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Fellowships & Scholarships

Office of Nuclear Energy Issues Requests for Scholarship and Fellowship Applications

The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Nuclear Energy (NE) today announced two new Requests for Applications (RFAs) for the University Nuclear Leadership Program (UNLP), seeking applicants for undergraduate scholarships and graduate-level fellowships in nuclear energy-related fields.

The UNLP Undergraduate Scholarship for students attending a two-year institution will provide $5,000 toward the cost of tuition and additional expenses for the 2023-2024 year.

The UNLP Graduate Fellowship provides $169,000 over three years to support graduate research and supports a summer internship at a DOE national laboratory or approved facility.

Submit an application here.

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Fellowships & Scholarships

2022 Google PhD Fellowship (Limited Submission)

The Google PhD Fellowship Program was created to recognize outstanding graduate students doing exceptional and innovative research in areas relevant to computer science and related fields. Fellowships support promising PhD candidates of all backgrounds who seek to influence the future of technology. Google’s mission is to foster inclusive research communities.  Students from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply. 

Eligible candidates are PhD students in Computer Science and related areas. Students must be enrolled full time at an invited university

Please carefully review the Google PhD Fellowship website for details about the fellowship and nomination requirements. 

Google PhD Fellowship Program  

Google PhD Fellowship FAQ’s

To be considered for nomination, please submit the required materials to megrad@umd.edu by September 16th, 2022. Since this is a short turnaround time, please create a complete nomination package as described in the guidelines below. The materials will need to be assembled in a single PDF file.
Requirements:

  • Cover sheet signed by the Department Chair confirming the student passes eligibility requirements. (See FAQ “What are the eligibility requirements for students?”)
  • Student CV with links to website and publications (if available)
  • Short (1-page) CV of the student’s primary advisor
  • 2-3 letters of recommendation from those familiar with the nominee’s work (at least one from the thesis advisor)
  • Research / dissertation proposal including references (maximum 8 pages)
  • Student essay response (350-word limit) to: Describe the desired impact your research will make on the field and society, and why this is important to you. Include any personal, educational and/or professional experiences that have motivated your research interests.
  • Student essay response (350-word limit) to: Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes or contributed to group efforts over time. (A leadership role can mean more than just a title. It can mean being a mentor to others, acting as the person in charge of a specific task, or taking the lead role in organizing an event or project. Think about what you accomplished and what you learned from the experience. What were your responsibilities? Did you lead a team? How did your experience change your perspective on leading others? Did you help to resolve an important dispute at your school, church, in your community or an organization? And your leadership role doesn’t necessarily have to be limited to school activities. For example, do you help out or take care of your family?)
  • Transcripts of current and previous academic records
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Fellowships & Scholarships

NRC Research Associateship Program

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine administers postdoctoral and senior research awards at participating federal laboratories and affiliated institutions at locations throughout the U.S and abroad.

We are seeking highly qualified candidates who hold, or anticipate earning, a doctorate in a variety of fields of science or engineering. Degrees from foreign universities should be equivalent in training and research experience to a doctoral degree from a U.S. institution. Citizenship eligibility varies among the sponsoring laboratories.

Application deadline dates (four annual review cycles):

February 1
May 1
August 1
November 1


Awardees have the opportunity to:

Conduct independent research in an area compatible with the interests of the sponsoring laboratory
Devote full-time effort to research and publication
Access the excellent and often unique facilities of the federal research enterprise
Collaborate with leading scientists and engineers at the sponsoring laboratories
Awardee benefits include:

Stipends ranging from $45,000 to $94,500; may be higher based on experience
Health insurance (including dental and vision), relocation benefits, and a professional travel allowance
For detailed program information, to search Research Opportunities, and to contact prospective Research Adviser(s) visit www.nas.edu/rap.

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Fellowships & Scholarships

2023 Apple Scholars in AI/ML PhD Fellowship (Limited Submission)

The Apple Scholars in AI/ML PhD fellowship program recognizes the contributions of emerging leaders in computer science and engineering. The PhD fellowship in AI/ML was created as part of the Apple Scholars program to support the work of outstanding PhD students from around the world, who are pursuing cutting edge research in machine learning and artificial intelligence.

Scholars will receive:
• Gift covering full tuition & fees (enrollment fees, health insurance) for (2) academic years
• $40,000 USD gift each year to help with living expenses and related expenses
• $5,000 USD gift each year to support research-related travel and associated expenses
• 2 year mentorship with an Apple researcher
• Internship opportunities for one or both summers of their fellowship*
• Invitation to the PhD Scholars Summit in Cupertino, CA** 


* Internship offers are dependent on student status, and contingent upon necessary requirements for employment being met according to relevant employment law.
**Due to evolving travel restrictions related to COVID-19, the Summit will be postponed until it is safe for all Scholars to travel internationally.

Eligible candidates are PhD students in Computer Science and related areas who are pursuing research in artificial intelligence and machine learning, with a unique focus on work that is related to Apple’s core values.  Students must be enrolled full time as well.

To be considered for nomination, please submit the required materials to megrad@umd.edu by Tuesday, September 13th, 2022. Since this is a short turnaround time, please create a complete nomination package and ensure that the materials are assembled in a single PDF file.

