Kathryn Glorioso is the 2025 Three Minute Thesis (3MT) People’s Choice Winner
CGS Contact: Kelley Karnes
602-791-8278 / kkarnes@cgs.nche.edu
PDF version of press release
Washington, DC — Kathryn Glorioso, a Biomedical Science PhD student at the Medical University of South Carolina, was named the People’s Choice Winner of the Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) Showcase and Roundtable at the Council of Graduate Schools’ (CGS) 65th Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.
The session was sponsored by ProQuest™, part of Clarivate™, and highlights the value of 3MT®competitions. The University of Queensland developed the 3MT® concept to help prepare graduate students to communicate the value of their research to a broad audience in three minutes.
Glorioso’s presentation titled, Hold on to Your Cast Iron: Cooking up a Better Target for Diabetes Drugs, looked at factors beyond diet and exercise when treating and preventing diabetes to a novel system within insulin-producing beta cells. She developed an intervention that helps those cells function more effectively, paving the way for new medical treatment.
Chevelle Newsome, CGS President, said the 3MT® Showcase not only highlights the innovative research and scholarship of graduate students, but also gives them essential practice in conveying their ideas to wider audiences.
“Kathryn demonstrated not only an exceptional research project, but also the ability to command the stage with a clear and compelling story about their work,” Newsome said. “I look forward to seeing what they accomplish on their academic journey. Now more than ever, students must be able to communicate complex, cutting-edge research accurately, concisely, and confidently—an ability that is fundamental not only to academic success, but to thriving in today’s dynamic and collaborative workforce.”
Congratulations to Kathryn. The importance of being able to call attention to, distill and clearly, quickly communicate complex ideas, particularly in video format, becomes more important every moment—especially as the amount of information we encounter increases in scope, speed and volume. The 3MT competition has not only endured the test of time and geography, but it’s tremendous fun for all of us who get to see these brilliant scholars in action,” said Gilia Smith, Partnerships Director, ProQuest.
The Showcase featured the 12 winners of regional 3MT® competitions in North America: The Canadian Association of Graduate Studies (CAGS,) Consejo Mexicano de Estudios de Posgrado (COMEPO,) the Conference of Southern Graduate Schools (CSGS,) the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS,) the Northeastern Association of Graduate Schools (NAGS,) and the Western Association of Graduate Schools (WAGS).
The regional winners participated in a roundtable discussion, reflecting on their experiences and offering insights that can help graduate schools develop successful 3MT® competitions and other programs designed to hone students’ communication skills.
The regional winners are:
Michelle Janusz, CAGS Awardee, Université Laval
Parker Volk, CAGS Awardee, University of Calgary
Luis Hernápn Carillo Várguez, COMPEO Awardee, Autonomous University of Baja California
Gabriela Rivera Hernández, COMEPO Awardee, Monterrey Tech
Kathryn Glorioso, CSGS Awardee, Medical University of South Carolina
Anamik Jhunjhunwala, CSGS Awardee, Emory University
Isaac Angera, MAGS Awardee, University of Notre Dame
Alexander Sprague, MAGS Awardee, University of Cincinnati
Cristina Hirschbiegel, NAGS Awardee, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Sai Abasolo, NAGS Awardee, Stony Brook University
Mourad Abdennebi, WAGS Awardee, University of Arizona
Rachael Josephs, WAGS Awardee, University of North Dakota
Luis Hernán Carillo Várguez, Parker Volk and Anamik Jhunjhunwala were unable to attend in person and submitted video presentations.
ProQuest™, part of Clarivate™ – whose ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global (PQDT) features more than 6 million dissertations and theses from across the globe– is proud to be the annual sponsor the CGS Annual Meeting 3MT Awards.
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About CGS
The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) is an organization of approximately 460 institutions of higher education in the United States and Canada engaged in graduate education, research, and the preparation of candidates for advanced degrees. The organization’s mission is to improve and advance graduate education, which it accomplishes through advocacy in the federal policy arena, research, and the development and dissemination of best practices.