PhD candidate Daiva Nielsen won $1,000 in the provincial three-minute thesis competition, condensing years of nutritional science research into an elevator pitch.
The PhD candidate in nutritional sciences won first place and $1,000 at the Three Minute Thesis Provincial Championship, in which doctoral students condense years of dissertation work into a compelling 180-second presentation. Nielsen’s winning talk, which allowed U of T to defend its 2013 championship title, focused on whether genetic-based dietary recommendationschange eating behaviour.
Her year-long, randomized controlled trial involved about 150 participants split into two groups that each received instructions regarding salt, sugar, caffeine and vitamin C consumption – but one group’s advice was according to members’ genetics, while the other’s was generic. Those who received DNA-based dietary advice were more likely to follow it than those who received one-size-fits-all dietary advice. As Nielsen said in her talk, this suggests genetic-based dietary recommendations have a greater impact, and can be used by health practitioners to motivate patients to change their eating habits.
Nielsen’s first crack at the provincial contest was at the U of T competition in March, where she beat 15 finalists for the $1,000 university prize, and qualified for the April provincial competition at McMaster University. At the standing-room-only public event, 19 competitors did short-but-sweet talks on topics such as novel high blood pressure treatments, tea’s benefits for bone health, and former prime minister John Diefenbaker’s role in Canadian- Soviet relations.
“I saw it as an opportunity to speak about my work in a new, more accessible way,” says Nielsen, who was slated to compete in the first-ever national Three Minute Thesis competition in late May.
Watch U of T PhD candidate Daiva Nielsen’s prize-winning three-minute thesis presentation, delivered at McMaster University
Recent Posts
U of T’s 197th Birthday Quiz
Test your knowledge of all things U of T in honour of the university’s 197th anniversary on March 15!
Are Cold Plunges Good for You?
Research suggests they are, in three ways
Work Has Changed. So Have the Qualities of Good Leadership
Rapid shifts in everything from technology to employee expectations are pressuring leaders to constantly adapt