On Wednesday, March 20, fifteen of Waterloo's top Three Minute Thesis (3MT) finalists from across six faculties gathered to compete in the university-wide final event in the Theatre of the Arts, ML. With topics ranging from the right to die for mature minors to the value of ornament in Architecture, the esteemed 3MT judges were challenged in selecting just two winners. Winning both First place and People’s Choice was Haya Almutairi from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, who presented her research on self-healing asphalt pavements.
Haya Almutairi presents her research on self-healing asphalt pavements at the University 3MT competition.
Haya Almutairi is a doctoral candidate at the Centre for Pavement and Transportation Technology, and topped 14 other qualifiers at the Theatre of the Arts to claim $1,000 and the right to represent Waterloo at the Ontario finals.
Haya Almutairi is presented with the First place award by Linda Warley, the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies for the Faculty of Arts, and Jeff Casello, Associate-Vice President of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs.
Haya also took home the People’s Choice award as voted on by audience members. The runner-up was biology student Nilanth Yogadasan, who won $500.
The provincial competition oft the Three Minute Thesis will be taking place on Wednesday, April 17 from 9:30 – 12:00 at McMaster’s Concert Hall.
For more information about the Three Minute Thesis and its history at the University of Waterloo, please see the Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs website.