Announcing CISTAR's 2021 Biannual Meeting Perfect Pitch Winners

CISTAR's 2021 Biannual Meeting took place virtually October 13-15, 2021

CISTAR Fellows participated in a Perfect Pitch competition during the 2021 Biannual Meeting that took place virtually in October. The fellows  presented their research to members of CISTAR's Industrial Advisory Board, Scientific Advisory Board, faculty and staff through the platform Spatial Chat. Each pitch was scored on the following elements:

  1. Problem and Application Statement
  2. Explanation of Proposed Solution
  3. Broader Technology Benefit
  4. Visual Impact of Slide and Graphics
  5. Poise,  Style, and Confidence

1st Place: Andrew Wolek, Northwestern University

Andrew Wolek
Poster Title: T2P1: Acidity and Activity Trends in SiO2 Overcoated Materials
Advisor: Justin Notestein, Northwestern University
Previous CISTAR Awards: 1st Place, 2018 Perfect Pitch Competition

2nd Place: Jessica Muhlenkamp, University of Notre Dame 

Jessica Muhlenkamp

Poster Title: T1P1: Ethane Dehydrogenation Performance and High-Temperature Stability of Silica Supported Cobalt Phosphide Nanoparticles
Advisor: Jason Hicks, University of Notre Dame
Previous CISTAR Awards: 1st Place, 2019 Perfect Pitch Competition

3rd Place: Qining Chen, The University of Texas at Austin 

Qining Chen

Poster Title: T4P4: Life-Cycle Greenhouse Gas Estimates of Products Originated from Natural Gas: Upstream Methane Allocation Method Matters
Advisor: David Allen, The University of Texas at Austin
Previous CISTAR Awards: 3rd Place, 2018 Perfect Pitch Competition

The first-place winner traditionally would represent CISTAR at the 2022 NSF ERC Biennial Meeting Perfect Pitch Competition next March. However, this year's winner, Andrew Wolek, represented CISTAR at the last competition and has offered his spot to another CISTAR Fellow.

The first, second, and third place winners will receive a prize amounting to $250, $200, and $150 respectively.