After claiming victory at the 2024 CU Anschutz Graduate School 3 Minute Thesis Competition (3MT) in December, microbiology PhD student Grecia Rivera Palomino forged ahead to fine-tune her presentation for the next level. During the Western Association of Graduate Schools’ (WAGS) Annual Meeting, winners of campus-wide competitions were invited to participate in the WAGS Ninth Annual Regional 3MT Competition held in Denver’s own Magnolia Hotel.
The first day, over 30 participants from universities across the western United States competed in the preliminary rounds. The range of presentation topics was vast and included medicine, food science, agriculture, linguistics, psychology, math, and more. The field was whittled down to nine finalists, including Rivera Palomino.
“It was a very challenging and nurturing experience,” Rivera Palomino said. “It was definitely more rigorous and demanding. It was nice to compete with different students especially because I got to network and make some friendships with them.”
Rivera Palomino was happy to advance but knew it would be a tough final after seeing the caliber of presenters on the first day. During the award ceremony, she was thrilled and surprised to hear her name called for 4th Place, earning the Honorable Mention Award.
“I felt very proud that I was able to place, which was one of my goals when I decided to go to this competition. It is definitely a nice feeling to know that other people recognize the quality of your work and effort,” Rivera Palomino said.
She said the best part of the competition was the camaraderie found between the participants, with everyone supporting one another. Even during the finals, competitors cheered each other on from the audience.
Rivera Palomino will finish out her 3MT season with the Colorado Statewide 3MT Competition held at MSU Denver on April 11, 2025.
List of 2025 WAGS 3MT Winners
First Place: Mourad Abdennebi – University of Arizona
Second Place: Rachael Josephs – University of North Dakota
Third Place: Sarah Caballero – Oregon State University
Honorable Mention: Grecia Rivera Palomino – University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
