Emma Crawford and Kirsten Giesbrecht Shine in the 2023 UNC-CH 3MT Competition!

Emma Crawford and Kirsten Giesbrecht, our exceptional graduate students, delivered an outstanding performance in the 2023 UNC-CH Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition! In just three minutes, they skillfully conveyed the depth and significance of their research projects to a non-specialist audience during the Finals held on October 25, as part of Research Week.

Kirsten clinched the top prize for her research talk, which centered on modeling blood flow in embryonic hearts. Her work aims to enhance our understanding of how normal physical influences differ from atypical conditions, ultimately contributing to our knowledge of congenital heart diseases. Explaining her research during the presentation, Giesbrecht stated, “As the heart undergoes changes in shape, it dynamically alters blood flow, updating the physical cues it perceives. This process continues until the heart develops into a healthy infant heart — or so we hope.” See the full announcement here. Congratulations Emma and Kirsten!