College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences student Elizabeth Oke has won Washington State University’s 2025 Three Minute Thesis (3MT).
It was a WSU-leading fourth win for the college, but its first since 2019.
Oke, who is studying molecular medicine, impressed judges with her presentation about designing new medicines that can activate certain cannabis-related receptors win the body without causing a “high.”
Two judges said it was a strong presentation, with one calling it “almost flawless.”
In its 11th year at WSU, 3MT is a competition for doctoral students. Each of them gets only three minutes to effectively communicate their research to a panel of judges.
As winner of the event, Oke receives a travel grant for $3,000 to be applied to a research conference of her choice.
Oke said she thought each presentation was fantastic and she felt humbled and honored to be selected as the overall 3MT winner.
“It’s an awesome thing to have exposure to students from different colleges and different fields talking about research in simple terms,” she said. “Being the winner of the whole event is a great privilege.”
Charles Ugwu from the College of Veterinary Medicine won second and a $1,500 travel grant. Duygu Aydin from the Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture took third place and a $500 travel grant.
Visit the Three Minute Thesis website for more information, including a synopsis of each participant’s presentation.