science is communicated to broader audiences.
PhD Advisor: Dr. Melissa McCartney
2nd Place
Eduardo De La Vega Taboada
Psychology, PhD
College of Arts, Sciences & Education
Title: Using Citizen Sciences to Empower Adolescents by Co-transforming their Environments
Description: Adolescents in vulnerable communities around the world and principally in the Caribbean region are exposed to adverse environments which negatively impact their developmental pathways. Therefore, giving them the agency to transform their environments is the most efficient way to support them physically and psychologically.
PhD Advisor: Dr. Dionne Stephens
People’s Choice
Md Khadimul Islam
Electrical and Computer Engineering, PhD
College of Engineering
Title: Disruptive Direct Satellite to Cell Phone Connection
Description: My research will address the challenges in direct satellite-to-phone communication and provide resilient phone connectivity from space to the users residing anywhere on the earth. Artificial intelligence-assisted RF technology and dual band phased array will make that happen and contribute to enhancing the human experience and saving lives.
PhD Advisor: Dr. Elias Alwan
1st Place
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3D Printing Colonist Habitats Using Lunar Soil
by Brandon Aguilar |
2nd Place
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Forced to Be the Fine Line
by Madeline Cisneros |
People’s Choice/3rd Place
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Jamaican Hakka
by Debora Hew |
1st Place
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Genital Microbiome Transfer for Sexual Assault Detection
by Mirna Ghemrawi |
2nd Place
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Gene Editing: A Powerful Tool for the Biological Control of Mosquito Populations
by Olayinka David |
People’s Choice
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Molecular Mimicry in SARS-CoV-2 Spike
by Janelle Nunez Castilla |
1st Place & People’s Choice
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Clean Water for Everyone
by Anahita Esmaeilian |
2nd Place
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Bioresorbable Magnesium Alloy Development for Cardiovascular Application
by Chiamaka Okafor |
1st Place and People’s Choice
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A New Animal Model for Social Cue Disorders
by Tanja Zerulla |
2nd Place
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Phenotypic and Functional Characterization of Neural Crest Derived-Aortic Valve Interstitial Cells
by Sana Nasim |
1st Place
Manqi Zhang
2nd Place and People’s Choice
Medal Mozneb