»Graduate Student Academic Supports & Events

Open Access Week (October 21-25)

Learn About Open Access Publishing with Workshops, Online Resources, and More! For more information, please view Leatherby Libraries announcements page. 

• The LRDS team will be hosting four specially curated Library Workshops to help you learn how to use OA resources.
  • OA Publishing Options at Chapman: Increase Your Scholarly Reach!
  • Discover the Potential of Open Educational Resources
  • Approachable Version Control with Git & GitHub Desktop
  • What to Consider When Choosing Where to Publish – OA Options and Helpful Strategies

Thesis and Dissertation Submission Workshops

• This workshop will give you all the information you need for that final step of your dissertation or thesis journey: submitting it to the library. Learn about the procedures, required documents, and formatting standards you need to know about to ensure a smooth and successful submission process.

  Topics covered in the workshop will include:

  • Checklists and fillable templates
  • Formatting requirements for dissertations and theses
  • Librarian review procedures
  • Submissions to Chapman University Digital Commons and ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global

  There will also be time for Q&A about the specifics of your dissertation or thesis!

  Related LibGuide: Dissertation and Thesis Guidelines by Kristin Laughtin-Dunker

  • The In-Person Workshop is scheduled for Tuesday, November 4th, 1:00-2:00 p.m.in the Leatherby Libraries Instruction Room 305. Participants can register for this workshop here.
  • The Virtual Workshop is scheduled for Wednesday, November 5th, 4:00-5:00 p.m.This is an online event. Event URL will be sent via registration email. Participants can register for this workshop here.

  Please contact the Chair of Resources & Scholarly Communications, Kristin Laughtin-Dunker, at laughtin@chapman.edu with any questions.

 

The Graduate Academic Council announced the 2025 recipients of the James L. Doti Outstanding Graduate Student Awards, the highest honor for graduate students at Chapman University. The Doti Awards are bestowed annually to an outstanding graduating master’s and doctoral student with a distinguished record of academic accomplishment, scholarly/creative activity, and/or service. The award recipients’ names are permanently inscribed on the Doti Award trophy, which incorporates artist Nick Hernandez’s sculpture Emergence, on display in Argyros Forum. The recipients receive a desk-size copy of the trophy with a cash award of $1,000 and are recognized at their college’s commencement ceremony.

The recipients of Chapman University’s 2025 James L. Doti Outstanding Graduate Student Award are:

Doctoral category - Anika Patel, Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy.

Master’s category - Iara Gonzalez-Ascencio, Master of Arts in International Studies, Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences.

Our warmest congratulations to the recipients, their peers, friends, and supporters. Special thank you and congratulations to the faculty advisors and programs for their continuous support of our great students! 

Graduate and Professional Student Research Showcase is held each spring. See the Student Scholar Symposium information page for abstract submission guidelines. Submit abstracts are no longer being accepted. Submission deadline was 11:59 p.m. Friday, March 14, 2025. Poster deadline is at 11:59 p.m. Friday, March 28, 2025. Graduate Poster Session will be held on Friday, April 11, 2025, 3:00-5:00 p.m. in Beckman Hall 404, Orange Campus.

See the 2025 Spring Abstract for more information on our presenters. 

3 Minute Thesis (3MT®) Competition is scheduled for Friday, April 11, 5:30-8:00 p.m. in Beckman Hall 404, Orange Campus.

National Graduate and Professional Student Appreciation Week (GaPSAW) is the first week of April each year.

Presentation Skills Workshop was held Thursday, April 25, 3:00-4:00 p.m. via Zoom for finalists. See Flyer. We are happy to share that the Writing Center partnered with us to host an online Presentation Skills Workshop tailored for 3MT presentations, it covered the general skills of preparation and presentation of the talks for a broad audience. View presentation and recording here from the March 12 workshop.

Annual Graduate and Professional Student Excellence Dinner and Celebration is held in May of each academic year.

Additional events will be scheduled and information provided throughout the year; visit this section often for updates.

Upcoming Defenses:

• Riad Bellili on Wednesday, November 19, 2025 (Pharmaceutical Science, M.S.)

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Congratulations to all these 2025-2026 graduate students who recently successfully defended!

Behavioral and Computational Economics, M.S. - Thesis

Communication, Ph.D. - Dissertation

• Janella Eshiet on Thursday, July 17, 2025

Computational and Data Sciences, M.S. - Thesis

Computational and Data Sciences, Ph.D. - Dissertation

• Duncan Ofosu on Thursday, May 29, 2025

Creative Writing, M.F.A. - Thesis

• Blake Bullock on Wednesday, June 4, 2025

Education, Ph.D. - Dissertation

• Stephen Hinkle on Friday, October 24th, 2025

Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, M.S. - Thesis

English, M.A. - Thesis

Film and Media Studies, M.A. - Thesis

Food Science, M.S. - Thesis

• Angela Banda on Sunday, July 13, 2025

International Studies, M.A. - Thesis

• Andres Murillo on Friday, June 13, 2025
• Samah Ahmed on Friday, June 20, 2025

Pharmaceutical Sciences, M.S. - Thesis

• Srishhti Jha on Tuesday, July 29, 2025

Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ph.D. - Dissertation

• Abdulelah Alhazza on Monday, November 10, 2025

War, Diplomacy, and Society, M.A. - Thesis

Past Defenses:

