Representing disciplines that ranged from Psychology and Forensics to History and Philosophy, 17 upper-year undergraduate students distilled months of work from their major research papers, honours theses, and community research projects into a short 3-minute talk. Participants faced a non-specialist audience and delivered compelling presentations about green chemistry principles, criminal personalities, carbon farming, student advocacy, and potential solutions to homelessness.

Elora Tarlo, a student in Geographical Information Systems, was presented the Office of Research Overall prize by Dr. Neil Emery, vice-president research and innovation at Trent, for her talk, “Mapping Soil Carbon: Getting Down to Earth on Food Security and Climate Change.”

Daniel McAdam-Wong, a Psychology student from the Trent Durham GTA campus, was awarded Alumni Affairs First Runner-Up, for his presentation about social anxiety and theory of mind, titled “I Think You’re Judging Me.”

Chemistry student, Celina Brule, used games as metaphors to explain chemistry principles in her presentation, “Fighting Corrosion with Chemistry,” which was awarded Second Runner-Up, sponsored by the Centre for Teaching and Learning.

President Leo Groarke awarded the President’s Audience Choice to Psychology and Forensics student Brooke Walton for her project that explored personality factors and criminality.

Prizes were determined by scores for communication, understanding, and engagement; Dr. Leo Groarke, Dr. Neil Emery, and Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe acted as judges for the event.

3MP provides an important showcase to celebrate undergraduate research by students at both of Trent’s campuses. The breadth of topics, the skills of the presenters, and the competitive energy make 3MP a popular event for the Trent community. It’s also a valuable experience for presenters.

“This event is an opportunity for students to practice and demonstrate their critical thinking and communication skills, which are essential skills for life beyond university,” explains Erin Stewart Eves, 3MP co-organizer and academic skills instructor. “Today’s university graduates and young professionals need the ability to engage and inform a broad audience.”