Tag: Physics

Science, Mathematics And Research for Transformation (SMART) Defense Scholarship

The Science, Mathematics And Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship for Service Program 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. Learn More >

Application deadline: December 14, 2012

To apply online, https://smart.asee.org/apply

Graduate applicants can be either currently enrolled in a regionally accredited U.S. college or university or awaiting notification of admission to such. If awaiting admission, you must be accepted for entrance in the fall 2013 term.  For more on eligibility, https://smart.asee.org/about/eligibility.

Participants in the SMART Scholarship for Service Program receive:

  • Full tuition and education related fees (does not include items such as meal plans, housing, or parking)
  • Stipend paid at a rate of $25,000 – $38,000 depending on degree pursuing (may be prorated depending on award length)
  • Paid summer internships
  • Health Insurance allowance up to $1,200 per calendar year
  • Book allowance of $1,000 per academic year
  • Mentoring
  • Employment placement after graduation

National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship

The National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship is a highly competitive, portable fellowship that is awarded to U.S. citizens and nationals who intend to pursue a doctoral degree in one of fifteen supported disciplines. NDSEG confers high honors upon its recipients, and allows them to attend whichever U.S. institution they choose.

NDSEG Fellowships last for three years and pay for full tuition and all mandatory fees, a monthly stipend, and up to $1,000 a year in medical insurance.

The Department of Defense (DoD) is committed to increasing the number and quality of our nation’s scientists and engineers, and towards this end, has awarded approximately 3,200 NDSEG fellowships since the program’s inception 22 years ago.

The NDSEG Fellowship is sponsored by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research(AFOSR), the Army Research Office (ARO), the High Performance Computing Modernization Program (HPCM), and the Office of Naval Research (ONR), under the direction of the Director of Defense Research and Engineering (DDR&E).

Application deadline: December 14, 2012

For more information and to apply online, go to http://ndseg.asee.org/

Two Tech Teams Chosen for Clean Energy Challenge

Two teams from Michigan Tech have been chosen to join in the Michigan Clean Energy Venture Challenge. Twenty-seven teams were chosen from 71 teams that applied from across the state. Through the challenge, teams will learn the skills needed to start a successful company, through classroom and hands-on learning. The teams will also meet regularly with their on-campus mentors and venture capitalists and have access to a micro-grant program offering up to $2,500 for each team to move their business forward.

The Tech teams are GreenedIt!, a web-based application for energy auditing, and Aquaponics, for healthy, local food in urban communities.

GreenedIt! team members are physics students Travis Beaulieu, an undergraduate, and graduate student Abhilash Kantamneni. The team traveled to East Lansing for their initial training this past weekend. “The training we received through the challenge was incredibly useful,” said Beaulieu. “The whole point was to try and get young entrepreneurs into the mindset of finding a customer need and forming the idea around the customer’s feedback. Thankfully this training worked for our team, and we had a complete pivot during the weekend.”

The other team, Aquaponics, features indoor farming using water instead of soil, with a fish tank providing nutrients to plants. Team members include Robert Handler, post-doctoral environmental engineer in the Sustainable Futures Institute; Josh Krugh, economics undergraduate; and Jacob Bray, chemical engineering undergraduate. “Aquaponics is a combination of aquaculture and hydroponics,” Handler said. “And we want to examine the potential for this type of agriculture to expand as a business opportunity in urban communities throughout the state.”

On the final day of the venture challenge, all participating teams will present their results, and a few teams will be awarded additional prizes and investments totaling $50,000 or more. The six-month challenge is run by the University of Michigan Center for Entrepreneurship.

Published in Tech Today.

Doctoral Finishing Fellowship Recipients for Fall and Spring announced

The Graduate School is pleased to announce Finishing Fellowship recipients for the fall and spring semesters. Finishing fellowships  provide support to PhD candidates who are close to completing their degrees. These fellowships are available through the generosity of alumni and friends of the University. They are intended to recognize outstanding PhD candidates who are in need of financial support to finish their degrees and are also contributing to the attainment of goals outlined in The Michigan Tech Plan.