Behavioral and Computational Economics, M.S. - Thesis

• James Gilmore on Monday, May 6, 2024
• Jingzhi Liu on Monday, May 6, 2024
• Aaron Berman on Monday, May 6, 2024
• Saika Cer Askin on Wednesday, April 16, 2025
• Marilyn Hazlett on Wednesday, April 23, 2025

Communication, Ph.D. - Dissertation

• Jessica Marie Journeay on Wednesday, April 19, 2023
• John Capra on Tuesday, May 23, 2023
• Amy Hellem on Tuesday, December 5, 2023
• Arielle Leaonard Hodges on Friday, April 12, 2024
• Noel McGuire on Monday, April 15, 2024
• Cailin Kuchenbecker on Tuesday, April 16, 2024
• Sarah Downey on Friday, March 14, 2025
• Kelly Anthony on Tuesday, March 18, 2025
• April Batson-Bright on Tuesday, April 8, 2025 
• Lauren Pick on Wednesday, April 16, 2025

Computational and Data Sciences, M.S. - Thesis

• Howard Huang on Friday, April 26, 2024
• Sarah Caruthers on Friday, April 26, 2024
• David Licerio on Thursday, April 25, 2024
• Gregory Tyler on Friday, November 17, 2023
• Grace Grupta on Monday, November 13, 2023
• Gabriela Pinto on Thursday, April 27, 2023

Computational and Data Sciences, Ph.D. - Dissertation

• Iris Kinzie Mowgood on Tuesday, April 25, 2023
• Sam Oliver Ford on Friday, April 28, 2023
• Ehsan Yaghmaei on Friday, May 26, 2023
• Mohammed Rajeh Alshahrani on Thursday, May 17, 2023
• Albert Pierce on Wednesday, May 31, 2023
• Isaac Nwi-Mozu on Friday, June 9, 2023
• John Jake Gavenas on Thursday, July 20, 2023
• Krupa Rajen Nagori Friday, August 4, 2023
• Mohammed Eyad Kurd-Misto on Wednesday, November 8, 2023
• Yesha Patel on Friday, November 17, 2023
• Sachi Perera on Monday, April 8, 2024
• Rejoice Thomas on Monday, April 22, 2024
• Sina Mohammadi on Monday, May 13, 2024
• Dony Ang on Friday, July 26, 2024
• Jacob Cohn on Wednesday, April 16, 2025 

Creative Writing, M.F.A. - Thesis

• Belana Beeck on Thursday, April 13, 2023
• Matthew Lemas on Thursday, April 13, 2023
• Vesper North on Friday, April 14, 2023
• Nour Abuelreich on Monday, April 17, 2023
• Sinclair Adams on Tuesday, April 18, 2023
• Samantha Diaz on Tuesday, April 18, 2023
• Piper Gourley on Tuesday, April 18, 2023
• Lydia Pejovic on Tuesday, April 18, 2023
• Kayla Chang on Wednesday, April 19, 2023
• Montez Jennings on Wednesday, April 19, 2023
• Nina Handjeva-Weller on Wednesday, April 19, 2023
• Ximena Delgado on Thursday, April 20, 2023
• Todd Gilbert on Thursday, April 20, 2023
• Kate Hampton on Thursday, April 20, 2023
• Emily Velasquez on Thursday, April 20, 2023
• Nicole Cook on Friday, April 21, 2023
• Audrey Fong on Friday, April 21, 2023
• Isabelle Danforth Stillman, April 21, 2023
• Mikayla McLean on Friday, April 28, 2023
• Louis Labat on Thursday, August 3, 2023
• Anthony Alegrete on Thursday, March 28, 2024
• Yuya Hattori on Thursday, April 11, 2024
• Casie Grambrel on Friday, April 12, 2024
• Sarah Johnson on Tuesday, April 16, 2024
• Diego Garcia on Friday, April 19, 2024
• Henneh Kwaku Kyereh on Thursday, April 25, 2024
• Bailey Powell on Friday, April 26, 2024
• Amber Lee on Tuesday, April 1, 2025
• Karanbir Singh on Thursday, April 10, 2025
• Anna Dragt on Tuesday, April 15, 2025
• Emma Niro on Thursday, April 17, 2025
• Samantha Wilson on Monday, April 21, 2025
• Rebecca Rhodes on Monday, April 21, 2025
• Tess Canfield on Tuesday, April 22, 2025
• Noor Vakili on Tuesday, April 22, 2025
• Catherine Gallegos on Wednesday, April 23, 2025
• Laila Freeman on Thursday, April 24, 2025
• Charlie Pitt on Thursday, April 24, 2025
• Arinzechukwu Akpa on Friday, April 25, 2025
• Lucy Caborn on Friday, April 25, 2025
• Brandon Leonard on Friday, April 25, 2025
• Amanda Torres on Friday, April 25, 2025
• Aaron Grossman on Friday, April 25, 2025

