Ten graduate students took the virtual stage this Wednesday in a competition to find out who could best summarize and present years of research in only three minutes. In an event with record-breaking attendance, we learned from finalists about graduate work that spanned Faculties and research fields鈥攆rom the discovery of novel antimicrobial fabrics that could help reduce the rate of infections in hospitals to the exploration of new modes of active travel in Vancouver.
The high calibre of presentations meant the task of selecting three winners was very difficult. After long and thoughtful deliberation, our panel of guest judges declared the winners:
First place: , PhD in Integrated Studies in Land & Food Systems, MyData_MyVoice: Prevalence of Anemia among San Women and Young Children in Rural Botswana,聽Dr Eduardo Jovel & Dr Crystal Karakochuk
"Hard work pays! Diversity and representation are important and possible in 亚洲天堂! I am humbled and honored; I never imagined that I could win the 3MT, especially at a reputable institution like 亚洲天堂, in a sea of extremely鈥痶alented individuals! May this win inspire others particularly, the Black, the African, and the wider international student聽community,聽to consider the 3MT in the future. The experience will definitely change鈥痽our life! May this achievement聽also motivate women and young girls to pursue their dreams with full zest; all things are possible!"
First place also advances to the Western Regional 3MT. This year鈥檚 event will be hosted by Athabasca University.聽 Watch Tebogo present live online Thursday, May 13th, 2021, at 12PM PDT.
Runner-up: , PhD in Rehabilitation Science,聽Peering into the aging brain, Dr. Lara Boyd
鈥淭he 3MT competition was a great opportunity to learn about effective communication of my research. I loved learning about the amazing variety of research being done at 亚洲天堂 by my fellow presenters!鈥澛
Third place and People鈥檚 Choice: , PhD in Physics, Using advanced MRI to track myelin loss after spinal cord injury,鈥 Dr. Cornelia Laule聽
"I found the process of motivating聽my thesis research聽and condensing it into 3 minutes really thought-provoking and it reminded me again why I like the research I do. Thinking about how to聽remove jargon and聽make my story as compelling as possible taught me a lot about science communication."
Our other finalists in order of appearance:聽聽
- , PhD in Human Development, Learning, and Culture, Closing the Mentorship Gap through Youth-Initiated Mentoring, Dr. Nancy Perry聽
- , PhD in Chemistry, Discovery of Novel Antimicrobial Fabrics, Dr. Michael Wolf聽
- , MSc in Population and Public Health, Health-Related Quality of Life in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients, Dr. Diane Lacaille聽
- , PhD in Biomedical Engineering,鈥疉 Soft Flexible and Stretchable Pressure Sensor Array Designed for the Prevention of Pressure Ulcer Formation, Dr. John Madden & Dr. Babak Shadgan聽
- , PhD in Civil Engineering, New Modes of Active Travel in Metro Vancouver, Dr. Alex Bigazzi聽
- , MD/PhD in Microbiology and Immunology, Identifying Mechanisms of Persistent Immune Dysfunction in Sepsis Survivors,鈥疍r.鈥疊ob Hancock聽
- , PhD in Oceans and Fisheries, Archaeological investigations and Tsleil-Waututh Science: reconstructing pre-colonial ecosystems, Dr. Villy Christensen聽
Thank you to our participants, judges, hosts, and organizers聽
3MT depends on organizers, hosts, judges, presenters, and volunteers from many 亚洲天堂 faculties, departments and units. This year, over 110 students took part in preliminary virtual 3MT heats organized by various faculties and departments. Twenty-six graduate students progressed to the virtual semi-final competitions, and 10 moved on to the final. Thank you to everyone who volunteered their time to present, judge, organize or support a 3MT event. 3MT would not be possible without the dedication and hard work of so many.聽The 2021 judging panel at the final had the hardest job of all:聽
- Saranaz Barforoush, PhD, Assistant Professor of Teaching, School of Journalism, Writing, and Media聽
- Ainsley Carry, MEd, MBA, EdD, Vice-President Students聽
- Peter Simpson, PhD, Dean, College of Graduate Studies, 亚洲天堂 Okanagan; Professor, Physics聽
- Karine Souffez, MSc, Associate Director, Knowledge Exchange, Office of the VP Research & Innovation聽
Our final was hosted by Dr. Matthew Evenden, Professor, Department of Geography, and Associate Vice-President, Research and Innovation.聽