Achievement

Promoting awareness and appreciation for interdisciplinary education, IGERT is a springboard for other multi-discipline pursuits. Supratim Mukherjee and Bhushan Toley (IGERT associates) secured highly competitive Eugene M. Isenberg Awards, full year business school fellowships bestowed to students who demonstrate commitment to the integration of science, engineering, and management. Supratim secured first prize in the Innovation Challenge, a competition involving 20 interdisciplinary teams working with faculty members and external advisors to conceptualize a product and create a business plan for commercialization. Team Mosaic, comprised of Supratim (Microbiology), M. Mattar (Computer Science), S. Mohan (Business), and J. Lajoie (Chemical Engineering), proposed visual recognition technology that uses artificial intelligence to interpret large amounts of digital image data. With IGERT-engrained interdisciplinary skills, Supratim was well-poised for a leadership role in this victory.