Education, Ph.D. - Dissertation

• Huiru Zhu on Thursday, January 19, 2023
• Lauren Dudley on Thursday, March 9, 2023
• Abraham Aryadad on Wednesday, March 29, 2023
• Sara Morgan on Thursday, March 30, 2023
• Lara Ameen on Friday, July 28, 2023
• Daryl Park on Monday, September 25, 2023
• Pedro Espinoza on Thursday, December 14, 2023
• Megan Doty on Thursday, March 21, 2024
• Stacy Eldred on Friday, March 29, 2024
• Michael Gorse on Wednesday, April 3, 2024
• Yiying Teng on Wednesday, April 3, 2024
• Xiuying Han on Monday, April 8, 2024
• Weiyi Xia on Tuesday, April 9, 2024
• Ivan Enzo Noe on Friday, April 12, 2024
• Limei Cao on Monday, April 15, 2024
• Nick Irwin on Monday, April 15, 2024
• Xochitl Morales on Tuesday, April 16, 2024
• Fei Wang on Thursday, April 18, 2024
• Christopher Tran on Friday, April 19, 2024
• Rabab Atwi on Friday, April 19, 2024
• Ying Zhu on Friday, April 19, 2024
• Qian Wei on Tuesday, April 23, 2024
• Yiwei Li on Wednesday, April 24, 2024
• Jiayu Shao on Thursday, April 25, 2024
• Katelyn Kitchens on Thursday, April 25, 2024
• Chaoran Li on Friday, April 26, 2024
• Breána Victoria-Delgado on Wednesday, May 29, 2024
• Victor Vega on Thursday, June 27, 2024
• Joelle Prate on Tuesday, March 11, 2025
• Amelia Holzer on Wednesday, April 2, 2025 
• Rachel Torres on Thursday, April 10, 2025 
• Miruna Ouatu-Lascar on Friday, April 11, 2025 
• Sarah Madrid on Tuesday, April 15, 2025
• Elena Marquez on Tuesday, April 15, 2025 
• Daniel Noriega on Wednesday, April 16, 2025 
• Sherilyn Kile on Monday, April 21, 2025 
• Tanya Belom on Tuesday, April 22, 2025 
• Michelle Everitt on Tuesday, April 22, 2025 
• Brittany Contreras on Wednesday, April 23, 2025 
• Tajaun Hall on Wednesday, April 30, 2025

Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, M.S. - Thesis

• Sarah Fieck on Friday, April 4, 2025 
• Kelsey Hawkins on Friday, April 4, 2025 
• Briana Craig On Friday, April 11, 2025 
• Olivia Chilvers on Wednesday, April 16, 2025 
• Talitha Holcombe on Thursday, April 17, 2025 
• Trey Alexander on Friday, April 18, 2025 
• Ponthea Zahraii on Friday, April 18, 2025 
• Arisa Trombley on Friday, April 18, 2025 

English, M.A. - Thesis

• Bekah Izard on Thursday, April 12, 2023
• Su Chen on Friday, April 14 ,2023
• Constance von Igel de Mello on Friday, April 14, 2023
• Makena Metz on Monday, April 17, 2023
• Patrick Hanna on Thursday, April 20, 2023
• Elizabeth Tran on Friday, April 21, 2023
• Ani Gazazyan on Monday, April 24, 2023
• Karuna Hin on Monday, April 24, 2023
• Eurydice Dye on Wednesday, April 26, 2023
• Jessica Bocinski on Friday, April 28, 2023
• Hannah Montante on Friday, April 28, 2023
• Ian Koh on Wednesday August 23, 2023
• Catherine Gallegos on Friday, November 17, 2023
• Kristen Venegas on Friday, November 17, 2023
• Tlotlo Tsamaase on Monday, April 8, 2024
• Sarah Johnson on Friday, April 12, 2024
• Miranda Roberts on Friday, April 19, 2024
• Audrey Fong on Thursday, April 25, 2024
• Emily Velasquez on Friday, April 26, 2024
• Brianna Radke on Friday, April 26, 2024
• Matthew Lemas on Friday, April 26, 2024
• Sofia Sakzlyan on Friday, April 26, 2024
• Rebecca Rhodes on Friday, April 26, 2024
• Eileen Pierce on Friday, April 26, 2024
• Sawyer Kelly on Friday, April 26, 2024
• Lauren Sieberg on Friday, April 11, 2025
• Cassandra Garate on Tuesday, April 15, 2025
• Rhyan Warmerdam on Tuesday, April 22, 2025
• Emi Thomas on Tuesday, April 22, 2025
• Tessa Woodall on Tuesday, April 22, 2025
• Ryan Penske on Wednesday, April 23, 2025
• Tegan Rosso on Friday, April 25, 2025
• Cambria Acheson on Friday, April 25, 2025

Film and Media Studies, M.A. - Thesis

• Own Bradford on Monday, April 17, 2023
• Frances Wendorf on Monday, April 17, 2023
• Livi Edmonson on Tuesday, April 18, 2023
• Austin Kang on Thursday, April 20, 2023
• Bryce Thompson on Friday, April 21, 2023
• Afra Nariman on Tuesday, April 25, 2023
• Charna Flam on Friday, April 28, 2023
• Marynell Dethero on Saturday, April 29, 2023
• Mason Dickerson on Wednesday, April 10, 2024
• Livia Lozoya on Wednesday, April 10, 2024
• Nicolas Clark on Wednesday, April 10, 2024
• William Yonts on Thursday, April 11, 2024
• Manjima Tarafdar on Monday, April 15, 2024
• Z Evan Long on Monday, April 15, 2024
• Olivia Gerzabek on Friday, April 19, 2024
• Laine Marshall on Wednesday, April 24, 2024
• Alison Kreul on Tuesday, April 22, 2025
• Jose Emilio Reyes Rocher on Wednesday, April 23, 2025
• Sophia Rubino on Tuesday, April 29, 2025

