MAGS/ProQuest Distinguished Master’s Thesis Awards
The purpose of the annual MAGS/ProQuest Distinguished Master’s Thesis Awards is to recognize and reward distinguished scholarship and research at the master’s level. The categories alternate each year:
- Odd years: Disciplines of Social Sciences; and, Mathematics, Physical Sciences, and Engineering
- Even years: Disciplines of Biological and Life Sciences; and, Humanities
Nomination Process for 2026:
MAGS is pleased to solicit nominations for the 2026 MAGS/ProQuest Distinguished Master’s Thesis Award for excellence in the disciplines of Biological & Life Sciences and Humanities. Each MAGS member institution may submit one nomination for the award in each of the two categories (i.e., each institution may nominate a total of 2 theses).
The awards will be recognized at the MAGS 82nd Annual Meeting. Winners of the award each received a $750 honorarium, plus up to $500 toward travel expenses to attend the MAGS meeting. It is expected that the winner’s institution will cover additional travel expenses for the recipient.
Please download, read, and follow the 2026 MAGS/ProQuest Distinguished Master’s Thesis Award guidelines prior to submitting. Nominations are due to the Google form by November 15, 2025.
Questions may be directed to the committee chair by email at [email protected].
MAGS/ProQuest Distinguished Thesis Award Recipients
2025
| Social Sciences
Cole J. King Kansas State University “Maternal choline supplementation modulates cognition and induces anti-inflammatory signaling in the prefrontal cortex of adolescent rats exposed to maternal immune activation” |
 |
| Cole King earned a bachelor’s degree in Biology in 2022 and a Master of Public Health degree in 2024, both from Kansas State University. Cole’s graduate thesis examined the protective impacts of maternal choline supplementation against maternal immune activation, a key risk factor for neurodevelopmental conditions like autism spectrum disorders and schizophrenia. Most pregnant individuals are deficient in choline intake despite the fact that it is critical for proper neurodevelopment. Choline also possesses unique anti-inflammatory properties that are underexplored in the context of maternal inflammation. Cole’s work identified that increasing maternal choline intake improves cognitive outcomes and induces anti-inflammatory signaling in brains of adolescent rats. This work provides evidence for the effectiveness of maternal choline supplementation as debate continues surrounding its use during pregnancy and lactation. This is especially pertinent in light of novel infectious diseases like COVID-19, where large cohorts of fetuses are exposed to maternal inflammation in utero. Cole is currently studying medicine at Yale University School of Medicine and will graduate with an MD in 2028. | |
| Social Sciences Honorable Mention: Jordan Cortesi, The University of Kansas, “(Mis)perceptions of Racial Wealth Inequality: The Role of Colorblind Racism and Implications for Public Policy”</td | |
| Mathematics, Physical Sciences, and Engineering
Rosalind Agasti University of Oklahoma “Frequency- gile Filtering Antennas for S-band and X-band Applications” |
 |
| Rosalind Agasti received the B.S. degree in electrical engineering from the University of Massachusetts, Boston, in 2021 and the M.S. degree in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Oklahoma (OU), Norman, in 2023. She is currently a Ph.D. student, and a Graduate Research Assistant at the Advanced Radar Research Center (ARRC) at OU. Rosalind is a recipient of the Graduate Dean’s Distinguished Thesis Prize from OU. She was also awarded the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society (AP-S) Doctoral Research Grant Award in 2023 and the IEEE MTT-S Graduate Fellowship in 2024. Her master’s thesis, “Frequency-agile Filtering Antennas for S-band and X-band Applications,” documents the design and implementation of novel reconfigurable and highly integrated RF and microwave devices for next-generation communication systems. Her research utilized conventional bandpass filter synthesis techniques to enhance the performance of tunable filtennas for tightly integrated Radio-frequency Front Ends (RFFEs). The thesis presents state-of-the-art reconfigurable filtering antennas, or filtennas, with frequency tuning at S-band (2-4 GHz) and X-band (8-12 GHz). Her current research focuses on extending the co-design concept to combine all the essential functionalities of an RFFE into a single unit. | |
| Mathematics, Physical Sciences, and Engineering Honorable Mention: Shusmoy Chowdhury, Missouri State University,”Optimal Cloud Datacenter Selection Using Evolutionary Algorithms” | |
2024
| Biological and Life Sciences
Keana Tang University of Kansas “Uncovering the Early Diversification of Core Eudicots in Western North America: Structurally Preserved Fruits from Late Cretaceous Deposits of Sucia Island” |
 |
