Mathematics Student is a Finalist in the 2025 UofR 3 Minute Thesis Competition (3MT)!
The Department of Mathematics and Statistics is excited to announce that a local master’s student, Agustín D’Alessandro, competed in the finals of the 2025 UofR 3 Minute Thesis Competition this March! Established in 2008 by the University of Queensland (UQ), the 3MT is an international competition for thesis-based graduate students in which participants present their thesis research and its wider impact in three minutes or less. This event is designed to help students present their research in an accessible and compelling way with the assistance of only one static slide. Competitors start by participating in heats, and then only the top eight students, as scored by a panel of judges, move on to the final in late March.
Agustín’s presentation focused on his research in the area of representation theory on algebraic structures; in particular, the decomposition of the Weil representation of parabolic subgroups of the symplectic group into its irreducible components, which are the smallest pieces that can be obtained from a bigger structure. When asked about his experience in the 3MT and his favourite part of it, his response was:
“From the experience, I must say that it made me sit down and get a clear idea of what we were up to with Fernando (his supervisor). Plus, it gave me the opportunity to meet a lot of interesting people doing research in very different areas, which was amazing. I got to hear about biology, kinesiology, politics and social work, all in one single night. Also, all the drills and being backstage are really fun to do. The most rewarding thing I can think of was having the opportunity to share with everyone a little bit of what we do when we do research in math. It was always funny to hear things like "I didn't know you could do research in math! What is it like? What is it about?" I would totally do it again!”
Agustín completed two undergraduate degrees: one in mathematics at the Universidad CAECE and the other in education at the Instituto Superior del Profesorado Dr. Joaquín V. González, which are both located in Buenos Aires, Argentina, before joining the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Regina in 2024. Since his tenure here as a master’s student, he has spent the majority of his time working with his thesis supervisor, Dr. Fernando Szechtman, on creating ways to identify these irreducible structures, and they are currently wrapping up a paper for publication later in the year on their findings. He also loves to disseminate math to people of all ages. He was one of the members of the department who presented general audience math lectures during Pi month at the Saskatchewan Science Centre! In his remaining time outside of the university, Agustín can be found spending time with his friends and family and enjoying the Saskatchewan wildlife including the hares, ducks, and geese that visit his home here in Regina!
Congratulations again, Agustín, on this incredible acheivement!
For students who are wishing to learn more about the 3 Minute Thesis (3MT) contest and potentially compete in the 2026 competition, please visit the UofR 3MT competition site here