Food Science, M.S. - Thesis

• Charles Drucker on Monday, March 13, 2023
• McKenna Rivers on Monday, April 24, 2023
• Amanda Tabb on Wednesday, April 26, 2023
• Jennifer McCoy Sanders on Wednesday, September 6, 2023
• Christianne Yapor on Friday, April 19, 2024
• Kylie Sacapano on Monday, April 22, 2024
• Sarah Ahles on Tuesday, April 23, 2024
• Diane Kim on Friday, April 26, 2024
• Alton Chambers on Friday, August 2, 2024
• Kristin Cheng on Tuesday, April 22, 2025
• Ghana Tirpude on Thursday, April 24, 2025

International Studies, M.A. - Thesis

• Joshua Jackson on Thursday, April 27, 2023
• Reyhaneh Zamini on Thursday, November 16, 2023
• Gary Mercer on Monday, April 22, 2024
• Maggie Quiroz on Tuesday, April 23, 2024
• Stephanie Santiago on Wednesday, April 24, 2024
• Allison Flame on Wednesday, April 24, 2024
• Eleina Beltran on Friday, April 26, 2024
• Leah Shoff on Friday, May 24, 2024
• Iara Gonzalez-Ascencio on Monday, June 3, 2024
• Brianna Buzzell on Wednesday, April 23, 2025
• Sabrina Laib on Wednesday, April 23, 2025
• Roxanne Aguilera on Thursday, April 24, 2025
• Declan Coakley on Friday, April 25, 2025

Pharmaceutical Sciences, M.S. - Thesis

• Abdullah Jameel M Althomali on Monday, April 17, 2023
• Mohammad Al Ghamdi on Monday, April 24, 2023
• Khushbu Bhakta on Tuesday, April 25, 2023
• Mrigank Rai on Friday, August 4, 2023
• Choi Wonsuk on Tuesday, August 29, 2023
• Wadj Zakir on Thursday, January 4, 2024
• Taran Harris on Friday, April 26, 2024
• Dorna Davanidavari on Thursday, June 13, 2024
• Urvashi Panchal on Tuesday, April 15, 2025 
• Ashley Alexander on Tuesday, April 22, 2025 
• Berenice Morales-Rodriguez on Friday, April 25, 2025 

Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ph.D. - Dissertation

• Michael Sayer on Friday, January 20, 2023
• Turki Altowairgi on Monday, April 24, 2023
• Taibah Yousef Aldakhil on Thursday, April 27, 2023
• Razan Saud Orfali on Wednesday, May 10, 2023
• Nouf Saleh Alwadei on Thursday, May 11, 2023
• Mohammad Asikur Rahman on Wednesday, June 14, 2023
• Judy Weng on Thursday, September 7, 2023
• Ajayi David Akinwale on Monday, April 22, 2024
• Roya Hosseini on Tuesday, April 23, 2024
• Jonathan Moreno on Wednesday, April 24, 2024
• Khulud Bukhari on Thursday, April 25, 2024
• Olajide Adekunle on Thursday, April 25, 2024
• Ashwaq Alanazi on Friday, April 26, 2024
• Anika Patel on Monday, April 7, 2025

War, Diplomacy, and Society, M.A. - Thesis

• Victoria Castillo on Friday, January 5, 2023
• Natalie Pendergraft on Thursday, April 27, 2023
• Megan Lee on Friday, April 28, 2023
• Christen Kadkhodai on Monday, May 22, 2023 
• Brian Corteville on Thursday, December 14, 2023
• Kyle Missbach on Friday, January 12, 2024
• Socrates Mbamalu on Wednesday, April 24, 2024
• Grayson Jones on Friday, April 26, 2024
• Katerina Ludwig on Friday, April, 26, 2024
• Amanda Dixon on Tuesday, April 1, 2025
• Jade Im on Monday, April 7, 2025
• Kelly Taylor on Tuesday, April 15, 2025
• Garrett Cuadros on Tuesday, April 15, 2025
• Connor Fershin on Tuesday, April 22, 2025
• Tiana Taliep on Monday, June 2, 2025

Click on the hyperlinks for access to recent event programs, flyers, and additional information.

• Student Scholar Symposium Poster Session (Graduate), Spring 2024
• Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition, Spring 2023
• Student Scholar Symposium Poster Session II (Graduate), Spring 2023
• Virtual Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition, Spring 2021
• Virtual Graduate and Professional Student Research Showcase, Spring 2020

 

Graduate Student Workshops:

• A workshop series for advanced graduate students and postdoctoral scholars in STEM fields at Chapman University applying for academic positions. Designed to help you organize your search, prepare your written materials, and manage your time. Recommended for everyone who plans to pursue an academic position, even if you do not plan to apply this year!

