A crowd of spectators gathered for Dal’s annual 3 Minute Thesis (3MT) competition Tuesday (March 31) to watch and learn as 13 student researchers spotlighted their work in rapid-fire fashion.
Materials engineering PhD student Claire Floras emerged the champion after impressing the judges with her research on extending the lifetimes of lithium-ion batteries for energy storage by operating batteries at high temperatures.
The finals featured eight PhD students, four master’s students, and, for the first time, an undergraduate honours student competing in a designated wildcard spot.
“Events like 3MT remind us just how much talent and curiosity thrives across our research community,” says Dr. Christian Blouin, dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies. “Seeing students at different stages in their academic journey share complex work with such clarity and passion is truly inspiring, and it speaks to the future impact they’re poised to make.”
3MT challenges participants to distill their research into a dynamic three‑minute presentation for a non‑specialist audience, using a single PowerPoint slide for support.
Dal expanded its 3MT competition eligibility this year to welcome participants in various academic stages, including course‑based master’s students conducting research, visiting students, postdocs, and, at the local level, undergraduate honours students.
Innovation in focus
Computer science master’s student Sibi Chakravarth Parivendan claimed second place with his presentation on ‘Farmbook,’ an AI system that tracks social bonds between cows to detect hidden illnesses and support farm families. His talk also captivated the voting audience, winning him the People’s Choice Award.
Emily Burke, a PhD student in chemistry, came in third for her research on developing catalysts that can transform the potent greenhouse gas SF6 into valuable SF5-containing compounds that have promising applications in pharmaceuticals, agriculture and advanced materials.
Behind the big win
Claire’s winning presentation earned her the opportunity to represent Dalhousie at the Eastern 3MT regionals at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax this June.
Watch Claire's winning presentation:
We caught up with Claire to discuss her winning title, what it means to her and tips for future competitors.
What did your 3MT win mean for you and your research?
I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to present my research at Dalhousie and honoured to have won among so many excellent finalists. It's wonderful that a platform like 3MT exists for students to share research with each other and with the wider university community while obtaining valuable communication and public speaking experience. I am of course grateful for the prizes awarded, not only to the winner, but also to all finalists; these incentives as well as the well-organized event set 3MT apart from other means of communicating research and produced very high-quality presentations.
Your research focuses on extending the lifetimes of lithium-ion batteries for energy storage. Can you explain why this is important?
Lithium-ion battery adoption has increased significantly in the last few decades since commercialization. Today, lithium-ion batteries can be found in mobile phones, vehicles, power tools, energy storage, and just about every device. These batteries are everywhere, and there is lots of work to be done to improve and innovate upon them. Many researchers at Dalhousie are working on different aspects of this challenge and producing some excellent research.
Why is it important for students to participate in competitions such as 3MT to present their research?
3MT is a unique competition in that students are competing across many different faculties on the basis of communication ability. The exercise of conveying technical concepts to a non-technical audience in a way that is engaging and easy to follow is an extremely important skill. 3MT allowed participants to practice this skill while also refining public speaking abilities. No matter the competition outcome, this is an extremely valuable opportunity for all those who wish to participate. I especially enjoyed listening to all the other talks and learning about the variety of interesting projects that Dalhousie students are working on.
What makes a compelling 3MT presentation?
Making a compelling presentation comes from conveying both the excitement for and the importance of research. I found it especially useful to use analogies of experiences that many people can relate to in order to break down complicated science. I also tried to incorporate questions and humor into my talk so that the audience would feel like they were actively learning with me rather than passively listening to an explanation.
What is one piece of advice you have for future 3MT presenters?
I would advise anyone who is considering 3MT in future to take the opportunity to practice communication skills and learn about what their fellow Dalhousie graduate students are up to! There is opportunity for creativity when putting together a 3MT talk — perhaps in the form of the presentation slide, or in how one chooses to describe their research.