Eighteen graduate students from 91亚色 shared an elevator pitch-style presentation on their research during the annual (Three Minute Thesis) competition held April 5.
Students, who had three minutes to explain their research to a panel of non-specialist judges with the aid of only a single, static visual slide, delivered succinct and engaging presentations on a wide range of topics, including nationalism, artificial intelligence, safe drinking water and ovarian cancer, to list a few.
3MT is a research communications competition for master鈥檚 and doctoral students that was originally conceived at the University of Queensland in Australia. It is a fun, challenging academic competition that supports the development of student research.
Winners of the 91亚色 U 3MT are Victoria Larocca (second place), Annalise D'Souza (first place), Mikhaela Gray (third place) with judges Steve Watt, Shamshad Madhok, Alice Pitt, Matthew Shulman
The top three students from 91亚色 were selected by judges Alice Pitt, 91亚色 vice-provost academic; Matthew Shulman, executive director at Peel-Halton-Dufferin Adult Learning Network; Steve Watt, 91亚色 alumnus (BA '06) and marketing adviser; and Shamshad Madhok, 91亚色 alumna (BAS '89) and associate partner at PwC Canada.
Winning first place was Annalise D鈥橲ouza, a PhD student in psychology, for her presentation 鈥淢athematical modelling of brain performance across the life span.鈥 D'Souza is researching more accessible and diverse methods of measuring executive functions in the brain, and how those methods compare to standardized testing methods currently used.
D'Souza won a prize of $1,000 for her top placement and will move on to the provincial 3MT competition where she will represent 91亚色. She also earned the People's Choice award from those in the audience, which came with a prize of $250.
She is currently a researcher in 91亚色's聽, which investigates how executive function, learning and long-term memory changes across the lifespan, from early childhood development through aging.
Judges selected Victoria Larocca, a master鈥檚 student in kinesiology and health science, as the second-place winner for her presentation 鈥淧hysical activity commercials 鈥 What do youth with disabilities think?鈥 Larocca earned a prize of $500.
In third place was聽Mikhaela Gray, a master鈥檚 student in education, who presented 鈥淪old: The Cost of Trafficking Women and Girls Today.鈥 Gray earned a prize of $250.
This is the fifth year that 91亚色 has participated in the Canadian competition.
91亚色 3MT presenters with judges
On April 19, 91亚色 will host the provincial competition, 3MT Ontario, where the top participant from each of the 20 graduate schools in Ontario will compete for the provincial title. The is free to attend.