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The 2026 Three Minute Thesis final competition will be held Jan. 29, from 4 to 6 p.m.

What is the best way to distill a multitude of information into just three minutes?

That’s the question eleven graduate students will be wrestling with as part of the Graduate School’s ninth annual Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition, which will be held in the University Memorial Center’s Glenn Miller Ballroom on Jan. 29, 2026, from 4 to 6 p.m. The event is free and open to the public, but .

This event challenges each student to explain their thesis to the general public. They are then evaluated by a panel of judges, which this year include Lori Bergen, dean of the College of Communication, Media, Design and Information; Sammy Ramsey or "Dr. Sammy," an assistant professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, a science communicator, and an international 3MT winner; Leopold Beuken, an assistant teaching professor in robotics and a former ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä Boulder 3MT finalist; and Aaron Brockett, the City of Boulder mayor.

In the days leading up to the event, we’ll feature each of the competitors. Today’s is Mackenzie Bowden, a doctoral candidate in environmental engineering who evaluates chemical and biological risks in complex water mixtures. Her 3MT presentation's title is, "Rethinking Water Risks: Making Sense of Chemical Mixture Effects."

If you had to describe your research in one sentence, what would you say?

I integrate chemical characterization and biological testing to evaluate mixture toxicity in water systems.

What do you feel is the significance of your research to the every day audience?

Clean water is something we all depend on, yet it often contains complex mixtures of chemicals we don’t fully understand. My research helps uncover those risks and translate them into actionable insights for safer water.

What did you do before coming to ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä Boulder for graduate school?

After earning my bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering, I completed an internship with Catholic Relief Services and USAID in Madagascar focused on water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). I then worked for the U.S. Department of the Navy as a project manager in fleet sustainment to fund my master’s degree in sustainable engineering, motivated by my goal to work in the international development sector.Ìý

During that time, I applied for and was awarded a Fulbright fellowship to research alternative feedstocks for anaerobic digestion in rural Indonesia, but the fellowship was terminated early due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That experience reinforced my desire to conduct primary research and prompted me to shift my master's studies into a full-time research track, where I worked out of a civil engineering lab and focused on optimized pyrogenic carbonaceous matter (essentially activated carbon) for the remediation of munitions residues from the environment on military testing ranges. Ìý

What led you to pursue your doctoral degree in your field of study?

While completing my research-based master’s, I realized I wanted to strengthen my analytical skills beyond what I had gained in earlier projects. That drive for technical depth, combined with my interest in protecting public health, led me to pursue a PhD with an initial focus on environmental chemistry. Over time, my work expanded to include biological endpoints and water systems, allowing me to integrate chemistry and toxicology to better understand water risks in real-world contexts.

What is your favorite thing about the research you do?

I really enjoy the problem-solving aspect: figuring out how to measure something that’s hard to see and making sense of complex data. What makes it even better is knowing that these discoveries can help make water safer for people and communities.

What are your hobbies/what do you enjoy doing outside of your academic work?

Outside of research, I love spending time outdoors, especially visiting national parks and hiking or snowboarding. I’m passionate about nature photography and even have a gallery of my photos displayed above my desk in our department office. I also enjoy exploring new coffee shops and finding the best brews wherever I go.

Tell us a random fact about yourself

My travels have led to some wild experiences, from chatting with a former U.S. president over ice cream to inviting the pope’s nephew to dinner in the Vatican.