CCJS congratulates CCJS doctoral student Sarah Silberman and CCJS doctoral candidate Yesenia Yanez for their outstanding performance in the 2023 3-Minute Thesis Competition (3MT). Silberman and Yanez were placed in the top 20 finalists in the competition, which challenges graduate students from all disciplines to communicate the significance of their research projects to a non-specialist audience in just three minutes. 

Sarah Silberman's presentation was on "Exploring Sexual Misconduct in Academia." She highlighted that sexual misconduct is one of the most prevalent issues in academia today, and everyone is affected by it, whether directly or indirectly. Silberman aims to address the gap in the literature on this topic by interviewing current and former university students, faculty, and staff from all over the country who have experienced academic sexual misconduct. She seeks to understand how people experience academic sexual misconduct, their decision to report it, and how this can relate to criminological theory. Silberman plans to interview over 90 people across the United States over the next year.

In contrast, Yesenia Yanez spoke about "Mitigating Mass Shooting Severity." Yanez emphasized that mass shootings are becoming more frequent and deadlier. While it may be difficult to stop mass shootings altogether, Yanez aims to make them less severe. She studied the Routine Activities Theory and argued that not all targets are equally suitable, and fatalities of mass shootings result from the target's suitability, the offender's motivation, and the responding officer's capability. Yanez analyzed 154 U.S. mass shootings and found that the number of guns consistently had a significant impact on fatalities, and open and densely occupied spaces led to higher fatalities.

Silberman and Yanez's performance in the competition highlights their impressive communication skills and their ability to convey complex research topics in a concise and engaging manner. Their achievements also showcase the strength and quality of research conducted within the CCJS department.

 

View the 2023 3MT Competition's YouTube live-stream recording.
Sarah Silberman and  Yesenia Yanez Headshots