  • Tools for Sanity during an Academic Job Search (October 4th)

  • Leveling Up Your CV (October 11th)

  • The Customizable Cover Letter (October 18th)

  •  Elements of the Teaching Statement (October 25th)

  • Your Research Statement Needs Figures (November 1st)

  • Diversity, Equity and Inclusion on Paper (November 8th)
    

    Facilitated by Dr. Greg Goldsmith goldsmit@chapman.edu, who is Associate Dean for Research and Development in Schmid College of Science and Technology. All sessions are held on Fridays from 3:00-4:30PM in the Keck Center for Science and Engineering room #156. Attendance in person strongly encouraged, with hybrid available. Space is limited. To register, please RSVP:Short Survey. Please reach out to goldsmit@chapman.edu with any questions.  

Early Career Leadership Workshop Series, will be held on six (6) consecutive Fridays from 12:00-1:30 p.m. via Zoom began on February 2, 2024.

• With generous support from both the Provost’s Office and the Dean’s Suite in the Schmid College of Science and Technology, the University is happy to be hosting an Early Career Leadership Workshop Series for advanced Chapman University graduate students and postdoctoral scholars. This series of interactive online workshops is designed to help early career scholars thrive in a research environment, deal with conflicts, and be effective leaders and team members. The topics have all been developed with a focus on research groups and the academic environment. The training will provide strategies for effective integration into the lab, and the department, as well as offering a forum for participants to share experiences with peers and build community. We encourage participation from advanced graduate students and postdoctoral scholars from across disciplines. The agenda is described in further detail below. The workshops will be facilitated by the remarkable Dr. Diana Azurdia. Dr. Azurdia serves as the Director for Recruitment and Inclusion for the Graduate Programs in Bioscience at the University of California Los Angeles, where she is also the Director of the UCLA Entering Mentoring Training Program that provides mentorship support and development for researchers at all career stages. This workshop series should be particularly helpful for the students who want to stay in academia. Space is limited. To register, please fill out the following form. Please feel free to reach out to Dr. Greg Goldsmith goldsmit@chapman.edu, Associate Professor and Director of the Grand Challenges Initiative, with any questions.

Entering Mentoring Workshop, August 21, 2023

• With generous support from the provost's office, Schmid College of Science and Technology will be offering a workshop open to all Chapman University post doctoral scholars and advanced doctoral students. This 8-hour workshop, designed by the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER; cimerproject.org), is built on interactive discussion driven by example scenarios. It will cover topics including aligning expectations, promoting professional development, maintaining effective communication, addressing equity and inclusion, assessing understanding, fostering independence, and cultivating ethical behavior.  This outstanding curriculum is designed to empower you to build more effective relationships with those you are mentoring and those who are mentoring you, whether that is an undergraduate student doing research in your lab group or your next supervisor after you complete your time at Chapman. The workshop is appropriate for scholars from all research-driven disciplines. Those who have participated consistently report that they found the training to be very valuable. The training will be facilitated by Professor Aparna Bhaduri (UCLA) and Associate Professor and Director of the Grand Challenges Initiative Gregory Goldsmith (CU). This workshop should be particularly helpful for the students who want to stay in academia. 

Habit+Accountability=Success, October 8 and 9, 2019
Presented by Dr. Leslie Blood, Director of Graduate Community and Professional Development at University of Colorado Boulder. Flyer

• • This graduate student success event included three seminars:
    • Graduate Student Seminar. Video
    • Graduate Program Directors and Support Staff Seminar. Video
    • Graduate Deans, Associate Deans, and Ph.D. Program Directors Seminar. Video
• Graduate and Professional Student Research Showcase, Spring 2019

If you need access to events prior to last academic year, please email GradEd@chapman.edu for assistance. Thank you.

What is 3MT?

Three Minute Thesis or 3MT® is an internationally recognized competition founded at the University of Queensland, Australia. Participation in the competition helps students develop and practice their academic, presentation, and research communication skills. Presenting in the competition increases student’s capacity to effectively explain their research in three minutes in a language appropriate to an audience unfamiliar with the topic.

• 3MT celebrates excellent research, scholarship and creative works of graduate students.
• 3MT cultivates students’ academic, presentation, and research communication skills.
• 3MT is a three-minute presentation with a single visual in a language appropriate to a non-specialist audience.

Why participate?

• Skills development for graduate students to present their research and scholarly activities.
• Contributes to graduate student and scholarly culture at Chapman University.
• Cash prizes are provided to the top presenters and a People's Choice award.
• The first prize winner represents Chapman at the Western Association of Graduate Schools (WAGS) annual meeting with the chance to compete at the national Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) meeting thereafter.

Eligibility and rules:

• Active doctoral and master's students in research-based graduate programs at Chapman are eligible to participate.
• A single static PowerPoint slide is permitted. No slide transitions, animations. No additional electronic media (e.g., sound and video files).
• No additional props (e.g., costumes, musical instruments, laboratory equipment) are permitted.
• Presentations are limited to 3 minutes maximum.
• Presentations are to be spoken word (e.g., no poems, raps or songs).