| Keana Tang received her bachelor’s in Organismal Biology at California State University, Long Beach in 2018. She earned her Master’s in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology in 2021 at the University of Kansas where she is currently pursuing her PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Keana’s thesis was focused on characterizing extinct plant diversity from the Cretaceous Period (145-66 million years ago), which was a crucial time for the early evolution of flowering plants. Two new extinct species were described based on three-dimensionally preserved fruits recovered from the western coast of North America. Cretaceous floras from the western coast of North America are relatively undersampled compared to other regions across the continent. The continued recovery and documentation of new fossils from the Cretaceous will play a crucial role in understanding the early diversification of flowering plants. | |
| Biological and Life Sciences Honorable Mention: Isaac Lennox, Michigan Technological University, “Exercise is Medicine® On Campus: A National Analysis and Assessment of Community Impact” | |
| Humanities
Jordan Stish University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire “Acceptable Activists, Absence, and Antifeminists: A Feminist Historical Critique of National Statuary Hall” |
 |
| Jordan Stish earned her undergraduate degree in history from the University of Wisconsin-Superior in 2021. She completed her graduate degree in public history from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in 2023. Her research examines the messaging and meanings behind public monuments and their intersections with gender and collective memory. In her thesis, Jordan discusses gender representation in the monumental landscape of National Statuary Hall at the US Capitol in Washington, D.C., a place widely understood to be the commemorative core of the United States. By examining the history of the existing monuments within Statuary Hall prior to 2015 and the creation of historical narratives surrounding the lives and legacies of the individuals commemorated within the Hall, Jordan argues that the inclusion of specific women chosen for their ‘acceptable’ patriotic activism, the misrepresentation and erasure of notable feminist women from commemoration, and the inclusion of contemporary antifeminists has led Statuary Hall to become a site of State-constructed antifeminism. As a result, the national narrative surrounding American women has been misrepresented. Jordan currently works as a Prospect Research Development Specialist at Planned Parenthood North Central States. She is in the process of converting her thesis into an article to be published in an academic journal. | |
| Humanities Honorable Mention: Caden Testa, University of Oklahoma, “Species Transformation and Social Reform: The Role of the Will in Jean-Baptiste Lamarck’s Transformist Theory” | |
2023
| Social and Behavioral Sciences
Kyra Streck Apparel, Merchandising, and Design Iowa State University “Trans YouTube content creators: Informal economies for the production, distribution, and consumption of trans-supportive DIY undergarments” |
 |
| Kyra Streck completed her Bachelor’s of Science from Cornell University in 2020 in Fashion Design and Merchandising. She achieved her Master’s of Science from Iowa State University in Apparel, Merchandising, and Design in 2022. Her research examines the intersections of fashion, culture, and identity, namely how LGBTQIA+ individuals interact with their identities via clothing. In her Master’s Thesis, Kyra analyzed how some trans YouTubers produced their own gender-affirming undergarments and created video tutorials detailing their process while often addressing various aspects of the trans community and trans identity at large. Arguably, these trans YouTubers engaged in acts of personal and community liberation by sharing product ideas and product knowledge to assist themselves and others in obtaining accessible gender-affirming care. Kyra is currently a Product Development Coordinator at Nike Swim, a division of Perry Ellis International and at times serves as an Adjunct Faculty in the Sociology Department at Post University. She hopes to continue her academic career by pursuing a doctorate. | |
| Social and Behavioral Sciences Honorable Mention: Iesha Alspaugh, Ball State University, “’Congratulations, You Played Yourself’: Queen and Slim, And The Consumption Of ‘Authentic’ Black Voice” | |
| Mathematics, Physical Sciences, and Engineering
Shelby (Duncan) Meeker Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering South Dakota State University “Assessment of Aged Woodchip Bioreactor Physical and Hydraulic Properties” |
 |
| Shelby Meeker received her Bachelor of Science in Agronomy at Iowa State University in 2018. After working as a District Sales Manager, she enrolled in the Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Master’s Program at South Dakota State University alongside Dr. John McMaine. Her research focused on the conservation drainage and the long-term efficacy of denitrifying woodchip bioreactors. Shelby graduated with her degree in May 2022 and is currently working as a Water Resources Design Engineer for Bolton & Menk where her primary focus is designing wetlands across the state of Iowa. | |
| Mathematics, Physical Sciences, and Engineering Honorable Mention: Victoria Fringer, University of Minnesota-Duluth, “Environmental Impacts of Nanoplastics and Plastic Additives on Model Bacteria Shewanella oneidensis & Development and Assessment of a Revised General Chemistry Laboratory Course to Introduce Inquiry-Based Learning” | |
