Summary
- Deakin’s 2024 Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) /Visualise Your Thesis (VYT) Grand Final showcased the quality and variety of graduate research undertaken across the University
- 3MT® competition sees PhD candidates present their research project to a non-specialist audience in a three-minute spoken presentation. VYT asks graduate researchers to do the same, but in a one-minute digital presentation
- Both competitions focus on developing the all-important research communication skills that all researchers need to build their career
Some people can do amazing things in three minutes, like inflate 28 balloons with their nose or take 184 selfies. Others can change outfits 25 times or do 77 pull-ups in just one minute. Even more impressive is condensing an 80,000-word thesis and years of research into a three- or one-minute presentation that anyone can understand.
On August 7, at the Deakin University Three Minute Thesis (3MT®)/Visualise Your Thesis (VYT) 2024 Grand Final, Deakin’s graduate researchers showed they were more than up to the final task.
26 finalists took to the stage or screen in front of a sold-out live audience to explain their research project in three minutes (3MT®) or in a one-minute digital presentation (VYT).
Their topics ranged from how machine learning can use your food and poo to help predict your mood, to the efficient capture of CO2, the mental health of small business owners and controller options for robot rescue dogs.
Watch the 3MT® presentations on Deakin YouTube.
Watch the VYT presentations on Deakin YouTube.
How Deakin is supporting the next generation of research stars
The 2024 Grand Final was the culmination of Deakin’s 3MT/VYT Engaging Research Communication program. Designed and developed by the University’s Researcher Development Academy, the four-month program included local area heats and Faculty/Institute finals, workshops, online courses and resources, group practice sessions and one-on-one coaching sessions. The program aimed to develop graduate researchers’ communication skills and cultivate their confidence and authoritative expert voice as a researcher to be able to effectively engage with industry, government and non-specialists.
‘Research communication is a core skill,’ says Deakin’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Iain Martin. ‘It’s really important that researchers can communicate with their peers, but it’s actually far more important, and far more challenging, to be able to communicate with those who don’t come from your academic tribe and don’t speak the particular slang and lingo.'
And the winners are…
3MT® winner
Dilendra Wijesekara, from Deakin’s Institute for Frontier Materials, took home the $3000 3MT first prize for her presentation ‘Unlocking the power of silk: next-generation packing materials for ear surgery’. A materials scientist, chemist, educator and science communicator, Dilendra’s PhD research focuses on the fabrication of silk-based biomaterials.
Dilendra now moves onto the next stage of the international 3MT® competition – the 2024 Asia-Pacific 3MT® Semi-Final Showcase on 8 October.
VYT winner
Julie Maree Wood from Deakin’s Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN) won the VYT competition for her presentation, ‘Nourishment in the new home: food security issues among recently-arrived refugees in Australia’.
Julie is a healthcare professional and author. Her PhD research focuses on food security issues and developing sustainable food systems among recently-arrived refugees settling in high-income countries.
Her winning VYT presentation is now through to the international round of the competition.
3MT® runner-up
Emma Todd from Deakin’s Food and Mood Centre within the Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation’s (IMPACT) was named 3MT® runner up for her presentation, ‘How your food and your poo could help me predict your mood with machine learning’.
A passionate science communicator, Emma’s research focuses on the gut microbiome. Her work explores gut-brain axis, the influence of the gut in metabolic disorders and the impact of antibiotic overuse.
VYT runner-up
Ankush Dehlia from the Faculty of Science, Engineering and the Built Environment (SEBE) claimed the runner-up spot for VYT for his presentation, ‘New approaches to drug discovery for ME/CFS’.
Ankush’s research focuses on identifying drugs for chronic diseases like Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) and long COVID-19, exploring bioinformatics and lab-based approaches for investigating the intricacies of molecular pathways or developing innovative therapeutic strategies.
3MT® people’s choice
Allegra Chajinsi Gaza from the School of Medicine was voted people’s choice for her presentation, ‘Revolutionising bowel cancer screening: let's look at the cells instead’.
Allegra’s PhD research has focused on developing an improved test for bowel cancer that detects cancer cells in stool samples rather than blood cells.
VYT people’s choice
Kira Morgan Hughes was voted people’s choice for VYT with her presentation, ‘Revolutionising pollen forecasts with real-time sensors’.
Kira is a PhD candidate with SEBE with a passion for science communication. Her research focuses on understanding the underlying factors of thunderstorm asthma and developing better ways to monitor airborne allergens like pollen.
Kira was last year’s Deakin 3MT runner-up and people’s choice winner and her science communication career has since taken off with spots on Peer Revue, FameLab and the upcoming Soapbox Science Melbourne 2024 on August 16.
Congratulations and well done to all our 2024 3MT and VYT finalists!
Deakin 2024 3MT® finalists
Oliver Massey, SEBE: ‘The war on wheeze: a diplomatic solution to allergies and asthma
Tharani Dissanayake, SEBE: ‘Lipid oxidation: a complex puzzle’
Deakin 2024 VYT finalists
Rita Vo, Faculty of Business and Law: ‘Impact of product attributes on green product evaluation’
Dulini Fernando, SEBE: ‘NanoGuard: for efficient CO2 capture’
Ahalya Suresh, SEBE: ‘Tourism in blue carbon ecosystems: yay or nay?’
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