Tips and resources:

• Wear business attire.
• Use limited text on the PowerPoint slide.
• Use visuals such as charts, graphs, illustrations & photos.
• Practice, practice, and practice!
• Time yourself; keep it under 3 minutes (but not less than 2:40!).
• Speak to your audience, make eye-contact, speak clearly and confidently.
• Avoid jargon: present your ideas in an accessible way.
• Be engaging: make the audience feel something.
• Watch other 3MT presentation videos for guidance and inspiration.
• Be aware of the scoring rubric to help you prepare your presentation.

Complete instructions for participation can be found at bit.ly/3MTChapman. 

It is with great pleasure that the Office of Research and Graduate Education announces this year’s winners of the graduate student Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition, conducted Friday, April 11 at the Orange campus. 3MT® is an internationally recognized competition founded at the University of Queensland, Australia that challenges students to summarize their thesis or dissertation scholarship in under 3 minutes with a single PowerPoint slide.

• First Place - Laura Neis, candidate for Master of Arts in War, Diplomacy, and Society, Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Science; advisor Dr. Jennifer Keene
  • The Value of Holidays in World War I America
• Second Place - Ghana Tirpude, candidate for Master of Science in Food Science, Schmid College of Science and Technology; advisor Dr. Rosalee Hellberg
  • Shining light on Bacteria: Using the Contamination Sanitization Inspection and Disinfection (CSI-D+) Device to Inactivate Salmonella.
• People's Choice - Ponthea Zahraii, candidate for Master of Science in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Fowler School of Engineering; advisor Dr. Nasim Mohammadi Estakhri
  • Machine Learning-Assisted Characterization of Optical Forces Near Gradient Metasurfaces
• Finalist - Briana Craig, candidate forMaster of Science in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Fowler School of Engineering; advisor Dr. LouAnne Boyd
  • Reducing Stigma Around Autism Through the use of Ice Breaker Activities Designed for Inclusivity in First-Year Undergraduate Classrooms

Chapman’s first-place winner will have the opportunity to participate in the regional 3MT® competition at the Western Association of Graduate Schools Annual Meeting in March 2026.

We look forward to next year’s competition and hope that our graduate students who will be returning next year will plan now to participate in 2026 and continue the tradition of excellence demonstrated by this year’s competitors.

• • Spelling without Sound 

• Second Place - Lucas Jeay-Bizot, candidate for Doctor of Philosophy in Computational and Data Sciences, Schmid College of Science and Technology; advisor Dr. Aaron Schurger 
  • Spontaneous Decisions are Also Spontaneous in the Brain 

• People's Choice - Cailin Kuchenbecker, candidate for Doctor of Philosophy in Communication, School of Communication; advisor Dr. Hannah Ball 
  • An Examination of Missing Person Social Media Engagement Through Data Mining and Experimentation: An Application of the Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication Model  

• Finalist - Sarah Ahles, candidate for Master of Science in Food Science, Schmid College of Science and Technology; advisor Dr. Rosalee Hellberg   
  • Seafood Mislabeling in the U.S. Marketplace 

• Finalist - Ajayi David Akinwale, candidate for Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy; advisor Dr. Jason Yamaki   
  • Mechanistic Studies and Antimicrobial Effectiveness of Cyclic Peptide [R4W4] 

• Finalist - Katherine Canero, candidate for Educational Specialist Degree in Psychology and Master of Arts in Educational Psychology, Attallah College of Educational Studies; advisor Professor Cynthia Olaya 
  • How to Support LGBTQ+ Students in Schools with a Multi-Tiered System of Supports  

• Finalist - Diane Kim, candidate for Master of Science in Food Science, Schmid College of Science and Technology; advisor Dr. Rosalee Hellberg 
  • Using DNA Barcoding and Multiplex PCR to Detect Adulteration in Ginseng Supplements 

• First place - McKenna Rivers candidate for Master of Science in Food Science, Advisor Dr. Rosalee Hellberg
  • Labeling Compliance Species Authentication, and Short-Weighting of Prepackaged Frozen Shrimp Sold in Grocery Stores in Southern California 

• Second Place - Jessica Journeay candidate for PhD in Communication, Advisor Dr. Megan Vendemia and Rebecca Tukachinsky Forster
  • Examining Heterosexual Women's Social Comparisons and Perceptions of Sexual Competition with Porn Stars 

• People's Choice Winner - Kristin Cheng candidate for Master of Science in Food Science, Advisor Dr. John Miklavic.
  • Improving Health Outcomes for Babies with Chylothorax 

• Finalist - Buthainah Ghanem candidate for PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Advisor Dr. Enrique Seoane-Vazquez 
  • The Landscape of Gene Therapy Products  

• Finalist - Jennifer McCoy Sanders candidate for Master of Science in Food Science, Advisor Dr. Rosalee Hellberg
  • Disinfection of Foodborne Bacteria using the Contamination Sanitization Inspection and Disinfection (CSI-D) Device 

• Finalist - Vesper North candidate for Master of Arts in English and Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, Advisor Dr. Justine Van Meter 
  • Trauma and Transformation in Takaya Natsuki's Fruits Basket 

• Finalist - Amanda Tabb candidate for Master of Science in Food Science, Advisor Dr. Rosalee Hellberg 
  • Single-Laboratory Validation for the Detection of Salmonella enterica in Meat Analog Products

• Finalist - Christianne Yapor candidate for Master of Science Food Science, Advisor Dr. Lilian Were Senger
  • Inhibitory Effects of Chlorogenic and Caffeic Acids on the Formation of Advanced Glycation End-Products Produced by the Maillard Reaction 

• First place and People's Choice Winner - Sook Mun (Alice) Wong, candidate for PhD in Computational and Data Sciences, Advisor Dr. Uri Maoz  
  • Whodunnit? Explorations in the Sense of Agency with Neurostimulation

• Second Place - Natalie Paterson, candidate for Master of Science in Food Science, Advisor Dr. John Miklavic 
  • Human Milk: What's Genetics Got to Do With It?

