Medical science master's student competes in 3MT Nationals

Our graduate students have mad communication skills. Want proof? Meet Chidera Nwaroh, the Cumming School of Medicine MSc student representing the University of Calgary at the 3MT (Three Minute Thesis) Nationals this month.

Nwaroh followed up her first-place finish at UCalgary’s 3MT with a win in the People’s Choice category at the Western Regionals, held at the University of Regina on April 27. First place, second place, and People’s Choice winners from Westerns are now moving on to Nationals.

UCalgary grad students make Nationals two years running, and three times in four years

The Nationals represent the best talks from over 40 participating graduate schools across Canada. For the second year running, a University of Calgary graduate student is among the 11 finalists in the national competition. Last year, Aprami Jaggi, a PhD candidate in geoscience, represented UCalgary. In 2015, Elizabeth Watt, then an MSc student in physics, won the national competition. This year, Nwaroh made it to Nationals with her talk, A Virtual Biopsy: Detecting Metabolite Changes in the Brain.

Unlike the regional and institutional competitions, the national competition takes place online. Judges will decide on a winner based on videos of 3MT talks previously recorded at regionals across the country. Anyone can vote in the People’s Choice category, with the competition closing May 31.

“We’re very proud to have Chidera Nwaroh represent the University of Calgary, and the Cumming School of Medicine at the 3MT nationals,” according to Tara Beattie, associate dean, graduate science education. “With its focus on communication skills, the 3MT is a great way for graduate students to learn how to share their work with a broad audience. It shines a light on how graduate research serves the community locally, nationally and internationally.”

Egg timers and drought: origins of the 3MT

The 3MT was created at the University of Queensland in Australia in 2008. During a time of severe drought in Queensland, people were encouraged to conserve water by timing their showers. Many did so using three-minute egg timers, giving former UQ dean of graduate studies Alan Lawson the idea for the competition.

3MT competitors are required to describe their research in no more than three minutes in language suited to a non-specialist audience, and with the support of a single, static PowerPoint slide. Since 2008, the competition has grown in popularity, with more than 600 institutions from 65 countries now participating.

The winner of the 2018 Nationals will be announced in the first week of June. The competition is sponsored by MITACS, the Caisse Populaire Rideau-Vision of Ottawa, and the Canadian Association for Graduate Studies.