JMU Graduate School held our sixth annual competition on January 20, 2023. The following students were chosen among the competitors who presented their thesis or dissertation within a 3-minute timeframe. Students were evaluated on communication, comprehension, content and engagement. The first-place winner moves on to the regional competition at the annual Conference of Southern Graduate Schools. All winners received a monetary award along with recognition for their outstanding work.

First Place 
Raghav Jha, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Ph.D. 
Effects of Age on Amplitude-Modulated cVEMP Temporal Modulation Transfer Function

Second Place 
Clemence Mbabazi, Equity and Cultural Diversity, M.Ed. 
Linguistically Responsive Practices of Science Secondary School Teahcers in Rwanda: A Qualitative Study

Third Place (Tie)
Xixellonje Nebiu, Equity and Cultural Diversity, M.Ed. 
Living Between Two Worlds: Learning about High School Immigrant Students' Experiences in the United States: A Qualitative Study

Third Place (Tie)
Rysa Thomas, Biology, M.S. 
Sex- and Life-History-Dependent Variation in Stress Hormone Receptor Expression in Garter Snakes

People's Choice 
Rysa Thomas, Biology, M.S. 
Sex- and Life-History-Dependent Variation in Stress Hormone Receptor Expression in Garter Snakes