Disotell's Entry Wins First Place in NSF Innovation in Graduate Education Challenge

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Aerospace Engineering PhD candidate Kevin Disotell's entry in the NSF Innovation in Graduate Education Challenge has earned him $3,000 in prize money and a first place finish among the 500+ individuals who participated in the challenge. The impact of his winning entry goes well beyond earning top prize money as his essay will be shared with policy leaders and stakeholders in graduate education.

As previously announced, his entry had been selected to advance to the "Peoples' Choice Voting Round." While he did not win the people's choice round, his entry, titled: "Opening the Doors of STEM Graduate Education: A Collaborative, Web-Based Approach to Unlocking Student Pathways" was still deemed the best of all entries received in the competition. Disotell proposed a low-cost, high-impact tool with national scope to facilitate coordination among the stakeholders in STEM graduate education by establishing a web-based gateway to function as an educational "passport" for graduate students, helping them plan their degree journeys while benefiting from the assistance of a broad support network. The portal would be tailored to the STEM graduate community and comprise several dimensions: a searchable database for advisor matching, personal degree management tools, access to career development resources from prospective employers, a job database powered by STEM employers, a centralized listing of funding opportunities, and a publicly-accessible forum for communicating research work to broad audiences.

The Division of Graduate Education at the National Science Foundation challenged graduate students across the country in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields to submit innovative ideas for improving the outcomes of advanced degree programs. Learn more about the NSF challenge.

Kevin Disotell is also a NSF Graduate Research Fellow. He received his bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering from Ohio State with highest honors and research distinction in 2010. Kevin is a member of Sigma Gamma Tau aerospace engineering honorary, Tau Beta Pi, and a student member of AIAA. He is advised by Assistant Professor James Gregory, and his research interests focus on the unsteady fluid mechanics of dynamic stall for helicopters, fighter jets, and wind turbine applications.

 

Category: Graduate