ProQuest sponsors our graduate students and their ambitions.
Three Minute Thesis Awards
ProQuest is the sponsor of the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) 3MT awards and offers these scholars recognition and support as they advance in their careers.
The Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition originated in Queensland, Australia. The idea came about at a time when the state of Queensland was suffering severe drought. To conserve water, residents were encouraged to time their showers, and many people had a three-minute egg timer fixed to the wall in their bathroom. The objective is to cultivate student's presentation and research communication skills so they can effectively explain their research in three minutes. Learn more.
Distinguished Dissertations Three Minute Thesis
2020 3MT Awardees
| Regional | Name | Institution | 3MT Title | Dissertation Title | Degree & Subject | Award |
| NAGS | Erica Graham | University at Albany | How Close is Too Close? | Mechanical Analysis of a Heterogeneously Integrated Silicon Photonic Interposer | Pursuing a PhD in Nano Engineering | *** WINNER**** |
| CSGS | Allison Mercer-Smith | UNC Chapel Hill | Turning Skin Cells into Cancer-Killers | Tumor-homing cytotoxic induced neural stem cells for the treatment of primary and metastatic non-small cell lung cancer | Pursuing an MD/PhD with completion of my PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences in summer 2021 and MD in spring 2023. | Regional Winner and Finalist |
| CSGS | Mahsa Lofti-Marchoobeh | University of Arkansas-Fayetteville | A Miniaturized Neural Probe for Simultaneous Detection of Chemicals in the Brain | Electroanalysis of dopamine by redox cycling at a microfabricated probe suitable for in vivo measurements | PhD in chemistry and biochemistry/analytical chemistry | Regional Winner and Finalist |
| MAGS | Megan R. Lafollette | Purdue University | Tickling Rats for Superior Science | Positive Human-Animal Interactions with Rats In The Laboratory: Increasing Implementation Of Best Practices To Improve Animal Welfare | PhD In Animal Sciences, Animal Behavior & Well-Being Specialization. Earned In May 2020. | Regional Winner and Finalist |
| MAGS | Varadha Balaji Venkadakrishnan | Cleveland State University | PKN1 is an Alternative Target in Advanced Prostate Cancer | PKN1 is a novel therapeutic target to block serum response factor-dependent androgen receptor action in advanced prostate cancer | PhD in Regulatory Biology | Regional Winner and Finalist |
| NAGS | Amalia Gil | University of Toronto | Identifying Distractions in Surgery with Eye Tracking | Developing a Method of Identifying Distractions in Surgery with Eye-Tracking Technology | Master of Health Science, Clinical Engineering | Regional Winner and Finalist |
| NAGS | Katherine Kurtz | Villanova University | Deviant Bodies: Representations of Female Monstrosity | Deviant Bodies: Toward a Feminist Aesthetics of Monstrosity | Pursuing a PhD in Philosophy | Regional Winner and Finalist |
| WAGS | Katie Murphy | University of California Davis | Feeling Sick: How Corn Makes its Own Medicine | Form and Function of Diterpenoids in Maize (Zea mays) | PhD in Plant Biology, Designated Emphasis in Biotechnology | Regional Winner and Finalist |
| WAGS | Ayumi Manawadu | Washington State University | The "Bridge Doctor" | Mechanics and Durability of Shotcrete-Concrete Interface Bond | Doctoral Candidate in Civil Engineering (Structural) | Regional Winner and Finalist |