Three minute thesis clock

3MT final

After an initial round of three heats, 12 graduate students earned their place in the UM 3MT final. At this dynamic event, they competed for nearly $5,000 in cash prizes, while sharing their big ideas with the broader community.

This year’s finalists shared their work on topics like: portable breast cancer screening, sustainable farming methods, using virtual reality and artificial intelligence to treat dementia, and improving food security.

We were pleased to welcome Colleen Bready from CTV News Winnipeg to emcee the event. The judging panel was comprised of UM alumni:

Anita Wortzman, President, The Asper Foundation
Destiny Seymour, Founder, Indigo Arrows
James Schellenberg, Founder & CEO, Cubresa Inc.

Meet the Winners

Event Recording

2023 finalists

2023 finalists

Name Department
Akshi Malik Physiology and Pathophysiology
Brynne Blaikie Physics and Astronomy
Daniel Schwade Araujo Applied Health Sciences
Dorsa Jeddi Biosystems Engineering
Gabrielle Fontaine Physics and Astronomy
Harshani Hewage Food Science
Jarrad Perron Biomedical Engineering
Keshav Narayan Alagarsamy Physiology and Pathophysiology
Michelle Morello Genetic Counselling
Olubukola Olatosi Oral Biology
Rashmita Chatterjee Biomedical Engineering
Shayna Giesbrecht Microbiology

 

2023 challengers

Name Department
Abeer Zahra Physics and Astronomy
Abhinav Tiwari Biosystems Engineering
Akshi Malik Physiology and Pathophysiology
Alana Lamont Pharmacology and Therapeutics
Amanda Belanger Biological Sciences
Amir Bani Saeed Biomedical Engineering
Athalia Voisin Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
Brynne Blaikie Physics and Astronomy
Chenee Merchant Anthropology
Cole Treyturik Physics and Astronomy
Daniel Schwade Araujo Applied Health Sciences
Dorsa Jeddi Biosystems Engineering
Gabrielle Fontaine Physics and Astronomy
Harshani Nadeeshani Vidana Hewage Food Science
Janette Suherli Physics and Astronomy
Jarrad Perron Biomedical Engineering
Julie Donahue Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
Keshav Narayan Alagarsamy Physiology and Pathophysiology
Logesh Dhanapal Biosystems Engineering
Maria Baranowski Community Health Sciences
Matt Henderson Education
Mehrafarin Ashiri Biochemistry and Medical Genetics
Michelle Morello Genetic Counselling
Olubukola Olatosi Oral Biology
Rashmita Chatterjee Biomedical Engineering
Ruwani Wimalasekara Microbiology
Saeid Maghsoudi Physiology and Pathophysiology
Samuel Lawal Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
Samuel Ogunsola Physiology and Pathophysiology
Shayna Giesbrecht Microbiology
Titus Olukitibi Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
Vibhuti Arya Physiology and Pathophysiology
Ying Ying Liu Computer Science
Zayra Batun Microbiology

 

2023 event schedule

Heat #1 - February 28, 2023, 1:00 p.m. EITC E3 Room 262 Fort Garry Campus

 

The order of the challengers presenting:

Challenger Department
Cole Treyturik Physics and Astronomy
Zayra Batun Microbiology
Abhinav Tiwari Biosystems Engineering
Daniel Schwade Araujo Applied Health Sciences
Saeid Maghsoudi Physiology and Pathophysiology
Gabrielle Fontaine Physics and Astronomy
Logesh Dhanapal Biosystems Engineering
Ruwani Wimalasekara Microbiology
Maria Baranowski Community Health Sciences
Harshani  Hewage  Food Sciences
Rashmita Chatterjee Biomedical Engineering

 

Heat #2 - March 2, 2023, 1:00 p.m. EITC E3 Room 262 Fort Garry Campus

The order of the challengers presenting:

Challenger Department
Vibhuti Arya Physiology and Pathophysiology
Abeer Zahra Physics and Astronomy
Akshi Malik Physiology and Pathophysiology
Amanda Belanger Biological Sciences
Janette Suherli Physics and Astronomy
Shayna Giesbrecht Microbiology
Matt Henderson Education
Brynne Blaikie Physics and Astronomy
Mehrafarin Ashiri Biochemistry and Medical Genetics
Dorsa Jeddi Biosystems Engineering
Samuel Ogunsola Physiology and Pathophysiology

 

Heat #3 - March 3, 2023, 10:00 a.m. Basic Medical Sciences - Theatre C Bannatyne Campus

The order of the challengers presenting:

Challenger Department
Julie Donahue Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
Amir Bani Saeed Biomedical Engineering
Olubukola Olatosi Oral Biology
Samuel Lawal Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
Keshav Narayan Alagarsamy Physiology and Pathophysiology
Athalia Voisin Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
Alana Lamont Pharmacology and Therapeutics
Michelle Morello Genetic Counselling
Jarrad Perron Biomedical Engineering
Titus Olukitibi Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
Chenee Merchant Anthropology
Ying Ying Lui Computer Science

 

Western Regional Competition - May 25, 2023

Date: May 25, 2023
Host institution: University of Saskatchewan

Watch the live stream here.

