Parkinson’s disease research wins 3-Minute Thesis competition

Bevan Main from the University of Melbourne’s Department of Pharmacology in Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences has taken out this year’s 3-Minute Thesis Competition Grand Final. 

The 3MT® is an annual research communication competition that challenges PhD students to condense their research into three minutes, and present it in a compelling and engaging way to a lay audience. Started at the University of Queensland six years ago, the competition has since taken the academic world by storm.

Bevan Main researches Parkinson’s disease, looking specifically at slowing down the progression of the disease by suppressing the immune response in the brain.

Mr Main says participating in the 3MT® has provided him with the opportunity to reflect on his research and has given him the skills to convey the importance of his work to the general public.

“Sometimes in the competitive environment that is scientific research, we can develop a narrow focus and lose sight of how it benefits the community,” Mr Main says. “The 3MT has provided me with the skills to make an impact by conveying the importance of my work to the general public.”

3MT® judge Simon Clews, Director of the Writing Centre for Scholars & Researchers at the University of Melbourne says all four judges were impressed by the way Mr Main communicated so much information about what is obviously very complex research in such a clear and comprehensible fashion. 

“He left us in no doubt as to the importance of what he is doing and, in the ultimate test of his communication skills, he really made us care about the outcomes,” Mr Clews says.

Mr Main has been awarded a $4500 travel scholarship, which he plans to use to attend a conference in the United States, which focuses on neuroscience and central nervous system disorders.

“The scholarship prize will enable me to liaise with many of the top scientists in the field of neuroscience, will assist in adding to the depth of my knowledge and increase the quality of my work, benefiting not only myself but also the community that supports my studies,” he says.

Second place went to Ainka Granderson from the Faculty of Science. Ms Granderson gave an impassioned account of how local communities in Vanuatu are addressing the risks of climate change.

Third place was tied this year and awarded to Lawrence Lau from Surgery and Jared Horvath from Psychological Sciences, both of whom presented extremely entertaining accounts of their research. Mr Lau researches the importance of ‘test-driving’ donor livers prior to transplantation, and Mr Horvath’s research looks at electrical brain stimulation and whether it makes us smarter. It turns out it does not.

The People’s Choice Award went to Edith Holloway from Opthalmology for her presentation on managing depression through problem-solving therapies in those with vision loss.

Next on the 3MT® calendar is the Universitas21 Virtual Competition this month followed by the Trans-Tasman Competition at UWA in November. Bevan Main will represent the University of Melbourne in both events. 

www.gradresearch.unimelb.edu.au/3MT/index.html