Kostas Goulias urged two of his GeoTrans grad students to apply for Eisenhower Graduate Fellowships from the Federal Highway Administration Office of Professional and Corporate Development this year. Not only did Kate Deutsch and Nate Isbell apply, but both received major fellowships of $35,500 and $15,500, respectively. Eisenhower Graduate Fellowships are designed “to attract qualified students to the field of transportation education and research, and advance transportation workforce development,” and they are awarded on the basis of plan of study relevance to national issues, letters of recommendation, leadership, writing ability, and academic excellence.
Nate had this to say about his Fellowship: “As an undergraduate at UC Santa Barbara, I majored in Geography in order to gain a thorough understanding of spatial relationships and the environment. As a graduate student I plan on using this background to give me insight on how to battle climate change with regards to aviation. As I investigated research topics for my graduate studies, I was disappointed to find that there was a gap in current research. There were no current studies that incorporated modeling of the current carbon emissions of the air traffic system with proposing alternate air traffic systems that reduce carbon emissions. In order to address this, I am currently developing a model using data from the EPA, BTS, ICAO, ICCAIA, and the Swedish Defense Research Agency. The first step of the model will calculate the pollutant emissions, including carbon, of specific flights in the United States. The second step proposes flight routes that will optimize the flights with regard to reducing carbon emissions while increasing seat fill. Air transportation is a vital link in our economy. As our country struggles to overcome this recession, reducing waste remains an important task. This research will address decreasing the amount waste generated by the air transport system while providing an increased level of service to the population. If the air transport system creates less waste, the system will be more economical to society as a whole.
The Eisenhower Fellowship will allow me to concentrate on my research instead of worrying about sources of funding (TA or RAships). I am very fortunate to receive this prestigious award. The UCSB Geography Department has given me the tools needed to excel in the field of Transportation Planning. Furthermore, my adviser, Dr. Goulias, has encouraged me to try new methods when I was hesitant, allowing me to be at the front of an emerging field of study.”
Kate simply commented: “I am really honored (and still a bit in shock!) to be receiving the Eisenhower fellowship and to follow in the footsteps of some pretty impressive UCSB Geography awardees. This fellowship will really help me focus on my research and make a contribution to the field.” Kostas commented, “This is 100% success rate this year! Not bad at all!” Amen!
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