2025 UCalgary 3MT Finalists

Congratulations to our 2025 3MT award winners and finalists!

Headshot of Parker Volk

First place and people's choice winner

Parker Volk, Gastrointestinal Sciences
Supervisor: Dr. Derek McKay
Friend and foe? Looking for new anti-inflammatories from parasitic worms

Headshot of Therese Poulin

Second place winner

Therese Poulin, Community Health Sciences
Supervisor: Dr. Kirsten Fiest
Family presence and adverse events in the critically ill

Headshot of Faizan Syed

Third place winner

Faizan Syed, Biomedical Engineering
Supervisor: Dr. Walter Herzog
Reducing stiffness in the muscles of children with cerebral palsy

Headshot of Salman Mirza

Finalist

Salman Mirza, Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
Supervisor: Dr. Kunyan Zhang 
Disarming superbugs: How MRSA loses its antibiotic resistance

Headshot of Brian Irvine

Finalist

Brian Irvine, Biomedical Engineering
Supervisor: Dr. Adam Kirton 
With a little help from my friends: Transfer learning for brain-computer interfaces (BCI)

Headshot of Renata Pinho

Finalist

Renata Pinho, Veterinary Medical Sciences
Supervisor: Dr. Daniel Pang
Veterinarians don't need an elephantine memory

Headshot of James King

Finalist

James King, Community Health Sciences
Supervisor: Dr. Tyler Williamson
Co-supervisor: Dr. Gil Kaplan
When, why, and which Albertans are being screened for and diagnosed with celiac disease?

Headshot of Andreas Dauter

Finalist

Andreas Dauter, Medical Sciences
Supervisor: Dr. Benedikt Hallgrimsson
Dance of the cells: How to grow a healthy face

Headshot of Menna Elzairy

Finalist

Menna Elzairy, Communication and Media
Supervisor: Dr. Jessalynn Keller
Representing success? Postfeminist gendered religious identities on reality TV

Headshot of Torri Heiser

Finalist

Torri Heiser, Kinesiology  
Supervisor: Dr. Walter Herzog 
Titin: The hidden hero that saves you energy

Sign up

You've learned about the 3MT, you know you're eligible, you've talked to your friends, family, colleagues and supervisor, and everyone agrees. You need to sign up for this amazing experience!

This part is easy: come up with a catchy title and send in your registration.

Start practicing!

It takes time, careful editing and lots of practice to pull off a great 3MT talk. Time management is essential, since you're doing this alongside your other obligations.

In time, you'll need to memorize your talk. Practice with family, friends, a mirror, or try recording yourself.

Sign up for a feedback session and workshops

Sign up for workshops during the registration process.

Sign up for an in-person feedback session to get one-on-one advice on your talk and slide. Pro tip: most past finalists attended a feedback session. In-person feedback sessions take place in March.

Keep practicing!

You've done some workshops, attended a feedback session and you've got your talk memorized. Time to put your feet up and relax? No way! Keep practicing. Have you tried your talk while in the shower? On the train? Driving to work? Feeding the ducks? Practice, practice, practice. 

Attend your in-person heat

This is it! You'll be in a heat of around 15 students. Heat audiences are usually small, so don't stress. Besides, you've been practicing like crazy! Have fun and give yourself a pat on the back - this is a big accomplishment. And remember to make some noise for your competitors!

Going to finals

The top two finishers from each heat go to finals, which usually takes place about two weeks after the heats. We offer finalists another feedback session to really hone the small details. Make sure you keep practicing!

The winner of the finals represents UCalgary at Western Regionals.

Video sessions and outreach

After finals, all 3MT finalists will have a video recorded for them by the Faculty of Graduate Studies. These videos will be posted on the My GradSkills website.