Alexis Harvey
By Brandon Walker
Alexis Harvey recently returned to Thunder Bay after placing third in the provincial Three-Minute Thesis Competition held at Queen’s University.
Alexis travelled to Kingston in May after placing first in Lakehead University’s Three-Minute Thesis Competition during Research and Innovation Week.
She said preparing for the competition was daunting, especially since she dislikes public speaking.
“I started by drafting out what I wanted to say and then timing myself. I edited accordingly and then came up with my slide, using that to help me practice my presentation,” she said.
“To be quite honest, I didn't do too many mock presentations with peers and friends prior to the university presentation but I did present to my family, getting their feedback and determining whether they understood what I was trying to convey.”
The Master of Health Science graduate student’s thesis examines how education is helping or hindering the formation of just and socially responsible healthcare providers.
Stemming from her background as a health educator in the state of Alaska and as a former US Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Spain, Alexis’s research seeks to uncover wise practices for education and, ultimately, health equity.
“Basically, my research looks at how current healthcare students feel their education is preparing, informing, and encouraging them to work on social responsibility and social justice,” she said.
After placing first at Lakehead’s Research and Innovation Week and receiving the People's Choice Award, Alexis felt proud of her work. She realized that not only did her presentation make sense, it also moved people.
To prepare, she worked alongside the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, Dr. Chander Shahi, as well as his assistant, Taylor Laughton, to help refine her presentation by doing a mock presentation with them.
Dr. Shahi served as a mentor during the preparation phase.
“The main piece of advice I was given was not to focus on route memorization of my speech, rather knowing my research through and through so that if I did happen to get stumped during the speech, I would know generally what I needed to say.
“I was also fortunate enough to have support through the Nursing faculty, within which I work, to be able to do a mock presentation in front of faculty members, most of whom I had never met,” she said.
After spending the day before the competition with other participants, Alexis realized how nervous they all were.
“After mingling and becoming invested in learning about each other's work, the competitiveness dissipated, and the competition became more of a presentation among peers.
“I think because of that, I felt it was less about who won or didn't win, and more about supporting our peers,” she said.
Describing it as more of a “friendly Ted Talk,” Alexis said she was more excited to learn who won the participants' choice award, because that determined who the group felt did the best in relaying their research.
“I guess in the end this competition was not so much a competition as it was an event to connect budding researchers across Ontario,” she said.
Alexis encouraged other graduate students to participate in this event next year if they can, due to the chance to gain public speaking skills in a supportive environment.
“It is also a great thing to put on your resume, to help you build connections, and to help understand your own research when it comes time to defend it.
“The last thing I would like to mention is that opportunities like this help you showcase your research and tell people why it is important,” she said.
Alexis will be defending her thesis later this summer before finishing her master's program.
"Lakehead University remains committed to the personal and professional development of our graduate students,” Dr. Shahi said.
“Alexis Harvey’s success in the 3MT competition at the provincial level indicates that our graduate students have the skills, knowledge, and mindset to realize their potential in all environments.”
Press play here to watch her Three-Minute Thesis presentation at Queen’s University.