This year more than 80 University of British Columbia (UBC) graduate students took up the challenge of the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) with the aim of effectively expressing their thesis research as a three-minute speech for a general audience. While each and every one of them deserves a round of applause, yesterday at the Graduate Student Center ballroom, eight finalists competed in front of an enthusiastic crowd for the competition’s top honours. Event photos and video will be available for viewing next week on this website.
1st Place
Stephanie Harvard, PhD in Population and Public Health
Does Quality of Spondyloarthritis Care Affect Costs and Outcomes?
Supervisors: Dr. Aslam Anis and Dr. Bruno Fautrel
Runner-up & People’s Choice Award
Erin Macri, PhD in Experimental Medicine
Standing up for knee arthritis
Supervisor: Dr. Karim Khan
Left: Stephanie Harvard, right: Erin Macri
Rounding out the field of truly exceptional finalists, in order of presentation:
Hazel Hollingdale, PhD in Sociology
Taking Stock: Testing the Lehman Sister’s Hypothesis
Supervisor: Dr. Beth Hirsh
Isabelle Lacroix, PhD in Food Science
Milk Proteins as Allies for the Management of Type 2 Diabetes
Supervisor: Dr. Eunice Li-Chan
Shannon Russell, PhD in Microbiology and Immunology
The Power of Poop: How the “Good” Gut Bacteria Influence Allergy Development
Supervisor: Dr. Brett Finlay
Adam Noel, PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering
Talking like Bacteria
Supervisors: Dr. Karen C. Cheung and Dr. Robert Schober
Payam Zachkani, MASc in Mechanical Engineering
A cure for cancer: Minimally Invasive drug delivery implant
Supervisor: Dr. Mu Chiao
Nathan Evetts, MSc in Experimental Physics
Making Anti-Matter
Supervisor: Dr. Walter Hardy
Our sincere thanks to final’s MC, journalist and Adjunct Professor, UBC School of Journalism, Kathryn Gretsinger and our esteemed panel of judges:
Richard Alexander
Chair of the University Neighbourhoods Association Board of Directors
Leola Chow
Associate Scientist, Pharmacology & Toxicology, CDRD – The Centre for Drug Research and Development
Simon Clews
Director of the Writing Centre for Scholars and Researchers, The University of Melbourne
Nagarajan (Raj) Kannan
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Dept of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine
We kindly acknowledge the generous support of our event sponsors: UBC Graduate Student Society, UTown@UBC, the University Neighbourhoods Association (UNA), the UBC Office of the Vice President Research & International, StemCell Technologies, media sponsor CiTR Radio and the UBC Bookstore.
A special thanks to all the semi-final and heat organizers, volunteers and judges for your wonderful contributions!
Note that this year’s top finisher will go on to compete at the regional event in Calgary and then (fingers-crossed) onto the virtual National completion sponsored by the Canadian Association of Graduate Studies (CAGS).
Media Contact:
Carolynne Ciceri – Communications Manager
Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
