Master’s degree student Skylar Mathieson won East Tennessee State University’s 3 Minute Thesis Competition (3MT®) with her presentation, “Buzzed and Bothered: Investigating the Impact of Addictive Plant Alkaloids on Bumblebee Behavior.”
This competition, created at the University of Queensland, Australia, provides graduate students the opportunity to develop professional presentation and research communication skills.
Participants condense complex research projects into engaging, three-minute presentations designed for a general audience using just one slide. Audience members learn what students in master’s and doctoral programs are studying and gain insight into the future of research, design and innovation in a variety of disciplines.
Mathieson, from Coeburn, Virginia, is a graduate student in biology.
“Bees encounter all kinds of chemical compounds in the nectar and pollen of flowers. Some of these compounds are good for the bees, while others we aren't so sure,” Mathieson said regarding her thesis.
“My research is exploring the potential for pollinators to develop a chemical dependency to some of the compounds that we know are addictive to other animals, like caffeine and nicotine, that the pollinators encounter in the flowers of some plant species. Ultimately, I want to know whether plants might be drugging their pollinators.”
Learn more about Mathieson's research in this ETSU News feature.
