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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 CU ¶¶Òõ´«Ã½ÔÚÏß 3MT finalist; and Aaron Brockett, the City of ¶¶Òõ´«Ã½ÔÚÏß mayor.

In the days leading up to the event, we’ll feature each of the competitors. Today’s is Krithik Ranjan, a doctoral candidate in the ATLAS Institute who researches creative technology and design. His 3MT presentation's title is, "Lights, Camera, Interaction! Designing for Creative Computational Thinking."

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

I design and research how we can learn and be creative with computers outside of traditional computers with the help of everyday physical materials like paper.

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

My work tries to show how by bringing creative computing out into the physical world, we can help people transform their relationship with computers, from seeing themselves as passive consumers, to thinking of themselves as active makers of technology. With the insights I develop, I hope to impact how learners of all ages, from elementary schools students to adults, begin engaging with computing technologies in classrooms, homes, libraries.

What did you do before coming to CU ¶¶Òõ´«Ã½ÔÚÏß for graduate school?

I was an undergraduate student in electrical and computer engineering, while trying to expand my learning domains by pursuing "almost" minors in design, philosophy and German.

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

I've always been interested in building technology to help people, and I saw a PhD in creative technology and design as a way to use my engineering skills towards researching and designing creative, critical and impactful technologies.

What is your favorite thing about the research you do?

The most joyful part of this research is conducting workshops with children and students to see all the unique and creative ideas they come up with (which are often ways to break things I developed).

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

I enjoy taking photographs and learning more about analog technologies. After finding and repairing my grandfather's camera from the 70s, I have collected a few different film cameras that are decades old and I spend too much on film rolls to try those out. Ìý

Tell us a random fact about yourself

When I was 14, I could solve 14 different types of Rubik's cubes. My favorites were Square-1, Gear Cube and the Pyraminx. (I did not maintain the trajectory... I can maybe solve two now.)Ìý