The Shiva and Elizabeth Nanda Award for Innovation will provide roughly $10,000 in seed funding to a student or students who has an early-stage idea with commercialization potential. Specifically, the student(s) will need to prove the idea will have a positive economic, social and/or environmental impact by submitting a supporting essay (two-page maximum) that provides a summary of the idea, the potential impact of the idea, the steps that have already been taken to bring the idea to fruition and a description of how the funds will help move the idea forward.
The COLSA Dean’s Awards Committee will review nominations, and the Dean (or designee) will seek input from external stakeholders such as the E-Center to broaden the evaluation perspectives. Students can enter individually or as teams. In the event that there are multiple members of a team, the award will be split evenly between applicants. While normally a single award will be made, if the committee decides that multiple ideas should be considered for an award, the dean will have the discretion to make multiple awards in one year.
Award Winners
David Moore, doctoral candidate in the Natural Resources and Earth Systems Science Ph.D. program
Kelsey Meyer, doctoral candidate in the marine biology program
