DALLAS (TIP): Kashish Dhal, an Indian Engineering Graduate Student, won the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) Maverick Entrepreneur Program Award for his business proposal to develop autopilot software for drones. The software will leverage artificial intelligence to assist industry inspectors and first responders by increasing their working efficiency and keeping them out of dangerous environments.

The Award Fund was established to reward UTA students who explore and express their business ideas in a competitive environment. At an annual event, all UTA students are invited to submit a video of their competitive ideas, and winners are asked to present their ideas to the judges in phase one. Winners of phase one are awarded up to $15K in cash prize money and invited to participate in phase two, where they can be awarded an additional $25K, totaling $40K in cash prize money.

In 2021 winners, Kashish Dhal and Mahinder Singh won $15000 (first prize) and $10,000 (second prize), respectively. They were among five student teams winning the awards university-wide. Before winning this award, Kashish Dhal and his team also won NSF I-Corps Award ($50,000) in April 2021 and the campus-level Blackstone LaunchPad Ideas Competition ($1,000) in November 2021. Dr. Harbans Lal, a community leader, attended the Award Ceremony and congratulated the winning students on behalf of the Indian community. He also invited all the Indian students competing for the award to dinner in appreciation of their so well in their education.