2020 DAGSI Virtual Poster Session Registration is Now Open

DAGSI – Defense Associated Graduate Student Innovators

We develop and support world-class graduate engineering education and research programs.

How to Apply
New Application Process for 2021

2020 DAGSI AWARDS POSTED

The DAGSI Mission

DAGSI’s mission is to develop and support world-class graduate engineering education and research programs, thereby contributing to Ohio’s economic growth and development. DAGSI programs are designed to support several key objectives:

Strengthen Ohio’s academic community in engineering education and research
Enhance and expand graduate engineering education in Ohio
Encourage and support advanced research in engineering in Ohio
Provide skilled engineering talent to Ohio’s workforce
Provide financial assistance to Ohio students through fellowship programs

The DAGSI partnership effectively expands regional engineering education and research opportunities at the masters and doctoral levels. DAGSI’s ultimate objective is to support Ohio’s economic growth by strengthening the intellectual infrastructure in technology and developing engineering workforce talent.

381

Total Collaborative Projects Funded by DAGSI and AFRL

Since 2004 and growing!

DAGSI Graduate Success Story

Working my way through college was an interesting process. It took multiple jobs waiting tables to pay the bills while trying to stay caught up with tuition costs. I thought things would get easier when I graduated, but they didn’t. Even with a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and an internship to show I had experience most companies weren’t interested once I mentioned I planned on getting a master’s degree. But, without an engineering job, I couldn’t pay for a graduate degree anyway.

I asked many of the professors at a few colleges about Graduate Research Assistantships but none had funding that wasn’t already allocated. After searching for over a year I was recommended to a professor at Wright State University with a research topic funded through DAGSI. That program enabled me to do research with The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) for two years on fundamental fluid mechanics in turbines for turbomachinery applications. That research has now been used in more than 10 publications. The success of that research effort led to an opportunity to do compressor research and testing for AFRL as a career immediately following my graduate work.

I am now a Mechanical Engineer with some Aerospace Engineering responsibilities for AFRL at the Compressor Research Facility (CRF). I’ve been working in that capacity for almost two years now and am loving it.

-Philip Bear; USAF AFMC AFLR/RQTX

"Being a DAGSI fellow was an opportunity for me to write a proposal that drove the beginning of my academic career. The freedom of being able to choose my research agenda accelerated my track through my graduate career and has set me up for success in academia. At the time of this writing, DAGSI has funded me through 12 publications."
Cogan Shimizu
Wright State University (BS and MS)
“This program continues to exceed our objectives and is bringing tangible value to AFRL.”
Mick Hitchcock
AFRL/SB
“Funding these students has been a key factor in my recent promotion to Ohio Research Scholars Endowed Chair Professor. The projects have provided ‘seed’ funding for big ideas and projects relating to bigger money, including a $300k Army grant for 3 years, and numerous collaborations with Penn State, The Pennsylvania University, Northwestern, and other institutions, journal articles, invited talks at international conferences, and lasting connections with graduating students in diverse areas. The DAGSI program has connected with a number of lasting collaborators at AFRL as well and had enabled me and my students to access the equipment and expertise there.”
C. Muratore
University of Dayton
“I credit the DAGSI program by providing a bridge that has led to multiple AFOSR awards and AFRL Collaborative Centers and influx of highly talented individuals into the DOD workforce. This is achieved by fostering close collaborations with AFRL personnel that naturally lead to new, large-scale research efforts stemming from an initial DAGSI project. Here are the following grants that I can trace directly back to DAGSI projects:

2011 AFOSR Young Investigator Award - $360,000
2013 AFRL Collaborative Center in Structural Sciences - $3,500,000
2013 AFRL Collaborative Center in Aeronautical Sciences - $2,500,000
2013 DOD HPC Frontier Project w/ AFRL - $500,000
2017 AFOSR Grant - $1,214,976

This demonstrates the impact of DAGSI, where a relatively small initial effort leads to better understanding of a problem, ideas for solving it, and ultimately an influx of significant funds from outside the State of Ohio.

And the most important outcome of all of this is the training of students in relevant technical areas to the DOD, many who actively carry out research in DOD agencies upon completion of their graduate studies. Several of my former students, for example, are currently employed in the Air Force Research Laboratory, Army Research Laboratory, and the Missile Defense Agency."
J. McNamara
The Ohio State University
“I personally believe the DAGSI program is a great benefit for students, both early and late in their tenure. I received DAGSI funding going into the last year of my Ph.D. studies. Not only did DAGSI allow myself and the Paily lab to expand and highlight a custom model we were developing, it also enabled me to make contacts with individuals at WPAFB. These relationships opened up into an employment offer upon my graduation and having such a base has resulted in a quick advancement to my current position.”
R. Agans, 711th Human Performance Wing
AFRL

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