David Ramotowski, a doctoral student in the University of Iowa’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, is enthusiastic about communicating his research to non-specialized audiences.
Ramotowski, the Graduate College’s 2023 Three Minute Thesis (3MT) winner, served as a judge for the 2024 finals in November at the Iowa Memorial Union. He also participated in a round table discussion involving the 2024 finalists and Iowa City High seniors taking their school’s AP Research class.
“It is important that we communicate our research to the public in order to build support for science,” says Ramotowski, who had engaging discussions with the City High students.
“It's interesting how curious the students are about research and how they're already thinking about what they want to do in college and beyond in terms of science. It gives me hope for the future.”
3MT natural fit for City High students
City High students began attending the 3MT competition and talking with graduate researchers due to their teacher Michael Ayers’s pre-existing relationship with the Graduate College.
Evan Decker, Graduate Student Success Coordinator and 3MT organizer, worked closely with Ayers to assist in this experience for the City High students.
“It’s a natural fit for students in the AP Research Course at City High to come and watch 3MT presentations because it aligns with their academics and shows City High students what is possible in terms of research fields,” Decker says.
Shortly before the 3MT finals, City High students gathered at a series of tables to have research discussions with the event finalists.
City High senior Norah Kauper, an aspiring architect, participated in an inspiring discussion with Sun Joo Lee, a graduate student in Music Education who studies outcomes of therapeutic group singing for patients with Parkinson’s Disease.
“You could tell she really cared about her work. It is a way to serve her community and improve the world,” Kauper says. “I can relate to that. I’m interested in architecture because it's how I can help the world in a way that means something to me. It was great to sit with Sun Joo and hear her own method of work of contributing something to the world.”
Ayers believes an Iowa PhD candidate can validate the high school students as young researchers by actively listening to their projects.
“Although our students won’t all go on to do university research, it benefits everyone to see the small steps by dedicated scholars contributing to what we know in so many different fields, and to get a wider view of what is possible,” Ayers says.
City High senior Lanira Siron says the day prepared her for the next step in her academic journey.
“I got to hear a bunch of very well-spoken people talk about high-level topics,” Siron says. “It helps me understand how to simplify the intense research that I'll be doing. We will do a 20-minute presentation of our own and I'm nervous about how I’m going to be explaining such a big topic.”
Learning first hand
This year, the students also witnessed research when they toured the MATFab labs at the Iowa Advanced Technology, Benjamin Revis’s glassblowing studio in the Chemistry Building, and the Paleontology Repository at Trowbridge Hall. Tawny Tibbits, director of the Office of Undergraduate Research, arranged the City High students’ lab visits.
“It was inspiring to see different ways that people can focus on their niches and really develop these super complex understandings,’’ Kauper says. “The most inspiring part was when we visited the glassblower. He makes glass for specific projects, and he talked about how he combined his interest in engineering and science with his passion for art, which was very relatable for me.
“I love math, and I love art, so it was just great to see that there are so many opportunities for people to pursue their many interests.”
City High senior Olivia VandeBerg was inspired by interacting with these professional researchers in their labs.
“It gets me into the mindset that what I'm doing has a purpose, and what I want to research not only inspires me but can help to inspire others as well,” VandeBerg says.
City High senior Nina Kuhlmann thought this 3MT opportunity was going to be just another field trip. She quickly learned that she was mistaken.
“I had such a fun experience. I had experience in a research lab at the University of Rochester in New York the summer before my junior year,” says Kuhlmann, who plans to study nursing or genetic sciences in college. “Going into and seeing the labs (at the University of Iowa) was a very eye-opening experience for me.”