• Finalist - Jake Gavenas, candidate for PhD in Computational and Data Sciences, Advisor Dr. Uri Maoz  
  • No unconscious decisions: a neural network that spontaneously ramps

• Finalist - Jiahleen Roungchun, candidate for Master of Science in Food Science, Advisor Dr. Rosalee Hellberg 
  • DNA Mini-Barcoding System for the Species Identification of Tuna Products

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 Sponsored by the Office Research and Graduate Education.

Chapman University's graduate and professional students distinguish themselves in the following ways:

• Scholarly or creative works published
• Presentations at state, national, and international conferences
• External grant awards received
• Honors or awards received from professional associations or organizations external to Chapman
• Recognition and awards received at external festivals, juries, and competitions 
• Recognition or honors for scores received on professional licensure examinations
• Participation in Chapman’s Three Minute Thesis competition
• Nomination to represent their academic unit in the Doti Awards competition.

Graduate students submit their outstanding achievements in the Graduate Achievement Submission System by completing the Graduate Student Achievement submission form

This year’s reporting period is June 1, 2025 - May 31, 2026 - all achievements/activities must have been earned/conducted within these dates.  

 

Consistent with Chapman University's commitment to the scholarly and creative activity of its graduate students, Graduate Student Scholarly/Creative Activity Grants are offered through funding from the Associate Vice President for Graduate Education. If you are interested in applying for funding for a specific scholarly/creative activity you are undertaking independent of a class assignment (e.g. master’s thesis, doctoral dissertation, research or creative publication, or other original research or creative work), please read the following. 

There are three graduate student grant types for which you might be eligible:

• Travel: Scholarly or creative activity preparation (funding that supports travel to undertake or carry out research or creative activity)
• Travel: Scholarly or creative activity dissemination (funding that supports sharing your work external to Chapman University)
• Scholarly or creative activity financial support, non-travel (funding that supports the purchase of consumable research materials, data access, publication fees, or other non-travel related expenses)

Note: Priority for funding in 2025-26 will be given to the first three categories. Funding for "attendance only" travel awards will likely be extremely limited as we prioritize student supports for the resumption of preparation, dissemination, and non-travel research/creative endeavors after COVID-19's.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: ALL STUDENTS WHO ACCEPT THIS GRANT FOR THE PURPOSE OF PRESENTING AT A CONFERENCE ARE COMMITTED TO PARTICIPATE AND PRESENT YOUR POSTER IN THE SPRING 2026 GRADUATE RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM IN APRIL. 

You may start an application in the online submission system, save it, and return to it later to finish. You should apply BEFORE incurring the expenses. Please be mindful of the timing of the expenses as all expenses must be incurred by May 15, 2026 for any grant given this academic year.

Applications are routed to reviewers twice per month, on the 1st and 15th, with their decisions requested within two weeks. Please keep this in mind if you are applying with little time before your start date/travel date. For example, if you submit your completed application on October 18, you should not expect a decision until mid-November.

In addition to answering questions about your planned activity, you will need the following to supplemental materials complete your online application:

• A copy of your Chapman IRB or IACUC approval (or exemption) letter if your research involves human or animal subjects;
• Proof of acceptance at conference/venue if applying for a dissemination grant;
• Email address of faculty member to request a letter of support;
• A document that you compile that contains verification of estimated expenses for which you are requesting funding. 

Please read all instructions in the application carefully. Deadlines and financial terms are contained in the instructions. Expenses submitted which do not comply with university and IRS rules will not be reimbursed. Additionally, funds received may be subject to tax; complete information is provided in instructions and award documents.

Please choose your college/school to access your application website:

If you encounter questions or problems as you complete your application, please email Lonnise Magallanez in the Associate Vice President’s office.

The James L. Doti Outstanding Graduate Student Award

The Doti Award is given annually to one doctoral and one master's student and is the highest honor for graduate students at Chapman University. The Doti Award trophy, incorporating artist Nick Hernandez's sculpture Emergence, remains on perpetual exhibit in Argyros Forum. The trophy is engraved with the names of all Doti Award recipients and is displayed at Commencement.

The recipients of the Doti Award receive a cash award in the amount of $1,000 and a replica of the Emergence sculpture, crafted by the artist himself. The recipients are publicly recognized at their schools' graduation ceremonies.

To qualify, nominees must have:

1. Received degree conferral in January of the current academic year, or have applied for degree conferral for May or August of the current academic year.
2. Exhibited academic excellence and outstanding professional leadership as a graduate student at Chapman University.

