Jake MacDonald and Zanab Malik claimed first place at the University of Newcastle's Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) and Visualise Your Thesis (VYT) competition finals last night.
Jake won the 3MT final with his presentation on the lack of representation of Aboriginal families in Australian trials of parenting programs and the development of a culturally responsive program that draws on the cultural values of Aboriginal fathers and their kids.
Zanab's video captivated the judges with her animated explanation of her research on weight stigma in the dental profession.
University of Newcastle Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation), Professor Zee Upton said the Three-Minute Thesis competition is an excellent platform that highlights the level of talent among the University's Higher Degree Research students.
"It was great to see the calibre of research that is happening across our University displayed in last night's finals. Our Higher Degree Research candidates continue to demonstrate the ways in which they are pushing boundaries and making a true difference in their respective fields," Professor Upton said.
This year, both finals took place during the University's annual Higher Degree Research (HDR) Student Festival which features a range of events to showcase the excellence and innovation of the HDR cohort.
The 3MT competition is an international contest spanning more than 900 universities in over 80 countries in which HDR candidates must capture the heart of their research in only three minutes. Thirteen finalists took to the stage to compete for first place last night, with topics ranging from ethical AI in health insurance to ecofriendly pesticides.
Competitors summarised years' worth of research and analysis into 180 seconds; covering what they are studying, how they are studying it, and why. But in the end, it was Jake, a proud Ngarabal man, that took home the $5000 in funding towards his research on the representation of Aboriginal people in parenting programs.
"There were a lot of great presentations in this year's competition, so I am really grateful to have been recognised among such a talented group of finalists, and I feel honoured to have such great support from my community," Jake said.
"Healthy Dads Healthy Mob was codesigned with Aboriginal fathers and father figures in partnership with Elenor Duncan Aboriginal Services on the Central Coast of NSW. Our program has seen great results already, with families improving their health and strengthening relationships between dads and their kids," he said.
This year was the second year that the University held the VYT competition – an international contest that challenges graduates to present their research in a 60-second, eye-catching video. This competition has quickly gained popularity, with 24 universities now competing across six countries.
Beating out the other five finalists, Zanab received first place for her video showcasing her research on obesity stigma in the dental setting, receiving $1000 towards her research expenses.
3MT winner and runners up listed below:
- First place: Jake MacDonald – School of Education: Biya yadha gudjagang yadha: Healthy Dads Healthy Mob
- Second place: Cassandra Griffin – School of Medicine and Public Health: A Research Legacy: The Value of Post-Mortem Brain Donation
- Third place: Stefano Bruzzo-Gallardo – Newcastle Business School: Telemedicine beyond lockdowns: digital doc or digital not?
- People's Choice: Saifullah Omar Nasif – School of Environmental and Life Sciences: Siliceous Nanomaterials for Pesticide Delivery: An Eco-friendly Approach in Plant Protection
VYT winner and runners up listed below:
- First place: Zanab Malik – School of Health Sciences: An evaluation of obesity stigma in the dental setting
- Second place: Daniel Persse – School of Education: An Arts based Autoethnography of Scene making
- Third place: Renee van der Schaaf – School of Psychological Sciences: Embracing Neurodevelopmental Differences
- People's Choice: Saifullah Omar Nasif – School of Environmental and Life Sciences: Siliceous Nanomaterials for Pesticide Delivery: An Eco-friendly Approach in Plant Protection
