The hardest job at this year’s Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) competition wasn’t stepping in front of the microphone—it was sitting behind the judges’ table.
Sixteen students from seven different graduate programs competed in this year’s 3MT semi-finals. Eight advanced to the finals, held March 13 in a packed theatre in Centennial Hall.
As the judges retired to the green room to deliberate, it couldn’t have been a tighter race. Winnipeg Free Press editor Paul Samyn, a veteran 3MT judge, said this year’s presentations were the best he had ever seen.
It’s about using the right language to bridge the gap between research and everyday life.
Faith Akinyemi
“What impressed me most about the finals presentations was not just the ability of our graduate students to distill complex research into compelling presentations, or the tremendous breadth of topics,” said Dr. Kyle Devine, Dean of Graduate Studies. “It was also the supportive atmosphere and the level of engagement among graduate students and the wider community at UWinnipeg. I’m already looking forward to next year’s competition!”
Two finalists went home with trophies and a monetary prize.
Rubeena (Ruby) Gosal (BSc 24), a first-year MSc candidate in Bioscience, Technology, and Public Policy, clinched the first-place prize of $2,000. Her presentation, “Molecular Puzzles, Home Depot Buckets, and the Quest for a Fertility Agonist,” explored how computational modelling and chemistry could develop new treatments for infertility. Gosal will advance to the 3MT Western Regional Competition, hosted by the University of Victoria, on May 6.
Faith Akinyemi, a second-year MSc candidate in Applied Computer Science and Society, collected both the $1,000 second-place prize and the $500 People’s Choice Award with “From Data to Dinner: Predicting Harvests Before They Happen,” which explained how artificial intelligence can help improve the accuracy of crop growth predictions.
Computer modelling meets chemistry
Born and raised in Winnipeg, Gosal chose UWinnipeg for its small class sizes, completing a BSc in Chemistry and garnering numerous undergraduate accolades before enrolling in graduate studies.
First-place winner Rubeena (Ruby) Gosal will represent UWinnipeg at 3MT Western Regionals in Victoria, B.C.
“Science communication has always been important to me,” Gosal said. “That was the primary motivator for entering this event. 3MT forces us to choose words wisely, so it was a thought exercise alongside a presentation exercise.”
Gosal can often be found in Dr. Tabitha Wood’s chemistry lab, researching synthetic and medicinal chemistry breakthroughs for PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome), a common hormonal disorder.
“Women’s health means a lot to me,” Gosal said. “Grad school can be tough, but having a topic in which you are passionate about is a great motivator.”
“I was very happy to share my topic with all in attendance and hoped to challenge myself in portraying a complex and personal topic adequately and respectfully. I spend a lot of time thinking about words, what they mean, and how we interpret them.”
After graduation, Gosal is interested in an MD or PhD specializing in radiopharmaceuticals and nuclear medicine.
21st-century solutions in agriculture
Akinyemi grew up in southwestern Nigeria and completed an undergraduate degree in computer science before choosing graduate studies at UWinnipeg on the recommendation of her cousin, who lives in Winnipeg.
With interests in machine learning, digital agriculture, and computer vision, Akinyemi quickly took an interest in the interdisciplinary TerraByte Lab, which researches machine learning applications in agriculture.
After graduation, Akinyemi wants to become a machine learning engineer.
“I’m on a journey to improve my research and science communication skills,” Akinyemi said. “The 3MT competition was a perfect opportunity to challenge myself and distill my research. I wanted to present it in the simplest way possible so that anyone, even without a technical background, could grasp the essence of my work.”
Practice makes perfect
Both winners started drafting their presentations early and practiced frequently. Gosal was inspired by spoken-word poetry and TED Talks.
Faith Akinyemi won the second-place prize and the People’s Choice Award.
“I learned a lot about how nuances in vocal projection and inflection can change the impact of the message we are trying to convey,” she said. “I spent a lot of time thinking about that while constructing my speech.”
Akinyemi sought feedback from past 3MT winners and drew on her experience participating in last fall’s Soapbox Science event, which showed her how a lay audience perceives her research.
“I learned the importance of storytelling, making research relatable by connecting it to everyday life. I also realized that simplifying technical concepts doesn’t mean watering them down, it’s about using the right language to bridge the gap between research and everyday life.”
Stepping onstage without notes is bound to be a bit nerve-wracking, but Gosal and Akinyemi found a way to harness that mixture of nerves and excitement and channel it into engaging presentations that impressed their audience and the judges.
“I loved that people could understand my work after just one presentation,” Akinyemi said. “It also sparked meaningful conversations, and I really enjoy discussing my research with others.”
Gosal agreed, saying the biggest benefit of 3MT was hearing from everyone who approached her afterward.
“One man thanked me for helping him understand what his wife, who has PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome), was going through. That’s a memory I will carry with me for the rest of my life.”
One part elevator pitch and one part race against the clock, 3MT is a graduate-level research communication competition that originated in Australia in 2008. Each presenter has three minutes and a single, static PowerPoint slide to impress a general audience and a panel of judges by presenting their research in a compelling and accessible way. To learn more, visit UWinnipeg’s 3MT homepage.
