Cátia Freitas is Under the Sea in the 3MT Asia-Pacific semi-final

The Three minute thesis (3MT) provides an opportunity to synthesise research into one powerpoint slide and a revelatory story. Cátia Freitas is developing her interdisciplinary thesis across marine biology and children’s literature with the support of her supervisors Dr Prue Francis, Dr Paul Venzo and Dr Alecia Bellgrove.

Under the sea

A passionate ‘storytelling enthusiast’ will represent Deakin University at the 2021 Asia-Pacific 3MT Semi-Final, hosted by the University of Queensland.

In her presentation, Marine Biology PhD candidate Cátia Freitas from the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Built Environment, reveals her research into using children’s literature to teach marine science concepts – such stories she says could help build a stronger connection to the ocean.

3MT entrants are given three minutes to present their research to a general audience with the support of a single slide as a visual aid.

“Every hero has its own a story. My hero lives in the ocean. It has no eyes or mouth, or fins and it cannot swim or bite. So, you might be thinking is it even real? Well, underneath the waves my hero forms underwater forests and sucks carbon dioxide out of the air to fight climate change. My hero is seaweed,” she says.

Through her thesis, Cátia is investigating how the power of storytelling – specifically in children’s literature – can be employed in schools to teach children about the underwater world.

Current education curriculum in Australia shows little engagement with the ocean, this is where Cátia’s research comes in. She is developing and testing an education program that will run over the course of a school year to provide primary school teachers with the knowledge and skills on how to use children’s books to teach students about their local ocean. She will aim to determine whether these books are indeed an effective educational tool in increasing students’ understanding of the ocean.

“My PhD research will provide an evidenced-based teaching approach to educate about the marine environment, an important step towards increasing ocean literacy in Australia.”