DRACO Catalyst
DRACO Catalyst is our newest initiative aimed at creating a robust statewide network of students interested in engineering, design, and business competitions!
We are seeking student leaders who are interested in developing ideas and competing in local competitions within South Dakota and take innovative ideas to the global stage!
-
Faculty Advisor: Matt WillardStudent Ambassador: Megan HabbermanOpen for applicationsAugustana UniversityFaculty Advisor: Matt WillardStudent Ambassador: Megan HabbermanOpen for applications
-
Faculty Advisor: Accepting ApplicationsStudent Ambassador: Accepting ApplicationsOpen for applicationsBlack Hills State UniversityFaculty Advisor: Accepting ApplicationsStudent Ambassador: Accepting ApplicationsOpen for applications
-
Faculty Advisor: Accepting ApplicationsStudent Ambassador: Accepting ApplicationsOpen for applicationsDakota State UniversityFaculty Advisor: Accepting ApplicationsStudent Ambassador: Accepting ApplicationsOpen for applications
-
Faculty Advisor: Accepting ApplicationsStudent Ambassador: Accepting ApplicationsOpen for applicationsDakota Wesleyan UniversityFaculty Advisor: Accepting ApplicationsStudent Ambassador: Accepting ApplicationsOpen for applications
-
Faculty Advisor: Accepting ApplicationsStudent Ambassador: Accepting ApplicationsOpen for applicationsLake Area Technical CollegeFaculty Advisor: Accepting ApplicationsStudent Ambassador: Accepting ApplicationsOpen for applications
-
Faculty Advisor: Accepting ApplicationsStudent Ambassador: Accepting ApplicationsOpen for applicationsMitchell Technical CollegeFaculty Advisor: Accepting ApplicationsStudent Ambassador: Accepting ApplicationsOpen for applications
-
Faculty Advisor: Accepting ApplicationsStudent Ambassador: Accepting ApplicationsOpen for applicationsNorthern State UniversityFaculty Advisor: Accepting ApplicationsStudent Ambassador: Accepting ApplicationsOpen for applications
-
Faculty Advisor: Accepting ApplicationsStudent Ambassador: Accepting ApplicationsOpen for applicationsOgalala Lakota CollegeFaculty Advisor: Accepting ApplicationsStudent Ambassador: Accepting ApplicationsOpen for applications
-
Faculty Advisor: Accepting ApplicationsStudent Ambassador: Accepting ApplicationsOpen for applicationsSinte Gleska UniversityFaculty Advisor: Accepting ApplicationsStudent Ambassador: Accepting ApplicationsOpen for applications
-
Faculty Advisor: Accepting ApplicationsStudent Ambassador: Accepting ApplicationsOpen for applicationsSissiton Wahpeton CollegeFaculty Advisor: Accepting ApplicationsStudent Ambassador: Accepting ApplicationsOpen for applications
-
Faculty Advisor: Accepting ApplicationsStudent Ambassador: Accepting ApplicationsOpen for applicationsSitting Bull CollegeFaculty Advisor: Accepting ApplicationsStudent Ambassador: Accepting ApplicationsOpen for applications
-
Faculty Advisor: Accepting ApplicationsStudent Ambassador: John Barbour, Morgan VagtsOpen for applicationsSouth Dakota School of Mines and TechnologyFaculty Advisor: Accepting ApplicationsStudent Ambassador: John Barbour, Morgan VagtsOpen for applications
-
Faculty Advisor: Saikat BasuStudent Ambassador: Accepting ApplicationsOpen for applicationsSouth Dakota State UniversityFaculty Advisor: Saikat BasuStudent Ambassador: Accepting ApplicationsOpen for applications
-
Faculty Advisor: Accepting ApplicationsStudent Ambassador: Accepting ApplicationsOpen for applicationsSoutheast Technical InstituteFaculty Advisor: Accepting ApplicationsStudent Ambassador: Accepting ApplicationsOpen for applications
-
Faculty Advisor: Accepting ApplicationsStudent Ambassador: Accepting ApplicationsOpen for applicationsUniversity of Sioux FallsFaculty Advisor: Accepting ApplicationsStudent Ambassador: Accepting ApplicationsOpen for applications
-
Faculty Advisor: Meghann JarchowStudent Ambassador: Lily Provenzano, Meredith King, Megan McCrayOpen for applicationsUniversity of South DakotaFaculty Advisor: Meghann JarchowStudent Ambassador: Lily Provenzano, Meredith King, Megan McCrayOpen for applications
Team Name Team Lead Team Size Description Accepting Members Competition: Hult Prize Fomeno Brigit Blote 3 An app & website that offers the easiest thrifting experience yet! Type in the clothing item you are looking for and Fomeno will find it instantly through our online thrift store partners! Here at Fomeno we want to make thrifting, the most sustainable way to purchase clothing, simple. Here at Fomeno we want to make thrifting, the most sustainable way to purchase clothing, simple. No -
Faculty Advisor: Kelsey MurrayStudent Ambassador: Accepting ApplicationsOpen for applicationsWestern Dakota TechFaculty Advisor: Kelsey MurrayStudent Ambassador: Accepting ApplicationsOpen for applications
Competitions You Should Know
Environmental Protection Agency’s People, Prosperity, and the Planet (P3) Student Design Competition
Interested in getting involved? Apply as a Catalyst Ambassador, a Catalyst Team Member, a Catalyst Faculty Partner, or sponsor a Catalyst Team!
