The Graduate School is pleased to announce the 2025 Distinguished Master’s Thesis Award Winners
Congratulations to the recipients of the 2025 Distinguished Master's Thesis Award! A recipient from each category – mathematics, physical sciences & engineering and social sciences – is chosen by faculty from the broad disciplinary area. The award recognizes distinguished scholarship and research at the master’s level.
Gretchen Gutenberger
Civil Engineering, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Advisor: Drs. Paige Novak and Bill Arnold
Category: Mathematics, Physical Sciences & Engineering
Thesis Title: Polyethylene glycol as a robust, biocompatible encapsulant for two-stage treatment of food and beverage wastewater
Tori Papke
Psychology, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Advisor: Dr. Bonnie Klimes-Dougan
Category: Social Sciences
Thesis Title: Sexual and Gender Minority Stress: Preliminary Evidence of Advanced Pubertal Development in Early Adolescence
Gretchen Gutenberger from the Mathematics, Physical Sciences & Engineering category and Tori Papke from the Social Sciences category have been nominated by the University of Minnesota to the national 2025 MAGS/ProQuest Distinguished Master’s Thesis Award competition.