MEDIA RELEASE
R00075
8 April 2016
Brock University — Communications & Public Affairs
Women working out in the gym won’t feel uncomfortable looking at themselves in full-length mirrors if their trainers get them to see beyond superficial appearances, says Brock University’s winner of this year’s Three Minute Thesis competition.
Graduate student Carly Cameron says societal pressures to appear slim and beautiful may initially cause many women to be anxious when they view their reflections. But when those women use the mirror to develop correct techniques and form during exercise, that anxiety disappears.
“My research showed that women can leave the gym feeling happy, healthy and ready to return tomorrow,” says Cameron. “They simply need to be reminded that, when they look in the mirror, they should be checking their form.”
Cameron was one of five Brock finalists in Thursday’s international Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition, in which students clearly explain their research in three minutes. They can only use a single PowerPoint slide, with no other props or visual aids.
First developed in 2008 by the University of Queensland in Australia, the 3MT competition is now held in universities around the world.
The idea is to develop presentation and communication skills among student researchers so that they are able to explain complicated concepts in plain language that general or non-specialist audiences can understand.
“After years of using language that’s highly specialized in my field, this competition made me think about the big picture impact of my research and how to convey that to the public,” says Cameron. “To be given the opportunity to share this with the broader community is a fantastic way to bridge the gap between research and practice.”
Cameron will represent Brock at the 3MT Ontario competition in Waterloo April 14. The top five presenters from there will move onto the national level, an online competition co-ordinated by the Canadian Association of Graduate Schools.
For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:
* Cathy Majtenyi, research communications/media relations specialist, cmajtenyi@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x5789 or 905-321-0566
– 30 –
