Ontario Tech Graduate Student Advances to Provincial Three Minute Thesis Competition
Salma Bafagih, a graduate student at Ontario Tech University, will represent the university at the provincial Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition, taking place at the University of Toronto on May 14. Bafagih advanced to the provincial level after winning Ontario Tech's 2025 3MT competition for her research into predictors of food literacy among Canadian adults.
The 3MT competition, organized each year by Ontario Tech University’s School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, challenges graduate students to present their research and its broader impact in three minutes or less to a panel of non-specialist judges. Participants are permitted to use one static slide as a visual aid.
Bafagih, a Master of Health Sciences candidate in Community, Public, and Population Health, presented her thesis, "What’s on your plate? Examining predictors of food literacy among Canadian adults." According to Ontario Tech University, her research looked at factors influencing food literacy in the general Canadian population, a topic the university states has not previously been examined at a national level. Bafagih's research was supervised by Dr. JoAnne Arcand, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences.
The Ontario Tech 3MT competition included a preliminary round on March 19, narrowing the field to six finalists for the March 20 finals. The judging panel for the event featured representatives from the City of Oshawa, Peel Police Service Board, Tamarac Investment Group, and Aecon Nuclear.
Other finalists in this year’s competition were Spencer Hang, Alicia Kollaard, Varvara Ninowsky, Aliyat Olatinwo, and Gillian Slade. Spencer Hang won the People’s Choice award, while Varvara Ninowsky placed second. Bafagih received $1,000 and the opportunity to advance to provincials; Ninowsky was awarded $500 for second place, and Hang earned $250 as the People's Choice winner. The 2025 3MT at Ontario Tech University was sponsored by belairdirect.