Science and Engineering Scholarships and Fellowships Blog

The 2010 SMART Scholarship application will be closing on December 15, 2009 at 5pm EST.

SMART has been established by the Department of Defense (DoD) to support undergraduate and graduate students pursuing degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines. The program aims to increase the number of civilian scientists and engineers working at DoD laboratories.

Eligibility requirements for applicants include:
*Must be a U.S. citizen and at least 18 years of age or older as of August 1, 2010.
*Able to participate in summer internships at DoD laboratories
*Willing to accept post-graduate employment with the DoD
*Must be in good standing with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (as calculated by the SMART application)
*Pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree in one of the disciplines listed on the About SMART page

The 2010 Science, Mathematics And Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship for Service Program application is now available online. The application will be opened until December 15, 2009.

SMART has been established by the Department of Defense (DoD) to support undergraduate and graduate students pursuing degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines. The program aims to increase the number of civilian scientists and engineers working at DoD laboratories.

Eligibility requirements for applicants include:
*Must be a U.S. citizen and at least 18 years of age or older as of August 1, 2010.
*Able to participate in summer internships at DoD laboratories
*Willing to accept post-graduate employment with the DoD
*Must be in good standing with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (as calculated by the SMART application)
*Pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree in one of the disciplines listed on the About SMART page

This week, 260 students attended a three-day orientation in Monterey, CA as part of the SMART Scholarship Program (Science, Mathematics and Research for Transformation). The SMART Program is sponsored by the Naval Postgraduate School located in Monterey.

As part of the orientation, representatives from various defense firms and military forces will be on exhibition and will meet with the students.

Students who were accepted into the SMART Program will receive the following:

• Full tuition and education related fees (does not include items such as meal plans, housing, or parking)
• Cash award paid at a rate of $25,000 – $41,000 depending on prior educational experience (may be prorated depending on award length)
• Paid summer internships
• Health Insurance reimbursement allowance up to $1,200 per calendar year
• Book allowance of $1,000 per academic year
• Mentoring
• Employment placement after graduation

The 2010 SMART Program application will be available online on August 15, 2009.

Three Iowa State University students received awards from the 2009 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP). They were Cory Kleinheksel, Joseph Miller and Raathai Molian.

Cory Kleinheksel will be graduating with his BS in Computer Engineering this semester and will begin pursuing his PhD in embedded and sensor systems in the fall. Kleinheksel explains, “My proposed research is for a middleware system that emphasizes modular concepts for improved integration of sensor node data and high-level applications that would use the data.”

Joseph Miller is currently pursuing his PhD in Mechanical Engineering. His advisor, Terrence Meyer, is thrilled about Miller’s achievements throughout his academic career. Meyer exclaims, “Throughout his career and academic experiences, Joe has developed the ability to think like a researcher. He looks for the part of our understanding that is missing and develops a systematic way to address it. His excellence in academics and research deserves to be recognized with this great honor.” While pursuing his undergraduate degree, Miller was also a recipient of Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) scholarship. He later on achieved the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship in 2007.

Raathai Molian graduated with her BS in Mechanical Engineering from Iowa State in 2008 and will be attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the fall to continue her studies in Mechanical Engineering. Molian has yet to specify a research plan, however she will continue her research in the Laboratory for Manufacturing and Productivity at MIT. Molian explained, “The award offers me flexibility and independence in my research. It provides me with a solid foundation to build upon as I earn my PhD.”

1968 GRFP Fellow, Douglas D. Osheroff,received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1996 for discovering the superfluid phase of 3He. He shared the prize with fellow physicists David Lee and Robert C. Richardson.

Osheroff made the discovery of the superfluid phase of 3He while pursing his Ph.D at Cornell University in 1973.

“We discovered our mysterious phase transitions in my Pomeranchuk cell in November 1971, and almost by magic, Venky called me up in early December with good news,” Osheroff explains.

Osheroff continues his accomplishments as a professor at Stanford University in the Departments of Physics. He was also elected to serve on the Space Shuttle Columbia Investigation Panel, and currently serves on the Board of Advisors for Scientists and Engineers for America.

For more information on Dr. Osheroff as well as many other GRFP Fellows, please visit the NSFGRFP Profiles of Fellows site.

