抖阴APP导航

For the second time in four years, a University of Calgary graduate student has taken top honours at the Three Minute Thesis Canadian nationals. Chidera Nwaroh, a master鈥檚 student in medical science at the Cumming School of Medicine (CSM), won first place for her talk, A Virtual Biopsy: Detecting Metabolite Changes in the Brain.

Nwaroh has come a long way since beginning her program in September 2017. On the advice of her supervisor, Dr. Ashley Harris, Nwaroh decided to give the 3MT a try, thinking it would be good practice speaking about her research to a general audience, as well as a good learning experience. 

New to public speaking

鈥淚 never thought of myself as a good public speaker,鈥� says Nwaroh. 鈥淚 had delivered research presentations to classmates as an undergraduate, but had never pitched a project to a large group. I thought I would get some experience, and learn from the other 3MT participants.鈥�

Nwaroh鈥檚 compelling delivery of her complex research topic made her a clear favourite among the judges. 鈥淭his competition has clearly motivated the students to be at the top of their game,鈥� said 3MT nationals judge Alejandro Adem, CEO and scientific director of Mitacs. 鈥淣waroh鈥檚 performance was quite remarkable. It is rare to see such research depth and communication expertise in a graduate student.鈥�

鈥淲e are so proud of Chidera, and all of our 3MT participants,鈥� says Lisa Young, vice-provost and dean, Graduate Studies. 鈥淭he 3MT is a great experience. It trains students to think carefully about their audience, and helps them hone in on the impact of their research. Having a 抖阴APP导航 student win for the second time is thrilling. It speaks volumes about how we鈥檙e preparing students for careers, in and out of the classroom.鈥�

Machines and methods in biochemistry

As an undergraduate at the University of Alberta, Nwaroh discovered a love of little things that have big impact. 鈥淚 went into biochemistry because I鈥檓 fascinated by processes that occur on a small scale. A change in one enzyme can have a cascading impact on the human body,鈥� says Nwaroh.

Meeting Harris, a specialist in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and brain injury at the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, was key in Nwaroh applying for graduate studies back in her hometown of Calgary.

As a part of Harris鈥檚 research team, Nwaroh explores the use of Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) as a non-invasive approach to understand brain chemistry in children. Using MRS, Nwaroh studies the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (TDCS), a safe form of electrical stimulation of the brain. MRS gives insight into neurochemistry not available through standard MRI techniques, and the research will help establish a knowledge base for future explorations of TDCS as a therapy.

Reaching a broader audience

The 3MT helps students learn to communicate their research to a broad audience, and Nwaroh is amazed to see how effective her message has been.

鈥淟ots of people have reached out to learn more about my work,鈥� says Nwaroh. 鈥淭he 3MT has given me more confidence, even conversationally, in speaking about my research. It鈥檚 a great way to focus on what鈥檚 important. Three minutes isn鈥檛 long, especially when you鈥檙e passionate 鈥� it鈥檚 a challenge deciding what to leave out, because you don鈥檛 want to undersell the impact of your project.鈥�

Elizabeth Watt, a 抖阴APP导航 master鈥檚 student specializing in radiation oncology physics, won the national 3MT competition in 2015.

The future looks bright for Nwaroh. She hopes to pursue an MD alongside her graduate research via the CSM鈥檚 Leaders in Medicine program, which allows students to complete the MD degree simultaneously with a graduate research degree. Nwaroh plans to use the program as a path into a career doing medical research that impacts lives.

At the moment, her focus is clear as ever. When asked if she was celebrating her win, Nwaroh laughed, saying 鈥淚鈥檓 celebrating by learning!鈥� Pitch perfect.