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Three Minute Thesis Competition showcases doctoral research

Shayla Brown — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 15:40:07 +0000

Three Minute Thesis Competition showcases doctoral research Shayla Brown Mon, 12/01/2025 - 10:40

In This Story

Rania Zaied, a fourth-year PhD student in ��’s Department of Communication, has won first-place at the annual Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition, an engaging event that showcases the innovative research of doctoral candidates. She will advance to the 2026 regional competition in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, hosted by the Council of Southern Graduate Schools. 

3MT first place winner Rania Zaied (left) with Stephanie Bluth. Photo by Eduardo Macedo/Office of University Branding.

The competition took place on November 7, 2025, and was organized by the Graduate Division of the Provost’s Office. The competition invites PhD students from various schools and colleges within the university to present their research in a concise and compelling format. 

Students from the College of Education and Human Development, College of Engineering and Computing, College of Humanities and Social Science, College of Public Health, and College of Science participated, presenting their chosen research topics with a single slide and a strict three-minute time limit. A panel of eight judges evaluated the presentations. 

This year, the doctoral candidates explored a diverse range of topics, including the integration of Gen-AI in K-12 classrooms and novel approaches to combating bacteria and biofilms. The competition concluded with the following winners: 

First Place: Rania Zaied (CHSS): “Decoding the Joke: Muslim Representations in Comedy and Their Impact on Internalized Anti-Muslim Racism.” 
Second Place: Mahmood Almosuli (COS): “Designer Phage: The Way to Beat Bacteria and Biofilms.” 
Third Place: Rooshna Mohsin (CPH): “Balancing the Risks: Dietary and Social Predictors of PFAs Exposure and Associated Health Outcomes in Hispanic Children.” 
People’s Choice: Oakley Thomas Hill (Carter School): “The Justice Languages of America.”

The winners of the 3MT competition. Photo by Eduardo Macedo/Office of University Branding.

Zaied had previously competed in a 3MT competition at James Madison University during her master’s studies and found it a rewarding experience.  

“It truly helped me share my research clearly with any audience in a way that was simple, and to the point, regardless of their background. So, I really wanted to do it again for my doctoral dissertation, and train myself to talk about my research simply and concisely,” Zaied explained. 

Zaied is conducting a qualitative study involving online interviews with Muslim audiences, utilizing thematic analysis to identify and interpret recurring themes in participants' experiences.

She attributes much of her success to the constructive feedback received from various resources at George Mason, including workshops led by Graduate Professional and Career Development Program Coordinator Alyssa Bivins, preliminary round feedback from judges, and consultations with her mentor Melissa Broeckelman-Post and Communication Center staff.

“I also attended a practice session with Dr. Bivins and Makayla Johnson, who provided valuable feedback regarding clarity for a general audience, body language, and word choices in my speech,” said Zaied, who has a concentration in strategic communications.

With the support of George Mason’s resources, Zaied polished her presentation through continuous practice and refinement.  

“Some feedback might have been small tweaks here and there, but all of it together truly brought my speech a long way from where it had started and really made a huge difference,” she said.  

“I’m very excited to move forward to the regional competition and represent �� there,” she said. 

Topics

Three Minute Thesis

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Graduate Division

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Students

Mason Graduate Interdisciplinary Conference sets up students for success

Colleen Rich — Wed, 20 Apr 2022 16:36:28 +0000

Mason Graduate Interdisciplinary Conference sets up students for success Colleen Rich Wed, 04/20/2022 - 12:36

Photo provided

The 2022 Mason Graduate Interdisciplinary Conference on April 8 highlighted ��’s new slogan, All Together Different, by uniting students from across different programs and departments to showcase Mason’s commitment to research and its impact.

“Because it’s an interdisciplinary conference, it gave me more perspectives that I may have not considered in my field for my dissertation,” said Maria Isabella Cristea, a PhD student at the Public University of Navarre in Spain, who is doing a research stay in Mason’s Department of Social Work for her look at help-seeking related to LGBTQ intimate partner violence.

Graduate students studying everything from human development to bioengineering were selected from a peer-reviewed application process to exhibit their research through posters and oral presentations. The conference also featured the final round of Mason’s Three-Minute Thesis competition, which challenges graduate students to present their dissertation or thesis research in a three-minute talk.

The event ended a week of celebration around Mason’s 50th anniversary and began with a breakfast and panel discussion sponsored by Mason’s 50th Anniversary Committee.

The discussion, moderated by Andre Marshall, vice president for research, innovation and economic development at Mason, detailed how ideas and research should go beyond academic discussions to having real-world impact.

Key to this, the panelists said, was being open to hearing different voices.

Aisha Yusuf, a PhD candidate from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences who presented on ethnic identity and the prevalence of female genital mutilation in Africa, put that message into action.

“You’re not only listening and learning, but you also get new ideas to apply to your research,” Yusuf said. “I just met someone from a different college at Mason who also presented, and her topic is similar to mine so we’re thinking of collaborating.”

Because the conference was focused on Mason student presenters, it provided them a friendly environment, in front of peers and faculty, to hone their presentations. Students also had the opportunity to build interest in their research, network with those outside of their immediate circle, and get honest feedback to enhance their presentations.