Vote for People's Choice here.

Details found here.

 

National Showcase - November 7 - 9, 2023

Details T.B.D.

 

2023 3MT prizes

  • Awards for finalists

    Dr. Archie McNicol Prize for first place

    This prize recognizes the legacy of the late Dr. Archie McNicol who was an enthusiastic supporter of graduate students and the Three Minute Thesis competition.

    $2,500
    UM Retirees Association Prize for second place $1,250
    Third place $750
    People's Choice Award $200

    Gift cards for winners

    The top three winners from each heat will receive a $200 prize/giftcard.

Eligibility, rules and judging criteria

Eligibility

  • Three Minute Thesis is open to all University of Manitoba graduate students in thesis-based programs.
  • Presentations must be based on the primary research the student has conducted in their graduate program.
  • Students who have already defended their thesis but have not yet graduated are eligible.
  • Students with uncompleted projects are eligible.
  • Students in course-based programs, visiting students, exchange students and students on leave are not eligible.
  • Students must agree to be photographed and videotaped and allow any recordings to be made public. 

Rules

  • A single static PowerPoint slide is permitted, to be shown from the beginning of the presentation. No slide transitions, animations or "movement" of any kind are allowed. The slide must have minimum 0.5" margins for key information.
  • No additional electronic media (e.g., sound and video files) are permitted
  • No note cards or additional props (e.g., costumes, musical instruments, laboratory equipment) are permitted.
  • Presentations are limited to three minutes maximum, and challengers exceeding three minutes are disqualified.
  • Presentations are to be spoken word (e.g., no poems, raps or songs).
  • Presentations are to start from and remain on the stage.
  • Presentations are considered to have begun when a presenter starts their presentation through movement or speech.
  • Presentations must be based on research directly related to the student’s graduate program thesis. Research performed for employment should not be presented.
  • A three-minute clock/timer will be made visible for the students during their presentations.
  • For any images, photos or diagrams used on the slide, if not created by the presenter, the presenter must ensure the source is credited and the use is allowable by the copyright owner. When in doubt that written permission is needed, contact the UM Copyright Office for guidance.
  • The decision of the adjudicating panel is final.

Judging criteria

At every level of the competition, each challenger will be judged on the three categories of criteria listed below.

1. Comprehension: Did the presentation help the audience understand the research?

2. Engagement: Did the presentation make the audience want to know more?

3. Communication style: Was the thesis topic and its significance communicated in language appropriate to a non-specialist audience?

Consent Forms

All challengers must complete these forms prior to competing:

Tips to help you prepare

Past winners

2021 Western Regional Competition

2020 Western Regional Competition

2019 Canadian National 3MT Competition

UM 3MT results: meet the winners, finalists and challengers from previous years

2019 Winners

  • First place: Kevin Boreskie
  • Second place: Justine Hudson
  • Third place: Avery Simundsson
  • People’s Choice: Kashfia Shafiq
  • View the 3MT 2019 videos

2018 Winners

  • First place: Shervin Khalili Ghomi
  • Second place: Kyla Smith
  • Third place: Carmine Slipski
  • People’s Choice: Jill Bueddefeld
  • View the 3MT 2018 videos

2017 Winners

  • First place and People’s Choice: Rachel Nickel
  • Second place: Alexandra Ciapala
  • Third place: Colin Graydon
  • View the 3MT 2017 videos

2016 Winners

  • First place: Karlee Dyck
  • Second place: Anjali Bhagirath
  • Third place: Paul White
  • View the 3MT 2016 videos

​​​2015 Winners

  • First place: Rebecca (DeLong) Dielschneider
  • Second place: Diego Rodriguez Herrera
  • People's Choice: Rebecca (DeLong) Dielschneider
  • View the 3MT 2015 videos

​​​​​​2014 Winners

  • First place: Andrea Edel
  • Second place: Olivia Sylvester
  • People's Choice: Havva Filiz Koksel
  • View the 3MT 2014 videos

​​​​​​2013 Winners

  • First place: Leah (Wong) Guenther
  • Second place: Anthony Signore
  • People's Choice: Christopher White
  • View the 3MT 2013 videos

Past winners from other institutions

A brief history of 3MT

  • University of Queensland 3MT logo

     

    Three Minute Thesis is a research communication competition developed by the University of Queensland, Australia.

    There were 160 students in the first 3MT competition at the University of Queensland in 2008. Enthusiasm for the 3MT grew into a Trans-Tasman international competition involving 33 universities in Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji in 2010.

