Peter Winslow, a Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics graduate student won the first place CBS award at the annual St. Paul Science in Seconds event on October 30. The event, hosted by the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS), College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) and CBS, is an annual competition in which grad students convey their research to a general audience in three engaging, informative and suspenseful minutes.
Winslow won the CBS award for his exploration of the origins of life in a presentation aptly titled “Primordial Park.” A member of Burckhard Seelig’s lab and an aspiring astrobiologist, Winslow thoughtfully articulated the methods he and his colleagues use to create and study novel proteins–an investigation which can deepen our understanding of evolution and the origin of the genetic code.
Also featured at the event were CBS grad students Maria Park (Ecology, Evolution and Behavior) and Randi Avery (Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology and Genetics). Each student delivered talks limited by a singular Powerpoint slide and a strict eye on the clock.
Winslow will go on to compete in the eighth annual University-wide 3MT (3 Minute Thesis) competition, which is sponsored by the Graduate School and will feature finalists from collegiate- and campus-level competitions, including Science in Seconds. The competition will be held Friday, Nov. 10, 2023 from 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m. at Coffman Memorial Union Theater.