Matthew Nikitczuk of St. Catharines won Brock's Three Minute Thesis contest and will represent the University at the provincial competition April 23.

An Earth Sciences master’s student is Brock’s Three Minute Thesis champion.

Matthew Nikitczuk won with his presentation on glass-eating microbes during the competition in which graduate students have just 180 seconds to explain what they’ve been up to. He was one of five students vying for the chance to represent Brock at the provincial level later this month.

Event organizer Kim Gammage, an associate professor in the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, said the field this year was extremely strong.

“This is the third year we’ve run it and every year the students have gotten so much better,” she said. “I went to the provincial competition last year and any of the five students in the finals this year would have stacked up.”

The Three Minute Thesis contest, part of the day-long Mapping the New Knowledges conference for graduate research, requires students to talk about their research in a way that will inform and captivate people outside of their disciplines. The challenge is that this must be completed in three minutes or less, while using only one PowerPoint slide.

Nikitczuk was clear and animated in his presentation outlining his research focusing on a particular type of micro-fossil that eats volcanic glass. The implications of the study shed new light into early life on earth, and possible life elsewhere.

Nikitczuk, who won $500 for taking first place, said the last public-speaking contest he entered was in elementary school.

“This is probably my last year as a grad student, so I thought ‘Why wouldn’t I enter the 3MT contest?’ I didn’t expect I would win, but the preliminary rounds went really well and I thought I had a chance,” he said. “Now that I’ve won, it feels pretty good. It’s a nice thing to put on my resume.”

Nikitczuk will advance to the Ontario finals April 23 at Western University in London. Top finishers at the provincials will advance to a national competition.

Finishing second in the contest was Natalie Trojanowski, a Health Sciences Master’s student from Niagara Falls. Her research focused on how diet could improve muscle strength in muscular dystrophy patients.

Gammage said the Three Minute Thesis format encourages grad students to explain their complex research in language everyone can understand.

“There’s such a push now to get research that’s accessible to everybody and for researchers to show how it’s going to impact Canadian society,” she said.

Three faculty members also shone at Mapping the New Knowledges for their talents as mentors and leaders.

John McNamara, professor in the Department of Child and Youth Studies, received the inaugural Marilyn Rose Graduate Leadership Award, named in honour of the Faculty of Graduate Studies’ former Dean.

The award recognizes faculty, staff or students for their vision and leadership on behalf of graduate studies in areas such as academic programming, research and scholarship, student services, and student experience initiatives. There were five nominees.

John McNamara won the inaugural Marilyn Rose Graduate Leadership Award at last week's Mapping the New Knowledges conference. McNamara is seen here with Rose.

As Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, these nominations are proof that a graduate studies culture is alive at Brock and this is very, very gratifying,” said Mike Plyley, Dean of Graduate Studies. “We have so many people throughout our graduate programs doing the kinds of things that make the graduate experience fulfilling for everyone involved.”

McNamara said he was honoured to receive an award named for Rose, who presented him with the award. He recalled how she took him under her wing when he arrived at Brock 10 years ago and introduced him to the graduate studies culture.

“Working with graduate students is the best part of my job,” McNamara said. “What they bring to my life is something beyond words. It’s a real dream job.”

The Faculty of Graduate Studies Graduate Mentorship Awards were also handed out. Nancy Francis, a kinesiology professor, won for mentorship of master’s students only. Physics professor Thad Harroun received the award for his work with both master’s and PhD students.

Both said the recognition was unexpected.

“When I came in (to the conference) with my graduate students, I look at the list of nominees and said ‘Wow, those are some big guns,'” Francis said. “I truly mean that. I’m truly honoured in light of who else was nominated.”

Harroun said the relationship he has formed with his students have benefited him as much as it has them.

“It’s just such a joy to work with them in labs and visit with them outside of labs,” he said. “This award is as much form them as it is for me.”