Site Menu

From brain leaks and bone fractures to witch hunts and potato predictions: Meet Dal’s 3 Minute Thesis finalists for 2025

- March 14, 2025

English PhD candidate Sharon Vogel presents “Servants of God and Slaves of the Devil? Witchcraft, Rulership, and Skepticism on the Early Modern Stage” at the 3MT heats Tuesday. (Danny Abriel photo)
English PhD candidate Sharon Vogel presents “Servants of God and Slaves of the Devil? Witchcraft, Rulership, and Skepticism on the Early Modern Stage” at the 3MT heats Tuesday. (Danny Abriel photo)

Dozens of graduate students faced off this week for a chance to compete for top honours in Dalhousie’s 2025 3 Minute Thesis competition, with 10 young researchers earning a spot in the finals. 

The winners were chosen for their success in rising to the 3MT challenge: presenting part of their master’s or doctoral thesis research in three minutes and with only one PowerPoint slide.

Presentations in the heats this year covered a range of topics from reducing bone fractures to the use of honey as a bioindicator in environmental health.

Whoever secures the crown in Dal’s 3MT finals next week will then move on to represent Dalhousie at the regional 3MT competition at Memorial University in June. Cash prizes will also be awarded for the top three presentations and people’s choice award.

The finals — happening Tuesday, March 18 in the McInnes Room in the SUB — are open to members of the Dal community and beyond. 

How to attend


Whether you’re a student, faculty/staff member, family member or friend, all are welcome to attend! Can’t join in person? Tune into a livestream of the event via our YouTube page. 

Meet this year's competitors below:


Caitlin McCavour, PhD, Plant, Food and Environmental Science


From the Ground Up

Problem statement: Improved forest soil health is a key player in improving forest resiliency to climate change impacts and forest productivity, but we do not have enough information about forest soil health to capture the variability within the province of Nova Scotia and make informed management decisions.

Madeline Kwan, MSc, Health and Human Performance


Medicine for All Prescription PaRX: Nature is the Greatest Medicine for Al

Problem statement: Why isn't nature as a health intervention accessible to all youth in Nova Scotia and what steps we can take to make it more accessible? 


Ebube Thelma Sunny-Ekhalume, MSc, Electrical and Computer Engineering


Energy from Every Move! 

Problem statement: Ebube is trying to find new and easily accessible ways of generating clean and renewable energy to help in reducing the amount of energy expenditure being sourced by fossil fuels per individual.


Jasmine Friedrich Yap, MSc, Physiotherapy


Snap, Crackle, Pop! Reducing Fracture Risk in Home Care

Problem statement: Jasmine aims to reduce fracture risk in older adults receiving home care across Canada, helping them age safely at home.
 

Alexa Wilson, PhD, Microbiology and Immunology


The Herpesvirus Escape Plan—Newly Revealed!

Problem statement: We have no cure for cancer-causing herpesviruses: developing therapeutics against cancer-causing herpesviruses requires understanding how these viruses replicate and exit infected cells. 

Kappeeran Venkatesan, MSc, Plant, Food, and Environmental Science


How Climate Change Shapes the Future of Late Blight Disease?

Problem statement: Kappeeran is intereted in finding out how potato production will be affected by climate change in future if it continues to make the late blight disease much harder to control. 

Sharon Vogel, PhD, English


Servants of God and Slaves of the Devil? Witchcraft, Rulership, and Skepticism on the Early Modern Stage

Problem statement: Sharon is wondering why Early Modern English plays seem skeptical about witchcraft accusations while their source materials condemn witches.


Joshua Ojile, MSc, Medical Neuroscience


Brain Leak Alert: Tracking the Invisible Breach 

Problem statement: Joshua's research focuses on evaluating the integrity of the blood-brain barrier and quantifying its leakages, which are known to underlie the onset and progression of stroke and many neurological disorders but lack a standardized detection method 


Ahmed Ramadan, PhD, Biomedical Engineering


Guiding the Wave: Light-Based Heart Therapies

Problem statement: Ahmed is exploring how light-sensitive proteins can be used to precisely control the electrical activity of the heart to potentially treat arrhythmias. 


Loveth Ovedje, PhD, Law


When the Nets Come Up Empty

Problem statement: Loveth is interested in the gap in legal scholarship which leaves developing countries at a disadvantage, as they face barriers to accessing and utilizing climate finance for renewable energy development. 


Emily McLean, MES, School for Resource and Environmental Studies


Assessing Metal(loid) Concentrations in Honey: A Global Review and Localized Study in Nova Scotia

Problem statement: Emily is investigating how honey can be used as a bioindicator of environmental health by assessing metal concentrations in honey at both local and global scales.

 
Cédric Blais, PhD, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology


What is your DNA really for? Unpacking the DNA Wallet​ 


Problem statement: A large portion of the DNA in our cells is made up of viruses and may not be useful for us, making it difficult to know which parts of our DNA are relevant to critical health issues.

Learn more about 3 Minute Thesis, founded by the University of Queensland. 

Search Dal.ca