A group of 12 graduate students went head-to-head on Thursday, March 28 for a chance to represent Brock at the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) provincial finals this May.

First-place winner Zoe Gagnon (BSc ’23) captivated the audience and judges with her presentation of “The role of semaphorin 3A on hippocampal plasticity in the adult mouse brain,” taking home the People’s Choice award.

“It’s a great feeling as it confirms that the audience is understanding the complex research I’m putting out there,” said Gagnon. “Trying to contextualize protein biochemistry so people can understand and get excited about it in three minutes was one of the biggest challenges.”

The competition, which originated in Australia in 2008, encourages students to exercise their knowledge mobilization skills by summarizing their research in just three minutes using plain, accessible terms and a single slide image.

“In a fast-paced society where knowledge translation and effective communication is key, the 3MT competition equips grad students with the tools they need to effectively share their research and make a lasting impact on broad audiences,” said Kim Kelly, Director of Strategic Operations and Management in the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs.

Winners of the Brock 2024 3MT competition include:

• First place and People’s Choice Award: Zoe Gagnon, Biological Sciences master’s student, “The role of semaphorin 3A on hippocampal plasticity in the adult mouse brain”
• Second place: James Mesich, Biological Sciences master’s student, “Why we do science”​
• Third place: Alyssa Brew (BA ’23), Critical Sociology master’s student, “After-Effects: Online Response to the Young Adult Series “After” and the Romanticization of Abusive Relationships in Young Adult Literature”

“Brock is home to a diverse and talented group of graduate students who excel at communicating the significance of their research in a captivating and accessible manner,” said Kelly. “Our team is very proud of all the work our 3MT competitors have done and we look forward to cheering on Zoe in May.”

Gagnon will compete against students from across Ontario during the provincial finals at Lakehead University on Wednesday, May 8.

She is looking forward to practising before the finals and using the feedback from Brock’s 3MT judges to enhance her presentation.

“I’m really excited to see what it’s like at the finals as I know a lot about the research happening here at Brock but am excited to see other students’ research happening around the province,” she said.