Brock University graduate students captivated judges after their research videos were put under the microscope during this year’s GRADflix competition.

First place winner Taís Lima, a Master of Science in Biotechnology student, received glowing reviews for her 60-second video on observing a beneficial fungus in a more effective and efficient way to find out how it grows on plants.

The glow-in-the-dark observation highlighted in her video is helpful in describing the fungi developmental stages and could be useful in further agriculture studies.

“Working with microbiology is a lot of fun and I wanted to communicate that through my video,” said Lima. “I tried my best to make an informative video that was visually appealing and interesting to watch, while explaining my research in a clear and concise way.”

Video submissions were judged based on communication, creativity and visual impact, and technical quality.

“I was blown away by the creativity on display in this year’s videos,” said Rajiv Jhangiani, Vice-Provost, Teaching and Learning, who was one of three judges. “They are engaging and highly effective at showcasing the important research being conducted by our fabulous graduate students.”

Joining Jhangiani as judges were Nicole Nolan, Associate University Librarian, and Michelle McGinn, Associate Vice-President, Research.

All video submissions can be viewed through the GRADflix web page.

Faculty of Graduate Studies is seeking alternative ways to display the videos at upcoming graduate events in lieu of the cancelled red-carpet event.

The Faculty hopes to showcase the videos at the Graduate Students’ Association’s Starlight Gala on Saturday, April 1 and at the Mapping New Knowledges (MNK) conference on Wednesday, April 12.

Second annual GRADflix video competition winners

• First place: Taís Lima, MSc in Biotechnology student, with Glowing in the Dark: A tool to observe microscopic fungi
• Second place: Danielle Martin, MSc in Biological Sciences student, with From Carbon to Cobblestone: Using Tree Rings to Measure the Air (Minecraft adaptation)
• Third place: Elyse Gorrell, PhD in Applied Health Sciences (Social and Cultural Health) student, with Goffman’s Presentation of Self on Social Media (via Athletes and Coaches)
• People’s Choice Award: Mourin Mostafiz, MSc in Management (Marketing) student, with Responding to Organizational Crisis: The role of information processing system