Recipients for fall 2011 were:

  • Irfan Ahmed, PhD candidate in Electrical Engineering
  • Surendar R. Dhadi, PhD candidate in Biological Sciences
  • Neluka K. Dissanayake, PhD candidate in Engineering Physics
  • Shu Wei Goh, PhD candidate in Civil Engineering
  • Amber M. Roth, PhD candidate in Forest Science

Recipients for spring 2012 are:

  • Zeyad T. Ahmed, PhD candidate in Environmental Engineering
  • Kefeng Li, PhD candidate in Biological Sciences
    Charles L. Lawton Endowed Fellowship
  • Saikat Mukhopadhyay, PhD candidate in Physics
  • Zhiwei Peng, PhD candidate in Materials Science and Engineering
    Doctoral Finishing Fellowship
  • Lindsey M. Shartell, PhD candidate in Forest Science
    Neil V. Hakala Endowed Fellowship

Nominations are currently open for summer 2012 finishing fellowships.  Materials are due no later than 4pm, March 14th.  See complete details online about the application and review procedure.

New theses and dissertations available in the Library

The Graduate School is pleased to announce new theses and dissertations are now available in the J.R. van Pelt and Opie Library from the following programs:

  • Applied Ecology
  • Applied Natural Resource Economics
  • Biological Sciences
  • Chemical Engineering
  • Civil Engineering
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Environmental Engineering
  • Forest Ecology and Management
  • Forest Science
  • Geophysics
  • Materials Science and Engineering
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics
  • Physics
  • Rhetoric and Technical Communication

US Department of Energy Computational Sciences Graduate Fellowships

U.S. Department of Energy Computational Sciences Graduate Fellowships

The U.S. Department of Energy provides funding for students in their first or second year of graduate study in the fields of physical, engineering, computers, mathematics and life sciences. The fellowships are renewable up to four years. Students receive about $31,000 a year, as well as a $1,000 annual academic allowance for travel, research activities and attending conferences. Some students may also get matched funds for computer support up to $2,475.

Nominations open to attend the 62nd Meeting of Nobel Laureates

Nominations are now closed for students to attend the 62nd Meeting of Nobel Laureates in Lindau, Germany, July 1 to July 6, 2012.

To be eligible, a student:

  • Must have completed by June 2012 at least two years of doctoral study
  • Must be studying physics or a related discipline
  • Must not plan to complete a dissertation prior to December 31, 2012
  • Must be a US citizen
  • Must be a full-time graduate student
  • Must be participating in a research project
  • Must be nominated by the student’s advisor

Advisors may nominate a student by submitting the following items to Debra Charlesworth no later than 4pm on November 4, 2012:

  • One page resume of the student
  • One page statement by the student on why participation in the meeting is important for the student’s graduate education
  • One page letter of reference by the student’s mentor

ORAU will select students based on the following criteria.  Students must:

  • Show a genuine interest in science and research
  • Show a strong commitment to their principal field of studies and to interdisciplinary work
  • Have a strong letter of recommendation
  • Be in the top of their class
  • Show excellent academic accomplishments
  • Have produced some very good research work.

Michigan Tech may forward two nominations to ORAU for consideration.   Learn more about the meeting online.

Stewardship Science Graduate Fellowship nominations open

The Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration Stewardship Science Graduate Fellowship (DOW NNSA SSGF) program is currently soliciting for applications.  It is open to students pursuing a PhD in areas of stewardship science, such as properties of materials under extreme conditions and hydrodynamics, nuclear science, or high energy density physics.  The fellowship includes a 12-week research experience at either Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory or Sandia National Laboratories.

Benefits:

  • $36,000 yearly stipend
  • Payment of all tuition and fees
  • $1,000 yearly academic allowance
  • Yearly conferences
  • 12-week research practicum
  • Renewable up to four years

Apply online at www.krellinst.org/ssgf – applications are due January 18, 2012.