2022
| Biological and Life Sciences
Ravneet Kaur Forestry Oklahoma State University “Juniperus Virginiana (Eastern Red Cedar): Investigating the Determinants of Abundance and Potential Use in Bioproducts Industry in Oklahoma” |
 |
| Ravneet Kaur received her bachelor’s in Agricultural Sciences majoring in Soil Science and Agroforestry from Punjab Agricultural University, India. She received her MS in Forestry from Oklahoma State University under the guidance of Dr. Omkar Joshi. Her master’s thesis focused on investigating the ecological and socio-economic determinants of eastern redcedar’s (Juniperus virginiana) encroachment in the southern Great Plains of the United States. Additionally, this study performed an economic-impact analysis in conjunction with spatial analysis to understand the impacts of the introduction of new redcedar-based bioproducts industries on the economy of Oklahoma. Currently, Ravneet is working as the Senior GIS and Analytics Forester with the New York City Parks Department, where she joined as an Urban Forester in 2019. Her ongoing research focuses on the coastal adaptation of urban street trees in New York City, and she plans to advance her career in sustainable resource management and policymaking. | |
| Humanities
Lydia Bechtel-Edmonson Musicology and Vocal Performance University of Missouri-Kansas City “Beyond Prima Donna: Pauline Viardot’s Collaboration on Meyerbeer’s Le prophète, Gounod’s Sapho, and Berlioz’s Arrangement of Orphée” |
 |
| Dr. Lydia Bechtel-Edmonson currently serves as Assistant Instructional Professor of Voice and Music History at Pittsburg State University. She earned her DMA in Vocal Performance and MM in Musicology at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, while serving as a Graduate Teaching Assistant in Voice. As a performer, Bechtel has performed a number of operatic roles with companies in the U.S. and abroad. Equally committed to scholarly endeavors, Dr. Bechtel presented her research at the 2018 CMS National Conference in Vancouver, “Pauline Viardot’s Transcriptions of Chopin’s Mazurkas: A Study in Artistry,” and presented a poster at the 2019 ATMI National Conference in Louisville, “Projects for the Digital Age: Using Public Musicology and the Digital Humanities to Develop Student Research.” In 2019 she earned the prestigious P.E.O. Scholar Award, which allowed her to complete research on Pauline Viardot at the Harvard Houghton Library, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, and Mediathèque Hector Berlioz. Her musicology thesis research on Viardot was recognized by the National Opera Association as the winner of their Scholarly Paper Competition in 2020. Dr. Bechtel received her MM in Vocal Performance from Colorado State University where she served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant, teaching both Applied Voice and Music Theory Fundamentals. She earned her BM in Vocal Performance summa cum laude from Oklahoma State University. | |
2021
| Social and Behavioral Sciences
Benny Witkovsky Sociology University of Wisconsin-Madison “The Local Periphery: Small Cities and The Politics of Exclusion” |
 |
| Benny Witkovsky is a doctoral student in Sociology at University of Wisconsin-Madison. He received his BA from Vassar College in 2012 and completed his MS in Sociology at UW in 2019. Focusing on political life in one small city in Wisconsin, Benny’s Master’s Thesis examines how recent partisan swings build on longstanding patterns of inequality and exclusion in local government. His dissertation, currently in progress, expands this research, deploying ethnographic and historical methods to explore how nonpartisan local politics and partisan state and federal politics interact in small cities across Wisconsin. Other research projects include an examination of the politics of prison proliferation in rural America with the Justice Lab at UW, a study of elder activists in rural Wisconsin, and an analysis of the growing political divide between adjacent rural and urban communities. Additionally, Benny has worked as an evaluator on community based research projects with the Madison Police Department and the Legacy Community Alliance for Health. | |
| Mathematics, Physical Sciences, and Engineering
Richard Gross Software Engineering Grand Valley State University “Algorithm for Geodetic Positioning Based on Angle-Of-Arrival of Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcasts” |
 |
| Richard Gross served eight years in the United States Marine Corps as an avionics technician, responsible for the repair of communication and navigation equipment on various military aircraft. After separating from the Marine Corps, he accepted a field service position at Smiths Aerospace (now GE Aviation Systems), and simultaneously began his professional and academic career. As a non-traditional student balancing the demands of raising a family, increasing career responsibilities, and academic goals, Richard received his Associate in Science degree from Grand Rapids Community College, and both a Bachelor of Science in Engineering and Master of Science in Engineering from Grand Valley State University. Richard is now a Senior Embedded Software Development Engineer at GE Aviation Systems where his primary focus is aircraft navigation and guidance. | |
