Going head to head against seven competitors from across Canada for the coveted Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) competition in Toronto today, Michael Mensah, PhD candidate, Department of Biology, came out on top.
Mensah and his Fresh Solution for Salty Cows presentation were up against regional 3MT competition winners from the University of British Columbia, the University of Calgary, Concordia University, Polytechnique Montréal, Queen's University, and Toronto Metropolitan University. Competitors presented on topics ranging from microbiology and molecular science to computer science and industrial-organizational psychology and from engineering to biology.
[L-R] Michael Mensah receives framed 3MT Nationals Winner certificate from Dr. Robin Hicks, Dean of Graduate Studies at the University of Victoria and Member, Canadian Association of Graduate Studies, and host of the 3MT Nationals competition. Credit: University Communications and Marketing
Immediately after the competition, Mensah shared, "With so many excellent scholars and so many great presentations, I'm so pleased, so thrilled to have come out on top. The support from the U of R has been incredible and I could not have achieved the win without the help of everyone there - including the Government of Saskatchewan (Ministry of Agriculture) and the Saskatchewan Cattlemen's Association."
Dr. Aziz Douai, Dean of the Faculty of Research and Graduate Studies at the U of R, was in attendance to lend moral support to Michael and to cheer him on.
"Michael is exceptional - in the research he conducts, the way he presents himself and represents the U of R, and in his enthusiasm for the subject matter. He is dogged in his search for answers to real-world problems," says Douai. "The calibre of the graduate research coming out of our university today is clearly top notch - in fact, all of the universities competing at the national level today should feel proud of their student researchers. I can't wait to see what Michael achieves going forward and will support him long into the future."
The entire university community has been behind Mensah throughout the various 3MT competitions this year and will cheer him on as he heads to the 3MT North American finals in St. Louise, Missouri, on December 7, 2024.
[L-R] Finalists competing in the 3MT Nationals in Toronto: Paco Alvarez, Meng. PhD Candidate in Mechanical Engineering at Polytechnique Montréal (180 secondes MT 80 winner); Michael Mensah, MSc. PhD Candidate in Biology at U of R, Western 3MT Regional Top Finalist); Liliane-Caroline Demers, MSc., Recent Graduate, Master's Computer Engineering, Polytechnique Montréal, Eastern Regional 3MT Top Finalist); Emma Hsiaowen Chen MSC., PhD Candidate in Health and Exercise, Concordia University, Eastern Regional 3MT Top Finalist); Madeline Springle, MSc., PhD Candidate in Industrial-Organizational Psychology, University of Calgary, SSHRC Storytellers Top Finalists); Jordan Carrillo Zurita, BSc., PhD Candidate in Molecular Science, Toronto Metropolitan University, ON Regional 3MT Top Finalist); Nada Al-Emadi, MSc., PhD Candidate in Microbiology, University of British Columbia, Western 3MT 3MT Top Finalist); and, Julia Tropak, BScH, PhD Candidate in Chemistry, Queen's University). Credit: University Communciations and Marketing
The Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is an internationally recognized competition for thesis-based graduate students in which participants present their scholarly and creative activity and its wider impact in three minutes or less.
The challenge is to present complex research in an accessible and compelling way with the assistance of only one static slide. Created in 2008 at the University of Queensland, Australia, the competition celebrates exciting and innovative graduate student research while promoting communication, public speaking, and storytelling skills.
The first 3MT competition to be held in Canada took place at the University of British Columbia in 2011, and in 2014 the first national 3MT competition was held. Today, dozens of Canadian universities and research institutes host annual competitions, with winners moving on to one of three regional competitions (Western, Ontario, Eastern) before competing in the National 3MT Showcase.
