Jessica M. Biasin a Master of Science (Forensic Science) student in Ontario Tech University’s Faculty of Social Science and Humanities, earned first place at Ontario Tech’s annual Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition on March 19.

At 3MT®, grad students present their research and its wider impact in three minutes or less to a panel of non-specialist judges. Participants are challenged to share complex research in an engaging, accessible and compelling way, using only one static slide as a visual prop. The event is organized by the university’s School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (SGPS).

In a presentation titled Developmental Patterns of Honesty from Childhood to Adolescence: A Six-Year Longitudinal Investigation, Biasin explored how personality traits such as fairness and modesty develop over time. Her research examined how these traits change from childhood through adolescence, a period often linked to increased dishonest behaviour. By tracking more than 1,100 participants over six years, her findings offer new insight into how these personality traits evolve and how they may influence social development.

Biasin will represent Ontario Tech at the provincial 3MT® competition on Wednesday, May 6 at Brock University.

This year’s 3MT® competition was generously sponsored by belairdirect.

2026 Ontario Tech University 3MT® finalists:

• Janani Balasubramanian, PhD (Material Science) candidate: Listening to Small Molecules: Big Clues for Women’s Health.
• Jessica M. Biasin*, Master of Science (Forensic Psychology) candidate, Developmental Patterns of Honesty from Childhood to Adolescence: A Six-Year Longitudinal Investigation.
• Melissa Handford**, Master of Science (Forensic Psychology) candidate: Does Context Matter? Assessing Victim Decisions to Report Non-Consensual Intimate Image Distribution.
• Sonia Mirza***, Master of Health Science (Community, Public and Population Health) candidate: Code Red for Dementia: Can the quality of our blood play a role in cognitive impairment?
• Hameeda Onigemo, Master of Engineering (Mechatronics) candidate: A Personalized Framework for Real-Time Monitoring of Human Physical State During Physical Activity.
• Amber Rizvi, Master of Health Science (Kinesiology) candidate: Effects of Force Feedback on Brain Activity and Motor Performance in Virtual Reality Medical Training.

* First place ($1,000 and the opportunity to represent the university at the provincial competition).
** Second place ($500).
*** People’s Choice winner (as selected by the audience, $250).

2 > 1