{"id":12750,"date":"2018-11-12T13:25:14","date_gmt":"2018-11-12T18:25:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/textiles.ncsu.edu\/news\/?p=12750"},"modified":"2018-11-12T13:25:14","modified_gmt":"2018-11-12T18:25:14","slug":"college-of-textiles-students-win-top-places-in-3mt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/textiles.ncsu.edu\/news\/2018\/11\/college-of-textiles-students-win-top-places-in-3mt\/","title":{"rendered":"College of Textiles Students Win Top Places in 3MT"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Darren White<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two College of Textiles students were the top winners Oct. 30 in the 2018 Three Minute Thesis competition, sponsored by the Graduate School. The People\u2019s Choice winner, chosen by vote of the audience, was a student from the College of Engineering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First place winner Ciera Cipriani is a master\u2019s student in textile chemistry, whose presentation was titled, \u201cShapely Molecules Prevent Dyeing Dangers.\u201d She talked about her research seeking dye molecules in fabric that don\u2019t create toxic substances when they break down. As the sun fades the dye in some clothing, the fabrics release toxins. Cipriani\u2019s research focuses on how to create dye molecules that don\u2019t break down when exposed to sunlight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cipriani earned a bachelor\u2019s degree from NC State in polymer and color chemistry. As a master\u2019s student, she works in the Vinueza labs, home to a library of nearly 100,000 dye and fabric samples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second place winner was Engy Shafik, a Ph.D. student in textile technology management, whose presentation was, \u201cDiffusing an Electronic Waste Bomb.\u201d Her research addresses the issue of how companies can make it easier for consumers to recycle or reuse much of the electronic waste \u2013 cell phones and other devices \u2013 discarded each year into landfills. Her model has the added benefit of reducing cost to the company. Shafik has had internships with Lenovo and FedEx.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vivek Samu, a Ph.D. student in civil engineering, was voted the People\u2019s Choice winner by members of the audience who were present. His presentation title was, \u201cLooking Beneath Soil Using Hammer Impact.\u201d He described how striking a bridge support with a hammer is an efficient and cost-effective means of determining how deep the supports go into the ground. It is one way to determine the soundness of bridges, especially bridges that are so old that records of the support depth don\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Samu is the recipient of NC State\u2019s Award of Excellence in Classroom Teaching and the Coffev Graduate Fellowship Award. He is currently working on research with the N.C. Department of Transportation and the Alaska State Department of Transport and will be traveling to remote bridge locations near glaciers in Alaska to test them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three Minute Thesis, an international competition, challenges graduate students to share their research in three minutes with one slide. The finalists were chosen during preliminary rounds held Sept. 25-27, and the event is part of NC\u00a0State\u2019s Red and White Week leading up to homecoming. The competition was held in the Duke Energy Center of Hunt Library.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Greg
Greg Fishel, WRAL meteorologist and 3MT master of ceremonies, shows off his Graduate School t-shirt on the air Tuesday night.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A panel of four judges selected the first and second place winners from 10 finalists. The judges were Melissa Buscher, director of global communications and marketing, LORD CORP.; Rep. John A. Fraley, member, N.C. General Assembly; Jeff Pfeiffer, vice president and product officer, North America Lexis Nexis; and Marie Williams, associate vice chancellor for human resources, NC State University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Greg Fishel, meteorologist for WRAL in Raleigh, was the master of ceremonies for the event. On the evening news cast, Fishel showed off the Graduate School t-shirt he received as a thank you for serving as MC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other finalists who competed in Three Minute Thesis are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Agriculture and Life Sciences<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n