The selection procedure for the recipient of the Doti Award is as follows:

1. The faculty of each college/school may select up to two doctoral-level nominees and tor master level nominees for submission for its cohort of graduates who qualify under the criteria.
2. Nominations will be forwarded by staff to the Graduate Academic Council for selection of the doctoral and master level recipient. Each award recipient and their college/school will be notified in writing.

WAGS/ProQuest Awards

Chapman University is a Full Member of the Western Association of Graduate Schools. WAGS is a regional association affiliated with the national Council of Graduate Schools.

One benefit of the WAGS membership is the opportunity to submit a nominee to participate in the WAGS Regional Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) GradSlam Competition at the Annual Meeting in spring and the opportunity to advance to the 3MT competition at the Council of Graduate Schools Annual Meeting each December.

Another WAGS membership benefit is the opportunity to nominate outstanding graduate students from Chapman University’s graduate and professional programs for recognition. 

ProQuest partners with WAGS and supports four awards. Each member institution may submit one nomination for each award. Nominations are collected over the summer each year and submitted to WAGS in September. Categories include:

1. The WAGS/ProQuest Innovation in Technology Award
2. The WAGS/ProQuest Distinguished Master’s Thesis Award STEM
3. The WAGS/ProQuest Distinguished Master’s Thesis Award Non-STEM
4. The WAGS/ProQuest Distinguished Master’s Thesis and/or Final Master’s Capstone Project Award in the Creative, Visual and Performing Arts.

For additional information, including nomination details, please visit the WAGS award website. Contact your Program Director for more information; submission instructions have been sent to all Graduate Program Directors. If you need assistance, please email the VPGE office at GradEd@chapman.edu. 

The following writing supports for graduate students are available through the Writing Center and IS&T.

• The Writing Center Tutors are available to help you with any kind of writing assignment, research project, or presentation at any stage in the composing process, in all academic subjects. Enroll to gain access to on-on-one Zoom appointments with a tutor. Learn more about the Writing Center's new Canvas Den.
• Grammarly Premium is available for FREE to all Chapman graduate students. Not only does Grammarly Premium provide a robust copy editing platform that works in web-based and desktop computer applications, it also provides writing productivity tracking. Learn more about Grammarly Premium and how to install it on your computer here.

Chapman University is a member of the Western Association of Graduate Schools (WAGS), the western regional affiliate of the national Council of Graduate Schools. One of the membership benefits is the opportunity to nominate outstanding graduate students from Chapman University’s graduate and professional programs for regional/national recognition. 

ProQuest partners with WAGS and supports four awards each year. Each member institution may submit one nomination for each award. Our goal is to have one nominee in every category!

1. The WAGS/ProQuest Innovation in Technology Award (master’s or doctoral student)
2. The WAGS/ProQuest Distinguished Master’s Thesis Award STEM (master’s only)
3. The WAGS/ProQuest Distinguished Master’s Thesis Award Non-STEM (master’s only)
4. The WAGS/ProQuest Distinguished Master’s Thesis and/or Final Master’s Capstone Project Award in the Creative, Visual, and Performing Arts (master’s only)

Submit your program’s nominee materials to GradEd@chapman.edu as one continuous PDF document containing all required elements for that category (see WAGS award website for specifics) by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, September 10, 2024.

• Students who had their degrees conferred in December 2023, January 2024, May 2024, and August 2024 are eligible for nomination.
• WAGS requires that the nominee have submitted their thesis/dissertation to ProQuest (via our Chapman library submission process) prior to being nominated.
• Do not submit your nominee information directly to WAGS; send it to the GradEd Office. The Graduate Academic Council will review all nominations and choose the one student in each category who will represent Chapman in the regional competition.

Tryphena Yeboah, MFA ’21 of Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences was the national winner of the 2020-2021 WAGS/ProQuest Distinguished Master’s Thesis and/or Final Master’s Capstone Project Award in the Creative, Visual and Performing Arts category for her award-winning thesis, “First Light.” and, Liz Harmer, MFA ‘19, of Wilkinson was the national winner in 2019-2020 in the same category for her award-winning thesis, “Interpretation Machine: A Memoir.”

2024 Update:

We are happy to share with you that the Chapman University Graduate Academic Council chose these graduate students to represent Chapman in this year’s regional WAGS/ProQuest competition in these categories.

Regional decisions on winners are not received until very late December/early January. If selected as the regional winner in their category, they will represent Chapman University at the Western Association of Graduate Schools conference, which will be held in Denver, CO, March 16-19, 2025, to accept their award.

We wish them much luck as their work moves forward in the regional competition, and we congratulate them on their outstanding accomplishment!

• Jonathan Moreno, Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy
  
  • Dissertation: Amphipathic Hybrid Cyclic-Linear Peptides as a Drug Delivery System
    • The WAGS/ProQuest Innovation in Technology Award (doctoral student)
• Taran Harris, Masters of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy
  
  • Thesis: Proteomic Identification of Hemp (Cannabis sativa) Seeds by Tandem Mass Spectrometry and Evaluation of Cytotoxic Activity
    • The WAGS/ProQuest Distinguished Master’s Thesis Award STEM (master’s only)
• Tlotlo Tsamaase, Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, Wilkinson College of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences
  • Thesis: A Siren of Terror – A Novel
    
    • The WAGS/ProQuest Distinguished Master’s Thesis Award in the Creative, Visual, and Performing Arts (master’s only)