Months of work . . . 180 seconds to explain it.

3MP goes virtual for 2021!

Thursday, March 25th at 7pm on YouTube | trentu.ca/3mp

Three Minute Paper (3MP) is an exciting competition for undergraduate students developed in collaboration by the colleges of Trent University and the Academic Skills; this initiative was sparked by the success of the Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition where Trent graduate students explain their highly specialized research to a general audience in a short three minutes with the support of a single PowerPoint slide.

Open to Trent students completing an honours seminar, an honours thesis, or a major project in any discipline, the 3MP competition challenges undergraduates to present their work to others, in a clear, concise, and engaging manner. Participants have three minutes to explain their research from one major assignment in an upper year course. 3MP challenges students to balance complexity and depth with clarity and concision as they explain their research question, their findings, and its relevance to the Trent community; participants can use up to three PowerPoint slides as visual aids to support their talk.

For 2021, 3MP – The Virtual Edition

Participants will pre-record their 3-minute presentation, which will be included in a single video file to premiere live on Trent University’s YouTube channel. As a virtual event, 3MP can reach audiences in the Trent community, in both Peterborough and Durham, and beyond to showcase the depth of undergraduate research. Audience members can vote for their favourite presentation and a panel of judges will score each video to determine prize winners.

Why is it exciting?

Students develop essential communication skills in the planning, preparation, and performance of their talk. These skills are important as undergraduates move on to professional careers or graduate school, where they need to be able to describe their research, and its larger importance, in language that is accessible and engaging to a non-specialist audience.

Participation in Three Minute Paper supports undergraduate students in the development of valuable skills for job interviews, networking, professional education, or graduate studies. The event provides students with opportunities to expand their resumes and portfolios.

For 2021

Students will also practice multi-media skills in the development of static PowerPoint slides and recording of their presentation for video distribution.

This event showcases the wide range of undergraduate research opportunities at Trent and encourages students to learn about work beyond their own disciplines. Learn more from past participants:

Testimonial from 2016 3MP Participant, Kelly McLean:

"I participated in the 3MP competition last year, and it was very difficult to condense my honours thesis work into 3 short minutes. I currently work for the Canadian Wildlife Service and am representing my office this weekend at a climate change conference for youth. Once again I have to talk about my work in 3 short minutes! I will definitely use the skills I learned in the competition to prepare."

2021 List of Presenters

• Miranda Sciberras, Gzowski College

  • Factors for Securing Employment (Economics)

• Sydney Forbes, Otonabee College

  • Characterization of a Pathogenesis Driver of U. Maydis - Corn Killer (Forensic Science)

• Meghna Raghavan, Durham-GTA

  • Agree to Disagree: Parent-Child Discrepancies in Addiction Treatment (Psychology)

• Emilie Levesque, Durham-GTA

  • "It's Not Just Something to Do": The Benefits of Creative Art Therapy (Child and Youth Studies)

• Carly Davenport, Gzowski College

  • SARS-Cov-2 Gone Wild: The Reverse Zoonotic Spread into Wildlife Populations (Biology)

• Marissa Pucci, Lady Eaton College

  • Can G.I.S Do More? A Theoretical Application to G.I.S and the Project Development Process (Environmental and Resource Sciences)

• Nicole Leach, Gzowski College

  • Why Is Choosing A Sunscreen Still an Enigma? A Chemical Approach To Effective Decision Making (Chemistry)

• Kelly Campbell, Champlain College

  • Analyzing A "Brighter" Future: From A Nuisance to A Blessing (Chemistry)

• Kayla Moore, Durham-GTA

  • Understanding the Impacts Of Sex Trafficking On Youth Victims In Canada (Child and Youth Studies)

• Neha Rampertab, Otonabee College

  • NATS vs Mitochondria: A Fight for Power in Fungal Pathogenesis (Forensic Science)

• Thomas Bodrug, Otonabee College

  • Exploring Students' Cognitive Complexity in Online Inquiry-Based Discussions: A Linguistic Analysis (Psychology)

• Isaiah Hipel, Lady Eaton College

  • Impact Of COVID-19 On Psychological Needs of Varsity Athletes (Psychology)

• Ayan Niazi, Lady Eaton College

  • Proteins Behaving Badly! (Biology)

• Jenna Reid, Otonabee College

  • The Language of Development: Multilingualism In The Ghanaian Education System (International Development Studies)

• Sam Blondeau, Traill College & Durham-GTA

  • Through Their Eyes: The Pandemic Perspective of Youth Experiencing Homelessness (Sociology/Child and Youth Studies)

• Elora Passafiume, Gzowski College

  • Medieval Metheglin: More Than An "Intoxicating Beverage"? (History)

• Derek Campoli, Durham-GTA

  • We Exist: The Struggle to Be Seen in a Heteronormative World (Child and Youth Studies)

• Linda El-Ayday, Lady Eaton College

  • Working out a Solution: Exercise Therapy for Anxiety in Parkinson’s Disorder (Psychology)

• Yizhan Tan, Gzowski College

  • Protein: Not Just for Gym Rat (Forensic Science)

• Emma McGinnis, Otonabee College

  • Physical Activity, Depression and Anxiety During the COVID-19 Pandemic: How Are Students Really Doing? (Biology)

• Arlene Ononiwu, Lady Eaton College

  • Building Technologies for Disease Detection (Biology)