For their standout presentations at the College of Natural and Applied Sciences (CNAS) Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition on Oct. 20, 2025, four master’s degree students have earned a spot in the Graduate College competition on Nov. 7.

The 3MT competition at Missouri State University challenges graduate students to present their research project in just three minutes. Designed to help students communicate complex ideas clearly and engagingly to a non-specialist audience, the competition emphasizes clarity, focus and effective storytelling.

The winner of the 3MT competition will represent Missouri State at the regional competition during the Midwest Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS) annual conference.

The four CNAS students are:

• Kaitlyn Bebensee, biology
• Emma Braun, biology with a secondary emphasis in chemistry
• Tony Nyabayo, chemistry
• Trishna Timalsena, chemistry with a secondary emphasis in biomedical sciences

The students’ research

Bebensee presented her thesis, “Small mammal community composition and diet in Southwestern Missouri prairies.” Her advisor, Dr. Sean Maher, associate professor of biology, helped her to examine the impact humans have on wildlife.

“My project looked at whether two dominant small mammal species in the prairies compete for food resources,” Bebensee said. “I found they do not as they had different diets. This finding can be useful in land management decisions that protect prairie communities.”

As for Braun, her presentation was on “Developing a cell specific drug delivery system for enhanced cervical cancer treatment.” Her research focused on reducing chemotherapy side effects by making cancer chemotherapeutics more specific.

According to Braun, she found inspiration for her thesis topic during her undergraduate studies after seeing posters at a conference that discussed targeted drug delivery. When she began her graduate studies, her advisor, Dr. Kyoungtae Kim, department head of biology, helped her refine the idea into a thesis.

Growing up surrounded by the rainforest in Kenya, Africa, where everything was alive and healing, Nyabayo learned that nature “always finds a way to restore balance.” This inspired him to study Gedunin, a molecule from the forest, to explore its potential in healing the human brain.

His presentation titled, “From rainforest roots to brain rescue,” dives into how Gedunin interacts with alpha-synuclein, a protein linked to Parkinson’s disease. His advisor, Dr. Tuhina Banerjee, assistant professor of chemistry, aided him in this process.

In her presentation, “No more gut feelings: nanotech detects bad food before your stomach does,” Timalsena explored translational research, with help from her advisor, Dr. Santimukul Santra, professor of chemistry. As she is drawn to research that has a direct impact on people’s lives, this project was especially compelling to her.

Excited for the next round

All four students are ready for the upcoming competition, hoping to be chosen to represent Missouri State at the MAGS conference.

“I look forward to learning about other research taking place across Missouri State’s campus,” Bebensee said. “I hope that by sharing my research, more people will understand the importance of small mammals.”

Nyabayo sees the experience as a way to honor the people who helped him get here.

“Representing CNAS feels like carrying the voices of my mentors, lab mates and every student who dares to dream big,” he said.

Meanwhile, Timalsena says she has a “good gut feeling” about the next round, a playful nod to her presentation title. She looks forward to hearing from all the other presenters.

Learn more about the 3MT competition