Amanda Round, an MSc student in the Department of Natural Resource Sciences, won first place – and the People’s Choice Award – at this year’s Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition at Macdonald Campus.
Round spoke succinctly and engagingly about her research, which focuses on identifying the genes responsible for gill raker growth in Arctic cod. She explained that gill rakers help cod feed by filtering plankton out of the water. Warmer temperatures driven by climate change are pushing these plankton into even deeper waters, which could force the cod to modify their behaviour and diet.
“As Arctic cod are crucial for the Arctic ecosystem – which itself drives global nutrient patterns – losing Arctic cod would destabilize northern food webs, threaten fisheries, and harm Canadian economies and the communities that rely on them,” Round said.
“My research will help inform conservation strategies to protect Arctic cod and their ecosystem.”
Toward better crop yields
Second place went to Plant Science PhD candidate Preet Manchanda for his presentation Searching for “Bob the Builder” of the Plant Leaf.
“My research involves improvising on a molecular technique which helps me study up to 50 genes simultaneously in one single leaf sample,” Manchanda told the audience. Understanding that DNA, he explained, could eventually lead to gene editing that could enhance leaf efficiency in photosynthesis and result in better crop yields.
Third-place winner Samantha Dizon’s presentation summarized her research on the impact of cranberry farming on wild pollinators in Quebec. She is an MSc student in Natural Resource Sciences.
They were among nine students who showcased their research in no more than three minutes using a single non-animated slide. The competition is part of the Lister Family Engaged Science Initiative, made possible by a gift from the late E. Edward Lister, BSc(Agr)’55, MSc’57, and his wife, Teresa. It gives students access to an in-depth science communication training program that includes a three-part workshop series and a group coaching session, as well as optional one-on-one coaching sessions.
Their communication skills are then put to the test in the 3MT competition, open to master’s and doctoral students from all disciplines in the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
This year’s competition took place Nov. 27, hosted by the Macdonald Campus Office of Student Academic Services.
Off to the pan-McGill finals
The panel of judges included Associate Dean (Graduate Education) Jean-Benoit Charron, John Abbott College Biology Professor Katherine Pagnucco and 2023 Lister Family Engaged Science 3MT competition winner and PhD Candidate in Plant Science Mehtab Singh.
The first, second and third place winners were awarded prizes of $900, $600 and $350, respectively. The audience was also called upon to vote for their favourite presenter, who received a People’s Choice Award valued at $300.
As first-place winner of the Macdonald Campus instalment of the 3MT, Round has secured a spot as a finalist in McGill’s university-wide Three Minute Thesis Competition, set to take place in early spring 2025. Winners of the final competition will represent McGill at the Canadian Association of Graduate Studies 3MT eastern regional finals and the Ma thèse en 180 secondes national final, organized by the Association francophone pour le savoir.
Watch the Lister Family Engaged Science 3MT Competition in full
Learn more about McGill’s 3MT/MT180