Contact: Morgan Tubbs
STARKVILLE, Miss.--A Mississippi State physics and astronomy instructor will represent the university in regional Three Minute Thesis competition.
Joshua B. "Josh" Winter of Starkville recently was named grand champion of the university graduate school's 3MT challenge. In the next phase, he faces winners from other Southeastern Conference institutions.
Held on university and college campuses throughout the nation, 3MT events require graduate students to explain in three minutes or less their thesis research both to an audience and a panel of judges.
Winter, a two-time MSU graduate currently pursuing an educational specialist degree in curriculum and instruction, won with a presentation that explored teaching methods and effects in an introductory physics classroom.
The former Tippah County resident was among nearly 35 MSU graduate students competing in eight categories. Research topics ranged from sustainability to genetics.
In 2001, Winter graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor's degree in secondary education and concentrations in chemistry and physics. A year later, he received a master's in curriculum and instruction with a physics concentration.
"We are very proud of Josh," said Elton Moore, associate dean of research for the College of Education. "He competed against some very talented students. We wish him the very best of luck at the next level of competition."
Winter said he "was honored to have been in the company of such great graduate students; everyone's research was interesting and their presentations were great.
"I've been a teacher for quite some time, but educational research is new to me and the learning experience that has come with planning, conducting, and now presenting the results of research has been one of the most fulfilling parts of my graduate studies here at MSU," he said.
"I can't wait to see what the next level of competition is like and I hope to represent Mississippi State well."
Other campus winners included runner-up Evangel Kummari from the College of Veterinary Medicine. Bahareh Kokabian from the Bagley College of Engineering received the People's Choice Award.
Additional information on MSU graduate research and programs is available at www.grad.msstate.edu.