St. Cloud State University Professor Earns $25,000 Grant From Shark Tank Open

(KNSI) — An Associate Biology Professor at St. Cloud State University received $25,000 in grant money following the Minnesota State Shark Tank Open.

Dr. Matt Davis landed the funding after pitching his “Innovating the Science Classroom for Widespread Engagement” project. Experts would create science videos freely available for students in underrepresented groups in STEM disciplines. The videos are specially designed to open up access, promote academic success and maximize student engagement.

Dr. Davis’s project was one of 12 finalists for the Shark Tank Open and one of six that received grant funding. A press release from SCSU says the “Innovating the Science Classroom for Widespread Engagement” project was chosen because of its “abitious and diverse nature while embodying creativity and inventiveness.”

The event drew educators from 37 colleges and universities. Presenters got seven minutes to show off their work and ideas to impress a panel of sharks – aka the judges.

Another professor, Dr. Jieyu Wang, also presented at the Shark Tank Open in the innovation exhibition portion. The school says Dr. Wang updated the topic “Designing conversational agent for education: tailoring university student’s personalities into human-centered intelligent systems” as the project gets underway.

Dr. Wang is a previous recipient of Small Seed Innovation funding.

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