On March 14 at 12:30 PM at the Robert H. Lee Alumni Centre, ten talented UBC graduate students presented their research in three minutes each, competing for the top prize in this year’s Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition. After long and thoughtful deliberation, our panel of guest judges declared the winners:
First Place: Adam Ramzy, MD/PhD in Cell and Developmental Biology, Gene and cell therapies for diabetes, Dr. Timothy J Kieffer
Runner Up: Juma Orach, MSc in Experimental Medicine, Dose-response Study to Identify a Biosignature of Diesel Exhaust Exposure, Dr. Christopher Carlsten
Honourable Mention: MengXing Na, PhD in Physics, Imaging collective behavior in a trillionth of a second, Drs. Andrea Damascelli and David J. Jones
People’s Choice: Rabe Arshad, PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Mobility Management in Wireless Networks, Prof. Lutz Lampe
Adam Ramzy will go on to represent UBC at the 2019 Western Regional 3MT Competition on April 17 at Wood Innovation and Design Centre, in Prince George, BC. Our top finalists will also present at a number of events around the region over the next few months.
Our remaining finalists were (in alphabetical order):
Delaram Behnami, PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Artificial Intelligence in Heart Imaging, Drs. Purang Abolmaesumi and Robert Rohling
Agatha Czekajlo, MSc in Forestry, Green Living: Characterizing change in Canadian urban green spaces since 1984, Dr. Nicholas Coops
Ryley Hill, PhD in Astronomy, The Largest Structures in the Universe, Dr. Douglas Scott
Kate Wahl, MSc in Population and Public Health, In her own words: A qualitative description of endometriosis-associated sexual pain, Drs. Susan Cox and Paul Yong
Laura Yvonne Bulk, PhD in Rehabilitation Science, Blindly Belonging, Drs. Laura Nimmon and Tal Jarus
Karl Zimmermann, MASc in Chemical and Biological Engineering, Biological Ion Exchange for long-term water treatment in small and remote communities, Dr. Madjid Mohseni
2019 UBC 3MT winner Adam Ramzy answers questions after his presentation on gene and cell therapies for diabetes
Thank you to our participants, judges, hosts and organizers
3MT depends on volunteer organizers, hosts, judges, presenters, and volunteers from many UBC faculties, departments and units. This year, over 80 students took part in preliminary 3MT heats organized by various faculties and departments. Twenty-six graduate students progressed to the semi-final competitions, and ten moved on to the finals. 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 judging panel at our final event has the hardest job of all. The 2019 final judging panel was:
- Ryan Conder, PhD, Senior Scientist, STEMCELL Technologies
- Sara Muir-Owen, MCIP, RPP, MLArch, Program Manager, UBC, Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS)
- Andrew Szeri, PhD, Provost and Vice President Academic, University of British Columbia
- Joseph Topornycky, PhD, Manager, Graduate Student Programs, Centre for Teaching, Learning, and Technology (CTLT)
Our final was hosted by Kathryn Gretsinger, a UBC alumna, senior instructor and journalist.
Thank you to our sponsors
This event would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors:
2019 Platinum Sponsors ($1,000 +)
2019 Gold Sponsors ($500 – $999)
2019 Silver Sponsors ($250 – $499)
2019 Bronze Sponsors (up to $249)
If you are interested in supporting our 2020 3MT events, please contact Jacqui Brinkman at jacqui.brinkman@ubc.ca to discuss the options.
