At the 64th annual Western Association of Graduate Schools (WAGS), Boise State University student Dalton Miller took home the top prize in the Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) competition on Wednesday, March 23.
“I am so proud of Dalton and all that he has accomplished during Three Minute Thesis,” said Wayne Cochrane, Coordinator of the Graduate Student Success Center (GSSC). “Throughout the competition, Dalton exemplified the effort that our students put into sharing their research with our local, state, and regional communities and the skills they build as part of 3MT. Dalton will inspire other students to commit to Three Minute Thesis, and I am extremely happy to have worked with him and wish him the best. Great job, Dalton!”
A master’s of science in chemistry student, Miller presented his thesis entitled, “Inactivation of Bacterial Biofilms in Porcine Wound Models Using Cold Plasma.” Miller also received the top spot at the Boise State 3MT finals in February.
For his win at WAGS, he earned a $500 prize in addition to the $750 he received for winning the Boise State finals. Miller will also serve as the western region representative at the national competition held at the Council of Graduate Schools annual conference.
“The 3MT competition, which is held annually by 900 universities across 95 countries, including 350 in the United States alone,” explained acting dean Scott Lowe; “requires that graduate students effectively explain their scholarship in three minutes, with a single slide, in a language appropriate to a non-specialist audience. Dalton’s success is but one example of the abundance of outstanding, impactful research and scholarship that graduate scholars at Boise State engage in daily. We couldn’t be prouder of his accomplishments, but we are even more excited at the impact that his research will have in improving the lives of millions around the globe.”
WAGS, the regional organization of graduate-degree offering academic institutions in the western United States, aims to inform a broad group of graduate school professionals such as graduate program directors/advisors, deans, educators, and administrators about important challenges and possible solutions in graduate education.
Miller presented virtually to an audience of fellow graduate students, faculty, and staff of universities from 14 states across the western United States, four provinces of Canada, as well as Mexico and the Pacific Rim.
