Congratulations to the three $4,500 undergraduate research grant awardees! The ISTA Educational Foundation is thrilled to announce the selection of three undergraduate research proposals from University of Florida, Rochester Institute of Technology, and Michigan State University. These projects focus on minimizing product damage during distribution and optimizing resource usage through effective package design. The universities have been invited to present their research findings at the 2026 ISTA Forum USA, which will be held April 7-9 in Phoenix, Arizona. Research proposals accepted include:
Evaluating Sustainable Materials for Transport of Live Ornamental Fish in Insulated Shipping Containers
Development and Evaluation of a Simplified Multi-axis Vibration Test Apparatus
Enhancing Sentiment Analysis and Deep Learning for Packaging Damage Detection in Distribution
Previous Award Recipients
The ISTA Educational Foundation is proud to support the next generation of packaging leaders, said ISTAEF Vice President & Secretary Brian O‘Banion. We look forward to hearing from the awardees at the annual ISTA Forum and are proud to support young talent and new research in our field.
ISTAEF Fundraising Event
The ISTA Educational Foundation (ISTAEF) holds a special fundraising event each year at the ISTA Forum USA, bringing together industry professionals to support undergraduate research and scholarships in transport packaging.
The next fundraising event will take place on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, at the ISTA Forum USA in Phoenix, Arizona. Mark your calendars and join us for a great opportunity to network, reconnect with friends, and contribute to raising funds for undergraduate research grants and scholarships. Your support will encourage research in undergraduate transport packaging and inspire the next wave of packaging industry leaders!
Stay tuned—registration will be available soon!
Sponsor the Fundraising Event
Helping ISTAEF cover the costs of the dinner allows the Foundation to focus more funds on our commitment to undergraduate research grants, offering innovative opportunities for budding researchers to explore and pioneer in our field.
Contact us if you are interested in becoming a Sponsor!
- Elevated Brand Exposure: Gain visibility with your logo featured across all event marketing materials, including social media promotions, press releases, and on-site signage.
- Exclusive Networking Opportunities: Every sponsor receives 5 complimentary registrations for the dinner. Bring colleagues, guests, customers, or anyone of your choosing to engage with a diverse audience comprising students, educators, industry professionals, thought leaders, and community stakeholders—expanding your network and forging invaluable connections.
- Support for Undergraduate Research Grants: Your sponsorship directly impacts our ability to provide more funding for our commitment to undergraduate research grants, offering innovative opportunities for budding researchers to explore and pioneer in our field.
Thank You 2025 Event Sponsors!
Call for Undergraduate Research Proposals
Researchers are encouraged to submit proposals in transit packaging. While original concepts are welcomed and encouraged, research in the following topics would be of interest as well:
- Last mile hazards (examples: click-to-cart, drone, grocery delivery to home)
- Unit load stability - long-duration horizontal acceleration
- Clamp truck handling
- Measurement of dynamic and non-vertical compression forces
- Stacked vibration (specific example of the topic above)
- Thermal performance of shipping containers
The funding could be used to support the packaging school research curriculum or support independent research initiatives. The selected researchers will provide a final report and their supporting data to the ISTA Educational Foundation (ISTAEF) upon project completion. They will also present their findings at the ISTA Forum and during a poster presentation at the ISTAEF Fundraising Dinner held during the Forum. The funding could also be used to support the recipients' travel expenses to the Forum. The goal is to tie grants to research in the transit packaging area.
How to Submit Proposals
Universities interested in receiving grants from ISTA's Educational Foundation for research focused on designing packaging for transit may submit their proposals using the above ISTAEF proposal portal.
Eligibility: Any U.S.-based undergraduate program with a concentration in packaging, with the capabilities of executing distribution packaging research may submit a proposal. Specifically,
- It is the applicant’s responsibility to confirm their school’s ability to perform the distribution packaging research as proposed. In general, the applicant must have the capabilities to perform the proposed research. This includes having the appropriate curriculum, instructors, oversight, facilities and faculty and student capabilities to perform the distribution packaging research as proposed.
- By submitting a proposal, the school agrees that their research team is willing and able to present results at the ISTA Forum and the ISTAEF Fundraising Dinner during the Forum.
- Schools do not have to be ISTA members to be eligible for grants.
ISTAEF has developed a document describing the research grant process, which can be accessed by clicking here.
Previous Award Recipients
In 2025, the ISTA Educational Foundation awarded three $4,500 undergraduate research grants for the following proposals. The universities presented their findings at the 2025 ISTA Forum held on March 24-26 in Orlando, Florida.
Impact of Relative Humidity on the Thermal Efficiency of Fiber-Based Insulated Shipping Containers
- Mateo Silva, Student, Virginia Tech
- Mayank Sood, Student, Virginia Tech
- Eduardo Molina, Assistant Professor, Virginia Tech
New Vibration Test Sequence for Flexible Mailers
- Hannah Dickson, Student, Clemson University
- Greg Batt, Associate Professor, Clemson University
Measurement and Evaluation of Vibration Levels of Electric Vehicles in Small Parcel Delivery
- Nikki Cavallaro, Student, Rochester Institute of Technology
- John Mercovich, Student, Rochester Institute of Technology
- Kyle Dunno, Department Chair and Associate Professor, Rochester Institute of Technology
In 2024, the ISTA Educational Foundation awarded three $4,500 undergraduate research grants for the following proposals. The universities presented their findings at the 2024 ISTA Forum held on April 22-24 in San Diego, California.
Experimental Measurement and Observation of Horizontal Acceleration During Controlled Events of a Tractor-semitrailer from Multiple Speeds
- Anthony Valastro, Student, Rochester Institute of Technology
- Myranda Baker, Student, Rochester Institute of Technology
- Kyle Dunno, Assistant Professor, Rochester Institute of Technology
Effects of Convective Heat Transfer and Palletization on the Thermal Performance of Insulated Shipping Containers
- Juan Suarez, Student, University of Florida
- Lucas Avery, Student, University of Florida
- William Pelletier, Instructional Associate Professor, University of Florida
Characterizing the Effect of Atmospheric Pressure on Internal Pressure of Dunnage Airbags in Transportation
- Sophia DeCurtis, Student, Clemson University
- Greg Batt, Associate Professor, Clemson University
In 2023, the ISTA Educational Foundation awarded three $4,500 undergraduate research grants for the following proposals. The universities presented their findings at the 2023 ISTA Forum held on May 1-3 in Houston, Texas.
Evaluation of Crowdsourced Logistics Operations During Last Mile Delivery Segments
- Olivia Pettinicchi, Student, Rochester Institute of Technology
- John Mozrall, Student, Rochester Institute of Technology
- Kyle Dunno, Assistant Professor, Rochester Institute of Technology
Mapping of the Grocery Delivery to Home Process and Hazards in a Suburban Environment
- Alonda Johnson, Student, Virginia Tech Packaging Systems and Design
- Zachary Weston, Student, Virginia Tech Packaging Systems and Design
- Jiyu Niu, Student, Virginia Tech Packaging Systems and Design
- Morgan Bright, Student, Virginia Tech Packaging Systems and Design
- Eduardo Molina, Assistant Professor, Virginia Tech Packaging Systems and Design
The Principle of Optimized Cushion Design for Minimizing Product Damage Throughout the Distribution
- Jack Ames Rupert, Student, University of Wisconsin-Stout
- Lynnae Torgerud, Student, University of Wisconsin-Stout
- Xiaojing Liu (Kate), Assistant Professor, University of Wisconsin-Stout, Engineering & Technology
