Emily Majaesic (supplied image)
Emily Majaesic wins first place at the Ontario Regionals Three-Minute Thesis competition
Published: July 6, 2023
Third-year Chemistry PhD student Emily Majaesic has won first place at the 2023 Ontario Regional Finals of the Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) competition.
Held on May 17 at Queen’s University, the regional finals followed Majaesic’s first-place win at the University of Toronto’s tenth 3MT competition in April.
The 3MT competition challenges graduate students in thesis-based programs to present their research to a non-expert audience in under three minutes, using one static slide. The presentations are assessed for communication, comprehension and engagement, rather than the quality of the student’s research.
"Distilling a complex concept down to its essence, and then being able to communicate that, is a skill I am glad to have developed," Majaesic said.
For her achievement, Majaesic received a prize of $1,000. In November, she and the second-place winner will represent Ontario at the National 3MT Competition in Victoria, B.C.
“Emily took a complex concept – the early detection of leukemia through protein markers – and not only made it accessible but also humanized it,” said Christopher DeLuca, associate dean at Queen’s University’s School of Graduate Studies & Postdoctoral Affairs.
“Through a personal narrative, humour, and clear communication, Emily’s 3MT talk made us understand the cutting-edge work she is pursuing, which has clear, life-saving potential through the early identification and treatment of diseases.”
The award-winning presentation, "Catch A Protein By Its Tail," refers to Majaesic’s research on the latest application of the enzyme, ClpX. One possible application of this technology is the detection of very low-level biomarker proteins, which could alert doctors to the onset of disease at very early stages.
