Savannah Graham, a doctoral candidate in science education, was recognized for her research at the recent International Consortium for Research in Science and Mathematics Education (ICRSME). She won the three-minute thesis – as well as the people’s choice for the three-minute thesis – and the graduate student research award. 

“I presented my three-minute thesis on my dissertation connecting scientific literacy skills like scientific content knowledge and nature of science understandings to teaching practices with pre-service teachers,” Graham said. “I used a unit about the COVID-19 pandemic that I created to model how to teach with real world science examples for issues-based instruction.”

ICRSME aims to advance science and mathematics education in participating countries. This particular consultation was held in Panama City, Panama.

“ICRSME in general provided a great opportunity to get feedback on my research in a supportive environment that is promoting more graduate student involvement,” she said.

Graham said that the conference and competitions have helped her improve her communication and public speaking skills.

“I have always been interested in bridging the gap between science and the public. Three-minute thesis provided me with the opportunity to explain my research without jargon and in a way that is understandable for anyone outside of my field,” she said. “I had to narrow down exactly what is important about my study – or the implications – how I did it, and what I found.”

Three other students from the science education program were finalists in the three-minute thesis competition: Ashley Titus, Ihsan Ghazal and Kristen Brown (runner up). College of Education Professor Sarah Quebec-Fuentes serves as co-executive director of ICRSME.