On Tuesday, February 10th, the Estonian University of Life Sciences hosted its “Science in Three Minutes” short lecture competition. First place was awarded to junior researcher Maëlle Beck from the Institute of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, who studies the development of the immune system of lambs.
The public event, held in the Baer house, featured five doctoral students. Their task was to present their research in a popular science format within three minutes and explain its societal impact.
Doctoral students from the Institute of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences and their topics:
• Maëlle Beck – “First sip, lasting impact: colostrum and lamb development”
• Deep Bhattacharya – “The social network inside us”
• Rait Rand – “Smarter and healthier dairy farming through machine learning”
Doctoral students from the Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and their topics:
• Kati Tuulikki Ahonen – “Learning to see the invisible”
• Kristiina Kerge – “Waste is not created – it is made”
First-place winner Maëlle Beck explained how the composition of ewe’s milk influences the development of lambs’ immune systems and their later growth. Second place went to Deep Bhattacharya, who described how cells communicate with each other and how the microbiome influences our lives. Third prize was awarded to Rait Rand, who investigates how machine learning can help detect cattle diseases earlier and improve herd health.
All three winners received a travel grant to support their professional development. The presentations of the top participants will also be recorded on video.
The participants were evaluated by a jury consisting of Vice Rector for Research Kalle Olli, Vice Rector for Academic Affairs Endla Reintam, Lecturer in Food Microbiology and last year’s national “Science in Three Minutes” laureate Liis Lutter, Junior Researcher in Engineering and last year’s national finalist Roland Allmägi, and science journalist Airika Harrik from science news portal Novaator.
Although the topics covered within three minutes varied widely, the competition demonstrated how interconnected science truly is – animal health, the microbial world, freshwater availability, and environmental issues all influence our food systems and living environment. “Science in Three Minutes” highlighted young researchers’ ability to connect their fields of expertise with broader societal challenges and to communicate them clearly and engagingly.
+7 Open gallery where is another pictures
More information
Research Communication Specialist
Rector's Area of Responsibility
Department of Marketing and Communication
53585680
53585680