The QCAD Lecture Theatre at South Bank campus again was the venue for the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) final where the ten finalists had to distil their research project into a mere three minute presentation.
In an evenly matched final, the judges found PhD candidate April Dower to have delivered the best presentation for her subject titled ‘Sticky Attention in Anxiety’. The Runner up was Louise White (AEL) for her presentation titled ‘Supporting autistic students as they transition on from Secondary School’.
April had always been drawn to the workings of the human mind. As a Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) graduate, she’d immersed herself in cognitive psychology. Her passion for understanding how thoughts and emotions shape behaviour earned her multiple Academic Excellence awards and a role as a Senior Leader for the Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) program. There, she honed her ability to break down complex ideas, a skill she displayed in her winning presentation against the other finalists.
After dominating her academic area heat (Health), April advanced to the Griffith final, facing nine other PhD students, all of whom had passed their confirmation status. The rules were strict: three minutes, one static slide, and a non-specialist audience. The challenge was to make her research on anxiety and how it clings to the mind like glue disrupting cognitive processes, accessible and compelling.
She painted a picture of anxiety not as a fleeting emotion but as a cognitive trap, hijacking attention and memory. With an impactful slide, showing a close up of a snarling dog and a wide shot of the same image (the dog was actually catching a frisbee), April used clear, relatable language, explaining how her research investigates the neural mechanisms behind this persistence, aiming to improve therapeutic interventions. Her passion shone through, her words weaving science and storytelling into a understandable narrative.
The judges praised her ability to make a complex subject accessible without losing depth with Judge Mark Ashton singling out her well-crafted picture slide.
“Her slide was the best, captivating and supported her pitch which was well structured. She started with the issue and how her research would address it and explained the impact well and her presentation used different tones to empathise certain points which provides connection for the audience ensuring their attention.”
April said the communications skills she’s learnt in her academic career helped with her presentation.
“Psychology is all about understanding how we interact with each other and how we communicate so it’s right up my alley, but I did a lot of revisions and practiced hard to get the balance right.”
April paid tribute to her academic supervisors Dr Lisa Jefferies and Dr Rebecca Lawrence from the School of Applied Psychology..
“They were amazing. They helped me revise my script and really polish it, and I also like to thank our broader lab group, the Visual Cognition Lab Group, who watched me practice it many times and helped me get that clear delivery for the audience.”
With her win, April will represent Griffith at the Asia Pacific 3MT final at University of Queensland in mid-October looking to secure back-to-back titles after Sienna van Rossum claimed the crown in 2024.