    By 2011, the Trans-Tasman 3MT competition included 43 universities and, for the first time, regional 3MT events were held in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Hong Kong. It later spread to other universities in Asia. Currently, 3MT is held in over 900 Universities in more than 85 countries!

    The first 3MT®competition held in Canada took place at the University of British Columbia in 2011.  UM hosted their first competition in 2013. In 2014 the first national 3MT®competition was held. Today, there are dozens of Canadian universities and research institutes that host annual competitions, with winners moving onto one of three regional competitions (Western, Ontario, Eastern) before competing in the nation-wide competition, Canada’s 3MT®.

  • Toby Le giving his 3MT presentation in front of a video camera at the University of Manitoba.

    UM master’s student Toby Le (Max Rady College of Medicine) gives his presentation in front of a video camera in June 2020, on his way to winning first place in the University of Manitoba 3MT final. This year's event was livestreamed to an at-home audience because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Contact us

Ma these en 180 secondes

Applications for the 2023 MT180 competition are now closed.

2023 MT180 Challengers

2023 Challengers:

  • Amanda Belanger – Biological Sciences 
  • Aurelien Caron - Human Anatomy and Cell Science 
  • Brian Si Nhat Nguyen - Food and Human Nutritional Sciences 
  • Courtney Marshall - Immunology 
  • Ernest Edoh - French, Spanish and Italian 
  • Sara Telles-Langdon - Physiology and Pathophysiology 
  • Trevor Grey - Canadian and Intercultural Studies  

 

2023 Judges:

  • Tara Paillard, Alliance Française du Manitoba 
    Chargée culturelle et communications 
  • Louise Chartrand, Université du Manitoba 
    Professeure Adjointe 
  • Patrick Noël, Université de Saint-Boniface 
    Professeur 
  • Florent de Vellis, Théâtre Cercle Molière 
    Responsable des communications et du marketing 
  • Morgane Lemée, La Liberté
    Journaliste

Prizes for 2023:

First Place: Aurelien Caron, sponsored by Acfas-Manitoba/University of Saint-Boniface - $1600

Second Place: Sara Telles-Langdon,  sponsored by the French Embassy/Acfas - $900

Third Place: Courtney Marshall,  sponsored by the French Embassy/Acfas - $600

 

To be eligible to competition in the competition you must:

  • Be enrolled or have been enrolled in Manitoba in a Doctoral or Master’s degree program during the current academic year (September 2022 to August 2023) or have obtained their doctorate or diploma during the same academic year. (Master’s students are strongly encouraged to apply; however, only Doctoral candidates will be eligible for the Canadian and International final competitions).
  • Be available to attend or present remotely at the the competition on March 14, 2022; or if not available for that date, pre-record your presentation at a pre-set time with the Faculty of Graduate Studies.
  • Be available to present at the national final on May 10, 2023 if chosen as the local competition winner. 
  • Be available to present at the International final (date to be determined, usually late October) if chosen as the national competition winner. 
  • Students who have competed in 3MT are eligible to also compete in Ma thèse en 180 secondes. You cannot compete if you have previously won at a national competition for Ma thèse en 180 secondes. 
  • Do your presentation in French. 
  • If accepted as a challenger, provide a slide to accompany your presentation. Your slide must be submitted no less than ten days before the competition date and be static, in landscape orientation, with a maximum file size of 20 MB, in PowerPoint or PDF format).

Past Competitions

2022 MT180

UM 2022 Competition Ma thèses en 180 secondes

National 2022 Competition 

1er Prix du jury : Camila Chacon

2e Prix du jury : Diane Tshikudi

3er Prix du jury: Patti Germann

A UM Today story about the Final competition can be found  here.

A UM Today story about the 2022 challengers can be found here.

2021 MT180

UM 2021 Competition Ma thèses en 180 secondes

National 2021 Competition 

1er Prix du jury, competition principale : Nolan De Leon

2e Prix du jury, competition principale : Veronica Coppolaro

1er Prix du jury, sous-competition Maitrise: Noushin Ahmadpour

2er Prix du jury, sous-competition Maitrise : Emily Garcia

UM Today Story

2021 Challengers:
Daya Kaur
Veronica Coppolaro
Diane Tshikudi
Nolan De Leon
Semiyu Adegbite
Emily Garcia
Noushin Ahmadpour

2020 MT180

2020 University of Manitoba Competition Ma thêses en 180 secondes

First Place: Abdoulaye Diarra

Second Place: Lucile Jeusset

UM Today MT180 Story

Compétitions pour étudiant-e-s aux cycles supérieurs (Doctorant et Mastére) : participez à la toute premiére édition de Ma thèse en 180 secondes en français au Manitoba!