Ten graduate students competed in the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) final this Wednesday to find out who could best summarize and present years of research in only three minutes. Their research touched on topics such as lung cancer, human stem cells, sexual pain, honey bees and infant gut microbiomes.
The judges agreed that their research was impressive and that it took careful deliberation to declare the final results听鈥 four winners.
First place (and People鈥檚 Choice)
- Emilie Carpentier, PhD in Physics,听Liver cancer? No need to hold your breath for a cure! Supervisor: Dr. Tony Mestrovic
Emilie completed her undergraduate degree in physics, but says once she learned that physics could be applied to treating cancer, the field of medical physics felt like a fulfilling way to apply her skills. "I have really enjoyed my PhD and applying my physics background to health care by doing medical physics research," says Emilie. "I鈥檓 really happy that my work has been useful and is improving radiation therapy treatments for liver cancer patients, and I hope I can continue to make positive contributions in this field over my career."听
Emilie's 4D modelling technique as discussed in her presentation has already been applied in real-life scenarios. Organs in the body can move as much as 2 cm when the patient breathes, which is a huge amount for radiation targeting specific areas. The modelling technique she discussed is meant to improve cancer outcomes with better radiation targeting. 鈥淚t is a really awesome feeling knowing that my 4D modelling has been applied in real life and is helping people,鈥 says Emilie.
Emilie will be representing 亚洲天堂 at the in Winnipeg on May 6. "It鈥檚 an honour to be a 3MT winner. This event really showcases some of the fascinating research happening at 亚洲天堂. It was inspiring to be a part of that and to hear everyone else鈥檚 incredible talks, and I鈥檓 very grateful that I was chosen to be a winner."
Second place
- Mopelola Akinlaja, PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology,听A peek into the honey bee gut: Understanding Nosema infection in honey bees. Supervisor: Prof. Leonard Foster
Third Place (tie)
- Ic铆ar Fern谩ndez Boyano, PhD in Genome Science and Technology,听Making sense of preeclampsia where it begins: in the placenta. Supervisor: Dr. Wendy Robinson
- Nicolas Pereyra, MSc in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology,听Modified platelet storage devices to improve quality during storage. Supervisor: Dr. Dana Devine
Our other finalists in order of appearance:
- Simone Hagey, MSc in Astronomy,听The deathspiral of hot Jupiters. Supervisor: Dr. Aaron Boley
- Amanda Cheung, PhD in Neuroscience,听Monitoring oxygen levels in the injured spinal cord. Supervisors: Dr. Brian Kwon & Dr. Babak Shadgan
- Nisha Marshall, MSc in Reproductive and Developmental Sciences,听Evaluating female sexual pain. Supervisors: Dr. Paul Yong & Dr. Caroline Pukall
- Miguel Prieto, MSc in Experimental Medicine,听Nontuberculous mycobacteria in people living with cystic fibrosis. Supervisor: Dr. Bradley Quon
- Zahra Pakzad, PhD in Microbiology and Immunology,听How breast milk influences the infant gut microbiome. Supervisor: Dr. Deborah Money
- Vivian Zhang, MASc in Biomedical Engineering,听Engineering the Stem Cell battle arena. Supervisor: Dr. Nika Shakiba
Thank you to our participants, judges, hosts and organizers
3MT depends on volunteer organizers, hosts, judges, presenters, and volunteers from many 亚洲天堂 faculties, departments and units. This year, 116 graduate students took part in 13 different preliminary virtual 3MT heats organized by various faculties and departments. Twenty-six graduate students progressed to the virtual semi-final competitions, with only ten moving on to the final event. Thank you to everyone who presented, judged, organized or volunteered at a 3MT event. 3MT would not be possible without the dedication and hard work of so many volunteers.
The 2022 judging panel for the final included:
- Murali Chandrashekaran, PhD, Vice-Provost, International鈥
- Julian Dierkes, PhD, Associate Dean, Funding, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies and Associate Professor, School of Public Policy and Global Affairs鈥
- Sarah Grasedieck, PhD, Postdoctoral fellow, Dr. Hirst Epigenomics Lab, MSFHR Research Trainee, Michael Smith Laboratories鈥
- Tara Lee, PhD, Lecturer, School of Journalism, Writing, & Media, Faculty of Art
The final was hosted by Tamara Baluja鈥, an adjunct professor, at 亚洲天堂鈥檚 School of Journalism, Writing, and Media, and First Person Producer at CBC.
The videos from the are now available on our YouTube channel.
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