Sarah Whitehouse took first place in TRU’s fourth annual Three Minute Thesis competition by talking about something nobody really wants to discuss: Poop.
The Master of Science in Environmental Science student’s presentation, “Biosolids: Where do we go from here,” infused a bit of humour into her presentation, but the seriousness of the problem — dealing with the ever-increasing amounts of treated human waste — was not lost on the judges.
Cathy McLeod, MP for Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo, radio personality Cheryl Blackwell, and city councilor Arjun Singh unanimously agreed that Whitehouse was engaging, and skillfully able to weave her research and its relevance into a well-paced presentation.
“I have a fear of speaking in front of people, but I always like to challenge myself to do things I’m afraid of,” Whitehouse said after the event.
“Whenever I bring up my field of research in general conversation people always tell me that it’s really interesting and that they’d like to learn more. I think the 3MT is a great way to start that conversation.”
Fellow MSc student Janelle Paulson took second place for her presentation, “Drying up: The investigation of drought on temperate grasslands in the Southern Interior of BC.” Medina Jeff-Zanni, MSc., was awarded People’s Choice for, “Long term trends in environmental and economic performance, nation-by-nation: An investigation of a win-win case.”
This was a record year for 3MT participation at TRU, with 18 graduate students competing.
Whitehouse will now move on to represent TRU at the Western Canadian 3MT, hosted by the University of Saskatchewan on April 28. Sixteen universities will participate in the regional event, and the winner will then go on to compete virtually in the Canadian 3MT hosted by the Canadian Association of Graduate Students.
What is 3MT?
The first 3MT was held at the University of Queensland, Australia, in 2008 with 160 students competing. Since 2011 the popularity of the competition has increased and 3MT competitions are now held in at least 170 universities across more than 18 countries worldwide. There are 32 universities in Canada competing in the event.
3MT presenters
| Vi Tran | MSc | Analytical Characterization of Choline Chloride in Oilfield Waters |
| Moses Msiska | MBA | The Investment Performance of UNGC Companies: Asset Pricing of Climate Change Champions |
| Matthew Coghill | MSc | The Ghost of Spotted Knapweed |
| Vera Ziwei Wu | MEd | Employment and Career of Graduates of Canadian TESOL Program in British Columbia |
| Olanike Imuh | MBA | EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP STYLES FOR NON-PROFIT ORGANISATIONS |
| Lachlan Gonzales | MEd | Evolve your History: Learner Engagement in the University History Classroom through Augmented Reality |
| Adrienne Clay | MSc | Fantastic owls and how to find them |
| Ernest Ana | MBA | How Multinational Firms Measure their Foreign Currency Risks |
| Jordann Foster | MSc | Are Aliens “Bugging” Biodiversity? |
| Nishant Shilu | MBA | Business Optimization: Walmart Kamloops |
| Sarah Whitehouse | MSc | Biosolids: Where do we go from here? |
| Medina Jeff-Zanni | MSc | Long term trends in environmental and economic performance nation by nation;
An investigation of a win-win case |
| Savithri Duddu | MBA | Effective leadership styles in IT sector |
| Denise King | MSc | Outdoor Cats and Wildlife:
Perceptions of Risk and Value of Conservation |
| Hana Al-Zahrani | MBA | The Emergence of Female Participation In the Workforce
In Saudi Arabia. |
| Shital Upadhyay | MBA | Comparing the costs and benefits of hot-iron branding versus freeze branding for the beef cattle industry in interior British Columbia, Canada |
| Janelle Paulson | MSc | Drying up: The investigation of drought on temperate grasslands in the Southern Interior of BC |
| Flowealth O. Nikoro | MBA | Entrepreneurial personal branding in accessing capital |
