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鈥淒iarrhea. For some of us, it comes as the result of enjoying a really greasy burrito, but for others, it鈥檚 actually a matter of life or death鈥�, said Molecular Science MSc student Jocelyne Mendez-Guzman to open her winning 3惭罢庐 presentation,

The annual university-wide competition invites graduate students to present their research in three minutes or less to a panel of non-specialist judges. On March 28, graduate students, faculty, staff and 91看片网 community members gathered in POD-250 to watch contestants compete for cash prizes and the opportunity to represent the university at the Ontario 3惭罢庐 in May. Judging this year鈥檚 competition was Anita M. Abraham, director, Experiential Learning, Office of the Vice-Provost, Academic, Dr. Kiaras Gharabaghi, dean, Faculty of Community Services and Dr. Jennifer Simpson, special advisor to the President, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Decolonization.

With a memorable opener, there was no question that Mendez-Guzman had the room鈥檚 attention from the outset. Equally effective was her concise and powerful delivery of her research topic, which engaged audience members on how enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) infection, a rogue E. coli strain, is negatively impacting women and children in developing nations. "EPEC uses a syringe to poke holes in our intestinal cells, introducing a cocktail of proteins causing EPEC to grow, spread and thrive".

Without treatment for EPEC, mothers in developing nations are likely to experience their child鈥檚 first year of life inside a hospital room. 鈥淲hat if that infection doesn鈥檛 pass? And what if we could hijack the hijackers?鈥� asked Mendez-Guzman. 鈥淥ur lab is working to figure out how we can have a fighting chance against EPEC infection.鈥�

Creating visibility of Latinx in science

鈥淎s a first-generation Latina in STEM, I see fewer people who look like me the farther I climb the academic ladder. Winning the 3惭罢庐 competition represents a win for all Latinos, which I hope can assure them that there's plenty of room for us in the scientific community,鈥� remarked Mendez-Guzman. 

Continuing the conversation at the Ontario 3惭罢庐

鈥淚've always been interested in infection and disease. Scientific research is not easy. It comes with a lot of failures, setbacks and redirection. These past two years, my research has helped me become more tenacious, resilient and optimistic鈥攚hich definitely fuelled the passion in my 3惭罢庐 presentation. I'm pumped to compete at the Ontario 3惭罢庐 Competition! I hope to continue making scientific research digestible and accessible and proudly represent 91看片网!鈥�

Learn more about the 91看片网 Three-Minute Thesis (3MT庐) Competition

The 91看片网 3惭罢庐 (Three-Minute Thesis) is an annual, university-wide competition for graduate students where participants communicate their scholarly research and creativity in three minutes or less to a panel of non-specialist judges. The challenge is to present complex research in an engaging, accessible and compelling way, using only one static slide.