EmmaJude Lyons from the University of Limerick has claimed the winner’s medal in the IUA Three Minute Thesis Competition. The competition was held on Wednesday, November 19, at the Royal Irish Academy in Dublin.
Seven students were put forward to compete in the final after competing in their own universities. The challenge is to present their individual 80,000-word thesis with just one slide in three minutes.
The competition trains graduate students to explain the significance and impact of their work to a non-specialist audience. It demands that participants distil complex, niche subjects into engaging and accessible presentations that both inform and entertain.
After winning the finals, EmmaJude said, “Women’s health is an important but often overlooked national issue, and this competition is a good opportunity to shine a spotlight on this.”
“Many of us have friends or family members who have experienced breast cancer, and through my research I’m hoping that cancer survivors will not just survive but thrive,” she added.
EmmaJude’s thesis title was ‘Creating bespoke breast prosthesis for women post-mastectomy’. Her hopes for her thesis are to highlight the gaps in women’s health research. She wants to encourage design, innovation, and research into medical devices specifically for women’s health.
She envisions her methodology could be used in the HSE and cancer centres across Ireland, giving women the option to have a bespoke breast prosthesis.
