It was standing room only at Traill College's Bagnani Hall on Wednesday evening, when the Trent University community came out to watch 18 Trent graduate students compete head-to-head in the Three Minute Thesis Competition (3MT®). The 3MT contest challenges its entrants to present their complex research topics to an audience of academics and lay people alike in just three minutes and one Powerpoint slide. 

The packed hall heard 18 engaging presentations across a broad spectrum of disciplines. Topics ranged from negotiation strategies of school-age children to the use of projectile weapons at the end of the ice age. The audience learned how synthetic blood is splattered to elaborately recreate forensic scenes and saw a larger-than-life image of camels cruising in the back of a pick-up truck as one graduate student discussed her research on animal transportation.

The presentations were judged based on communication style, comprehension and audience engagement by a panel of specialists from a broad spectrum of backgrounds. Among the judges was Dr. Jim Buttle, Professor and Chair of Geography at Trent University, who stated afterwards that he was impressed with how “polished” the presentations were, adding that each entrant had “thought long and hard about all the elements that need to go into a very clear and focused presentation."

The big winner of the evening was Shivaan Burke, graduate student of Applied Modelling and Quantitative Methods, for her presentation entitled Modelling Carbon Sequestration Under Peri-Urban Agroforestry Irrigated with Treated Waste Water: Connecting the Water and Carbon Cycles for the Synergistic Generation of Resources and Ecosystem Services. The title alone is enough to boggle most non-specialists, but Ms. Burke's ability to succinctly and accessibly convey the heart of her research and its importance garnered her top honours from both the judges and the crowd. She took home the $500 President's First Prize and the Provost's People's Choice Award of $250, as voted by audience ballot. When asked whether she has any plans for the winnings, Ms. Burke shared that she will be donating the People's Choice gift to Dream Players.

The School of Graduate Studies Runner-Up, worth $250, was awarded to English (Public Texts) graduate student Sarah Miller. Her discussion, entitled The Battle of Maldon: A Medieval Screenplay, transported the audience across the world and back in time to the much-debated pivotal turning point of a viking attack. 

The 3MT contest was founded in 2008 at the University of Queensland in Australia, where it soon became popular across the country and then spread to universities around the world. Guelph, Queens, Waterloo, Concordia, and UBC are among the 14 Canadian universities who will be participating this year.

This was Trent's first year hosting the event. When she first heard about 3MT, Dean of Graduate Studies Dr. Joan Sangster knew that it would be a success at Trent. Standing before the full house on Wednesday night during her introductory speech, she declared, “next year we'll get a bigger room!". Dr. Sangster then went on to explain why she felt the 3MT contest was beneficial for Trent: it is a fun opportunity to share the importance of Trent's research, it allows graduate students to hone their public speaking skills, and it forces its entrants to ask, “what's the kernel of truth? What's that essential question- that problem that we're searching for in our research? Boiling it down sometimes helps the lightbulb go on for all of us."

Academic Skills Instructor Dana Capell of the Academic Skills Centre (ASC) was the event's key organizer, working in collaboration with departments throughout the university. “As academics, part of our mission is to not just speak to each other, but to speak to a general audience that are not trained in our fields," said Ms. Capell. “I think that's what this competition is about”. Hosting 3MT is just a part of ASC's broad effort to help graduate students such as Ms. Burke to develop professional skills. The ASC has been working alongside representatives from Traill College, the Instructional Development Centre, Graduate Studies, the Career Centre and Bata Library over the past several years to “expand and publicize services for graduate students”. New services have included skills workshops and the launch of Pathways, a website designed to support graduate students as they develop into professionals. 

Following the competition, Ms. Burke stated that she will be taking home much more than bragging rights and a cash prize from the challenge. “It has allowed me to see a more clear path through my own research”, she said, adding that the opportunity to share ideas across disciplines can “really bring you out of your own box”. Though only two competitors took home prizes, there was something to be gained for everyone who took part. In the words of President of Trent University Dr. Steven Franklin,  Wednesday's 3MT event was an outstanding demonstration of “Trent at its finest”.