����AV

The Office of Student Creative Activities and Research (OSCAR) recently hosted the Spring 2021 Virtual OSCAR Celebration of Student Scholarship and Impact. Since its inception in 2011, OSCAR has highlighted undergraduate student work in various disciplines.

This year, the College of Engineering and Computing had the honor of having one of our very own named as a Student Excellence Award Winner. Daniel Mitchell, a senior majoring in mechanical engineering, designs inspection robots. He has also worked on nanomaterial sensors to detect hazardous gas and nanomaterial-based nerve stimulation electrodes. Mitchell is a Mason Gordon Scholar, a Society of Military Engineers Student Leader award winner, and an American Society of Civil Engineering Multidisciplinary Competition winner. Additionally, he served as student chair of the Patriot Green Fund, a staff writer for the IV Estate, has had several internships, and has presented his work at nine conferences.   

“The most valuable takeaway for me is finding a way to apply the scientific method to get problems solved and to find out new things,” says Mitchell.

OSCAR sponsors two awards each academic year, one that recognizes student excellence in undergraduate scholarship, creative activities, and research and another that recognizes the outstanding contributions of the faculty and staff who mentor undergraduates on their projects. This past celebration displayed Mason’s standout students and faculty and their numerous accomplishments.

“I could not be prouder of the OSCAR scene over the years and the number of students we’ve been able to help with their projects,” says Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education Bethany Usher. “Over 2,900 students have been supported by an OSCAR program. OSCAR students have had an impact on Mason, in Virginia, and around the world.”

Through the years, OSCAR has helped students see their education as a process of discovery, inquiry, and synthesis—the core values of the Mason student experience.