Meet 3MT Finalist Rosanna Garris
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 Rosanna Garris, a doctoral candidate in biochemistry who researches photosynthesis. Her 3MT presentation's title is, "How do cyanobacteria assemble the carboxysome puzzle?"
If you had to describe your research in one sentence, what would you say?
I study how the original photosynthesizer is able to build sugars so efficiently.
What do you feel is the significance of your research to the every day audience?
Understanding the way CO2 is turned into sugars in nature is essential for understanding how their role in global climate.
What did you do before coming to ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä Boulder for graduate school?
I was a behavioral neuroscientist who studied the way pain is perceived and physically expressed.Ìý
What led you to pursue your doctoral degree in your field of study?
I am fascinated by the way tiny molecular machines can form in cells!
What is your favorite thing about the research you do?
My the cells that I grow are absolutely beautiful, both to the naked eye and under the microscope!
What is your favorite food and why?
As a North Carolinian, I love and have extremely strong opinions about BBQ, but I have even more love and strong opinions about mac n cheese.
Tell us a random fact about yourself
I've never broken a major bone, but I have broken several fingers, a few toes and my nose.Ìý