“This is really important, because interdisciplinary research is fast becoming the name of the game in academia and beyond, whether you're going into academia or into applied work,” said Steven Zhou, president of the Graduate and Professional Student Association (GAPSA) and a planning committee member. “No matter what career field you end up in, you’re going to be talking to people outside of your discipline, so it’s always good to get experience in that.”

The conference was co-hosted by GAPSA, Graduate Student Life, and the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President.

“It was so amazing and inspiring seeing students present their research and what they do,” Yusuf said. “It makes me appreciate graduate students and how hard they work.”

Topics

Students

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Finding Your Community through the Graduate and Professional Student Association (GAPSA)

Nikita Thadani — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 20:42:01 +0000

Finding Your Community through the Graduate and Professional Student Association (GAPSA) Nikita Thadani Tue, 02/01/2022 - 15:42

by Sofiyat Aderonke Ibrahim

For many of you reading this, you identify with one of the following: You are a current or former Mason graduate or professional student, you are interested in connecting and building relationships with the people around you, and/or you are committed to getting the best out of your time here at ��. If any of these statements is true, then you should definitely continue reading this post because this information would help make your experience at Mason as a graduate or professional student even better.

To begin, I would like to introduce myself and tell you why becoming a graduate student at �� was the best decision I ever made and share why finding my community with GAPSA was a huge turning point in my Mason graduate life. First, you should know that as a Mason graduate student, you have joined a diverse group of people committed to innovation and research that is very unique to our Mason population. As a result of this large and dynamic community, it can be somewhat challenging to connect with others. You may wonder how to find connections and build relationships with those around you. I was one of those people, lost in the hustle and bustle of grad life. When I first started at Mason, and now as a second-year master’s student who is knee-deep in her own community and has made several connections, I can assure you that your answer to finding your community lies in knowing and understanding what GAPSA is and how GAPSA can assist you!

I was elected GAPSA’s Vice President for the Arlington campus in late Spring of 2019. During my previous year, I attended several GAPSA events like Gradstravaganza, Grad Write-Ins, tabled events and more that allowed me to network with other graduate students as well as professional staff members. As an international student (born and raised in Nigeria) who had no affiliation to �� whatsoever, I really wanted to find a community of people who would make my new home feel more like home; attending GAPSA events allowed me to meet people outside my academic department and form connections that I truly believe will last a lifetime. So I think I have said enough about the need to find your community, now let me tell you all about what GAPSA is and how you can get involved.

What is GAPSA?

The Graduate and Professional Student Association (GAPSA) is the premier all-graduate/professional student group at ��, established in 2009, whose goal is to unite graduate and professional students and establish a forum through which graduate and professional students are able to address issues, advocate for the greater good, grow professionally, and socialize with one another. By creating a stronger graduate community that promotes personal, professional, and academic success, GAPSA recognizes that enriching graduate student life at �� improves the prestige of the University as well as school/life balance for all graduate and professional students.

How to get involved?

All graduate degree seeking students at �� are represented by GAPSA and are eligible to vote in GAPSA elections. There are, however, two types of graduate and professional students in GAPSA.

The first type of member is the graduate/professional student who volunteers their time to help with GAPSA events or committees, and they are considered active members. The primary benefit of active membership, besides helping your community, is the opportunity to receive an extra $50 when you apply for the Graduate Student Travel Fund, which supports travel to conferences for presentations.

The other type of member is the graduate student who is represented by GAPSA but does not participate in events or committees and thereby ineligible for the extra $50 in travel funding.

Why is it important to be involved in GAPSA?

There are several reasons and some ideas on why it is important to be involved and find your community in graduate school across all disciplines. For one, it helps you connect with more people who are then able to provide you with the necessary support; and two, you are included in a healthy and supportive life that allows you to enjoy your graduate student experience. All graduate students know about the busy schedule that comes with higher education. When we find time to get involved, however, we can make a difference for our colleagues and for future students.

How do I get to know the Executive Board?

I think I have sold GAPSA to you as well as anyone can! There are a few people you need to know about who help put on these events and represent you on the executive board. You can view the full and updated list of executive board members here.

They represent the different regional campuses and assist Graduate Student Life with events throughout the academic year. In graduate school, it can be easy to spend almost every moment in your department, but being stuck within your silo prevents you from exploring the community around you. These students work hard to ensure community across all campuses and would love to hear from you to assist you whenever you need it. By getting involved in GAPSA, you are creating new opportunities for you and your colleagues to connect and essentially allowing yourself to have exciting and fulfilling experience here at Mason.

To connect with us, join the GAPSA newsletter list to hear about our events firsthand and visit our website at http://gapsa.gmu.edu/about-gapsa/ for more information.

Email: gapsa@gmu.edu

Facebook: Mason GAPSA

Twitter: @Mason_GAPSA

Instagram: @mason_gapsa

This blog post has been updated to reflect current information and web addresses.

Edited by Nikita Thadani, 2/1/2022

Topics

Mason Grad Insider

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