CATALYST AMBASSADOR APPLICATION
Catalyst ambassadors get all of the benefits of being a member and serve as the connection between competition teams, their team leaders, and DRACO. You will experience working directly with DRACO members and partners, organizing and sharing workshop information, facilitating team meetings, and participating in networking opportunities with our business partners.
CATALYST TEAM MEMBER APPLICATION
Catalyst members get the opportunity to participate in various skill-building workshops and connect with competition teams at different schools across the state. You’ll receive feedback from DRACO members around your ideas and guidance from previous competition winners/qualifiers. And of course, get a chance to share your innovative ideas with your peers and beyond to show that you are more than just a student!
University, college, or technical school faculty members often engage with students to apply their knowledge in a real-world setting. We believe student competitions are an ideal platform. As the Catalyst network of Ambassadors, Members, Faculty Partners, and Supporters continues to grow, this database will serve as a resource for students and organizations looking to form teams. Catalyst Faculty Partners are an important component of Catalyst since they work directly with students. Consider partnering with DRACO to direct talented students with innovative ideas down the right path of development!
Supporters of Catalyst Teams get to empower students to pursue innovative and energized research on a national and global stage, bringing awareness to their work! By supporting a team, you enable students in South Dakota to participate in unique and inspiring workshops, focused on building their career readiness. Your commitment helps students to create business plans from the down-home to the world-changing!
Incite
To rouse, provoke, or inflame; to encourage a group to take some action or to express some feeling.
The Catalyst Initiative starts with raising awareness and inciting students to participate in something new that challenges their personal status quo. Our goal is to incite action and encourage students to break the framework and create a pathway for them to realize their potential. To create a decentralized model and allow as many students as possible to pursue their own leadership and project ideas, Catalyst Ambassadors throughout the state will act as conduits between student team leaders on campuses, industry mentors, team sponsors, and the DRACO Catalyst team.
Ignite
To catch fire to or cause to catch fire; to excite, set in motion.
South Dakota is a unique state in which our resources and student talents are spread across a large geographic area. Our goal is to ignite students’ passions for engaging opportunities to address real-world issues, achieve social impacts, and deeper connections throughout the state. Based on our Team’s research of student involvement in South Dakota-based competition, we anticipate that the Catalyst Initiative will have a substantial impact on student involvement in local and national competitions. We hope that our Catalyst Initiative sets in motion a paradigm shift in student mentality that encourages them to seek meaningful experiences beyond the classroom and the laboratory. It takes courage to share your idea, to take the lead, and to put your time and effort into something new, but through the Catalyst Initiative, we want you to know you are not alone!
Inspire
To breathe in, spur on, motivate, enliven, exalt influence, guide; to bring about.
To be inspired is great, but to inspire is an honor. Our Catalyst Team brings knowledge and experience from diverse backgrounds to inspire one another. We are combining our skills and abilities to build a first-of-its kind resource to connect and inspire students to reach higher, step out of their comfort zone, and create something new! We believe that this initiative to incite students to participate in something new, will ignite their passion for creating and innovating will be a catalyst for lasting inspiration that will resonate across the state.
Meet Our DRACO Catalyst Team
Communication Director – Manaal Ali
Manaal joined DRACO earlier this year to pursue her passion for communications and community engagement; expand upon the skills she gained through her previous work experiences, and to spotlight DRACO’s important work to South Dakotans across the state.
As DRACO’s communications specialist, she is tasked with growing DRACO’s influence on social media platforms, cultivating community engagement, and fostering a passion for innovation among students.