Ph.D. candidate wins first place at 3MT competition with dementia research presentation

Evan-Angelo Butlig, second from left, won top awards at the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition. His fellow lab members Nairuti Bhatt, Samantha Chaney and Allison Bauman showed their support.

In just 180 seconds, Evan-Angelo Butlig, a third-year Ph.D. candidate in the Basic Medical Sciences Graduate Program, effectively explained his research on dementia to a wide-ranging audience. His compelling talk took top awards at the 2024 Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition, hosted by the University of South Alabama Graduate School on Oct. 9. 

Butlig, who conducts research in the lab of Amy R. Nelson, Ph.D., an associate professor of physiology and cell biology at the Whiddon College of Medicine, won both the first-place prize of $2,000 and the People’s Choice Award, worth an additional $1,000, for his research presentation titled “Breathing New Life into Dementia Research: How Pneumonia Could Spark a Dementia Crisis.”

In his presentation, Butlig explained a potential answer to a critical question: Why are pneumonia patients at a higher risk of developing dementia? His research delves into the role of a protein called tau, which normally stabilizes cells in the lungs and brain. However, in pneumonia patients, these tau proteins can enter the bloodstream and reach the brain, where they target the hippocampus — a region crucial for memory and learning.

Using advanced techniques, Butlig grew human brain organoids, mini versions of the human brain, to study the effects of tau proteins on neuronal activity. His findings revealed that tau from pneumonia patients caused neurons in these organoids to become hyperactive and exhibit a hypersynchronous pattern, offering groundbreaking insights into the connection between pneumonia and dementia.

“I think the research I’m doing is so important because there are relatively few groups studying how infection leads to cognitive dysfunction, especially in a preclinical human model,” he said. “Dementia really is a devastating disease that is becoming more and more prevalent, so the more we know about the risks of developing dementia, the more we’re able to prevent it.” 

This achievement not only highlights Butlig’s communication skills but also underscores the real-world impact of his work, inspired by his own grandfather’s battle with dementia following pneumonia. 

“It was a challenge to present my research in under three minutes to a broad audience, as I’m used to explaining my findings to experts in my field,” he said. “Public speaking has always been one of my biggest obstacles, so to have won a competition where the goal is to share my research in a way that the general public can understand reassures me that my practice and dedication pays off.” 

“It also means a lot to me that so many of my friends showed up to support me. It definitely made me feel more at ease when standing in front of a big audience,” he added. 

As one of the top two competitors, Butlig was invited to present at the University of South Alabama Research and Technology Showcase later this month. His first-place win also qualifies him to represent the University of South Alabama at the regional Conference of Southern Graduate Schools (CSGS) 3MT competition in Dallas, Texas, in March 2025.