Graduate Student wins NSF’s Innovation in Graduate Education Challenge
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by Nancy Speicher
Kevin DisotellKevin Disotell, a PhD candidate in aerospace engineering, won first place and $3,000 in the National Science Foundation’s Innovation in Graduate Education Challenge. Disotell’s entry—one of the more than 500 submitted—will be shared with policy leaders and stakeholders in graduate education.
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.
Disotell’s entry 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. The tool would help students 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 list of funding opportunities and a publicly-accessible forum for communicating research work to broad audiences.
Kevin Disotell is a NSF Graduate Research Fellow. He received a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering from The Ohio State University 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.