Related Links
Douglas D. Osheroff: Nobelprize.org Autobiography
Stanford University Department of Physics Profile
Osheroff’s presentation on “How Advances In Sciences Are Made”

“I am giving many public lectures, to help the public understand the work we have done and hope to do in the future, and to inspire young people to be as excited about science as I am.” Dr. John Mather

Dr. John Mather is currently a Senior Astrophysicist in the Observational Cosmology Laboratory at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. He attended Swarthmore College in 1964 and in 1968 was a recipient of National Science Foundation Fellowship which he used to fund his master’s and doctoral degree in physics at University of California, Berkeley.

As a postdoctoral fellow at Columbia University’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, he led the proposal efforts on the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE). The success of COBE was the outcome of prodigious team work involving more than 1,000 researchers, engineers and other participants. John Mather lead the project and was the main party responsible for the experiment that revealed the blackbody form of the microwave background radiation measured by COBE. His colleague, Dr. George Smoot, had the main responsibility for measuring the small variations in the temperature of the radiation on the COBE project.

In 2006 Dr. John Mather and Dr. George Smoot were recognized jointly for their exemplary work on COBE and received the Nobel Prize in Physics. From the years 1980 to 2006 Dr. Mather wrote The Very First Light on the process of creating COBE and continued his work with NASA on The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), which would be his passion for years to come. The JWST is now planned for launch in 2013. Mather’s role as “senior project scientist” means he chairs the science working group and ensures the mission will meet the scientific requirements. The observatory is fine-tuned to search for extra-solar planets, dark matter and dark energy. The JWST’s infrared cameras will also detect the faint light from the first stars and galaxies to form in the universe, over 13 billion years ago.

* This information is from The Nobel Foundation and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

Related: NSF Graduate Research Fellow Profiles – NobelPrize.org – NSF Graduate Research Fellow Profile – Burton Richter

The SMART scholarship includes all university tuition and required fees as well as the following stipends: $22,500 per year for undergraduate students, $31,000 per year for Master’s candidates, and $38,000 per year for Doctoral candidates. Tenure for awardees is given up to the time typically required to complete degree studies. A $1,000 book allowance is also offered. The scholarship is only open to U.S. citizens and to students studying a Science, Technology, Mathematics or Engineering discipline. A full listing of eligible fields can be found on the About SMART page. Approximately 200 scholarships are awarded per year.

The application is open until December 15, 2008.

NC State Students Receive Fellowships:

Brandon [Cochenour - in photo] is currently an Electrical Engineer with the Department of Defense, and has been employed by the Navy at the Patuxent River Naval Air Station since 2004. There, he has been involved in the research and development of next generation laser-radar systems using novel RF-photonic techniques for laser imaging and communication systems underwater. In 2006, he was awarded first place in the graduate student poster/paper competition at the IEEE Ocean Engineering Society conference for his work in underwater optical communications. He was awarded as a Top Navy Scientist and Engineer of the Year in the Emerging Investigator category, which was presented by the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for R&D in 2007.

Under the SMART fellowship, Brandon will pursue PhD studies in Electrical Engineering this Fall at North Carolina State University, where he plans to focus on optical communications and RF-photonics. He received the B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Lafayette College in Easton, PA (2003), and the M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD (2008).
…
William Cox has been awarded the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship. He is currently pursuing his PhD in Electrical Engineering at NC State University under the direction of Dr. John Muth, in the area of underwater freespace optical communications. He is a founding member of the Underwater Robotics Club and writes about robotics at GoRobotics.net.

Related: Jennifer Robinson, North Carolina State NSF GRF

Fellowship announcements have been sent to applicants of the NSF graduate research fellowship, NDSEG fellowship and SMART fellowship programs.

The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship application deadline for some applicants is November 1st. See a list of deadlines by discipline. Other deadlines for fellowships managed by ASEE:

• SMART – December 14th
• NDSEG – January 7th, 2008
• NREIP – January 14th, 2008
• SEAP (high school students) – January 28th, 2008
• Navy Postdoctoral Fellowship – no deadline

Faculty

• Navy Summer Faculty Research Program – December 4th
• Air Force Summer Faculty Fellowship – November 30th

Related: Directory of science and engineering fellowships and scholarships