Student wins scholarship for essay on automation

Emma Ciccotosto has won the Fall 2022 Supply Chain Scholarship for an essay on automation in supply chains.

Going on its third year, the Extensiv scholarship program supports education for undergraduate or graduate students enrolled in supply chain management, logistics, and operations management programs.

“With the ongoing labour shortage in logistics and transportation, there’s never been more opportunity for young professionals who pursue supply chain as a career path,” said Rachel Trindade, chief marketing officer at Extensiv.

“From automation to blockchain and autonomous trucks, the students we see paint a vision for the future, promising to innovate the way supply chains operate. We’ve created this scholarship to foster creativity and innovation, while also driving more interest into a vital industry.”

Since its inception in Fall 2020, Extensiv, formerly 3PL Central, has given more than US$11,000 to scholarship winners and finalists. Past winners have focused on topics including how 5G data transmission speeds help the application of augmented reality (AR), circular supply chains, and robotics.

Benefits of automation

Ciccotosto is a student at Elon University in North Carolina. Her winning essay highlights the benefits of automation across the supply chain, including: “AI has the ability to achieve end-to-end documentation automation, resulting in more fluidity to the point where manufacturers might be able to optimize their supply chain operations and minimize their carbon emissions.”

Extensiv said in announcing Ciccotosto‘s win: “Well-researched, this essay exemplifies what we look for in the scholarship search, and we as a company are excited to see her future success in this industry.”

Because of the significant interest in the scholarship, three runner-up awards were given to Lance Hackney of University of Chicago, Maria-Emilia Sawaya of Dusquesne University, and Dominique Fatal of Florida Gulf Coast University.

Next round

On August 1st, 2022, Extensiv will open the scholarship application submissions again for the Spring 2022 semester scholarship, with the deadline to apply on December 1st, 2022. Applicants must be enrolled in a Bachelor’s or Master’s program in supply chain, logistics, or operations management; MBA students who are employed in the supply chain and logistics industry may also apply.

Interested applicants should submit their name, school, major, contact information, and a 1000-word (maximum) essay on the next big advancement in supply chain management by December 1st, 2022 to be considered for the $2500 Spring Semester 2023 Extensiv Supply Chain Scholarship. Winners will be notified before January 1, 2023.