Travis Ostrom Awarded Future Faculty Fellowship

CEE PhD student Travis Ostrom has been named a Future Faculty Fellow by the A. James Clark School of Engineering. Ostrom is one of 20 engineering students selected for the 2017 program year.

“Travis is a perfect candidate for the program,” said CEE Professor and Ostrom’s faculty advisor Allen Davis. “He enjoys mentoring students and is always the first to volunteer to give lab tours or cover a class.”

Launched in 2007, the Future Faculty Program offers unique professional development experiences designed to make participants more competitive on the faculty job market. Fellows attend seminars on a range of topics—technical writing, teaching and learning styles, grant writing, and faculty position interviewing, to name a few—and teach a course alongside a senior faculty mentor.

Those selected for the competitive program also receive a $3,000 travel stipend to attend professional conferences.

“I like the balance of being a professor—that’s what drew me to apply for the fellowship,” said Ostrom, who began his teaching career at a university in China after receiving a bachelor's in math. “It’s a job where you are always learning and can pass that knowledge onto others also interested in learning.”

Ostrom plans to complete his PhD in summer 2018. His research is dedicated to developing a nutrient treatment technology that could be placed at the base of permeable pavers to further curb the amount of phosphorus that washes into urban rivers and lakes. The project is funded through the Maryland Industrial Partnerships Program and PaverGuide, Inc.

Published December 19, 2016