Required materials:

• Student CV and publication list
• Research Abstract (200 word maximum)
• Research statement covering past work and proposed direction for next 2 years (5 page maximum, including citations)
• 2 letters of recommendation, one from current advisor (1 page maximum per letter)
• Link to most recent published work (optional)
• Please also prepare a statement showing the estimated tuition and fees (including enrollment, health insurance, and books) for the nominee’s 2022-2023 academic year

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Fellowships & Scholarships

2023 Alvarez Fellowship and Hopper Fellowship

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Fellowships & Scholarships

BioInnovation Institute and Science Prize for Innovation

Behind every life-changing solution is an entrepreneurial scientist–a creative mind who proved an idea in the lab and dared to carry it out in the world. To encourage more scientists to translate their research, BioInnovation Institute (BII) & Science present a new annual award. The three winners will have their essays published in Science magazine and will be invited into BII’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. In addition, the Grand Prize winner will receive a prize of USD 25,000 and each runner-up will receive USD 10,000 at a grand award celebration in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The call for applications has opened. Apply before November 1, 2022

www.bii.dk/scienceprize

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Defenses

UPCOMING DISSERTATION DEFENSE: LAUTARO CILENTI

Author: Lautaro Cilenti

Date: Wednesday, September 07, 2022 at 11:00 am

Location: Martin Hall, Room EGR-2164

Committee Members:

Professor Balakumar Balachandran, Mechanical Engineering, Chair/Advisor
Associate Professor Maria Cameron, Mathematics, Co-Chair/Advisor
Professor Eyad Abed, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Dean’s Representative
Professor Amr Baz, Mechanical Engineering
Associate Professor Jin-Oh Hahn, Mechanical Engineering
Assistant Professor Eleonora Tubaldi, Mechanical Engineering

Title of Paper: INFLUENCE OF NOISE ON RESPONSE LOCALIZATIONS IN MECHANICAL OSCILLATOR ARRAYS

Abstract: 

The dynamics of mechanical systems such as turbomachinery and vibration energy harvesting systems (VEH) consisting of one or multiple cantilever structures are often modeled by arrays of
periodically driven coupled nonlinear oscillators. It is known that such systems may have multiple stable vibration modes. Some of these stable modes are localized vibrations that are characterized by high amplitude vibrations of a subset of the system, with the rest of the system being in a state of either low amplitude vibrations or no vibrations. On one hand, these localized vibrations can be detrimental to mechanical integrity of turbomachinery, while on the other hand, the vibrations can be potentially desirable for increasing energy yield in VEHs. Transitions into or out of localized vibrations may occur under the influence of random factors.

A combination of experimental and numerical studies have been performed in this dissertation to study the associated transition times and probability of transitions of these mechanical systems. These include the following: (i) a numerical methodology based on the Path Integral Method to quantify the probability of transitions due to noise, (ii) a numerical methodology based on the Action Plot Method to quantify the quasipotential and most probable transition paths in nonlinear systems with periodic external excitations, and (iii) experimental evidence and stochastic simulations of the influence of noise on response localizations of rotating macro-scale cantilever structures. The methodology and results discussed in this dissertation provide insights relevant to the stochastic nonlinear dynamics community, and more broadly, designers of mechanical systems with potentially undesirable stochastic nonlinear behavior. 

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Fellowships & Scholarships

Engineering for Change (E4C) Fellowship

The Engineering for Change (E4C) Fellowship is a distinctive workforce development program at the intersection of engineering and social impact serving to activate and empower early-career technical professionals worldwide to solve local and global challenges. Providing a unique platform to develop professional skills, and connect with international mentors and peers from all continents, the E4C Fellowship offers leadership development opportunities that prepare the next generation of technical professionals to reach their fullest potential and deliver solutions that achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The E4C 2022 Winter Fellowship, commencing in November, will include the Decarbonization through Digitalization research project in collaboration with Verband Deutsche Ingenieure (VDI) for American and German applicants, and various projects eligible to E4C Fellowship Alumni. 

The Decarbonization through Digitalization project aims to explore motivating factors around climate action towards meeting the 1.5 degree warming target identified in the Paris Agreement within the contexts of Germany and the United States. In particular, this investigation will focus on how the habitat and transport sectors are utilizing digital technologies to mitigate and/or eliminate carbon emissions. Four fellows, two from Germany and two from the United States, will explore how digitalization is enabling industry climate strategies and the circular economy for the built environment, sustainable mobility, and smart cities through desk research and expert interviews. The final report will include a summary of the findings, insights on key trends, and recommendations for skills needed to advance decarbonization efforts in these sectors. 

The program starts in November and finishes in April 2023. It’s a part-time opportunity and virtual (although this specific project does require travel within the United States for 10 days) which provides a unique opportunity for graduate students to continue their training in this field of engineering and social impact.

Apply now! Here you will find all the details of the program including timeline, requirements, and application instructions

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Defenses

UPCOMING DISSERTATION DEFENSE: KUNAL AHUJA

Name: Kunal Ahuja

Title of Dissertation: ULTRA-THIN ON-CHIP ALD LIPON CAPACITORS FOR HIGH ENERGY AND HIGH-FREQUENCY APPLICATIONS 

Date, time, location: August 4th, 1-3pm in EGR 2164 (https://umd.zoom.us/j/9523406285)

List of all committee members: 

  • Professor F. Patrick McCluskey, Chair/Advisor
  • Professor Gary Rubloff, Co-Chair
  • Professor Peter Sandborn
  • Professor Keith Gregorczyk
  • Professor Hugh Bruck
  • Professor Aris Christou
  • Professor Sang Bok Lee (Dean’s Representative)

Abstract: Liquid electrolytes dominate the supercapacitor market due to their high ionic conductivity leading to high energy and power density metrics. However, with the increase in demand for portable and implantable consumer electronics, all solid-state supercapacitor systems with high safety are an attractive option from both application perspectives and their similar charge storage mechanism. For solid state ionic capacitors, there remains significant room for innovation to increase the ionic conductivity and capacitor architecture to enhance the performance of these devices. Nano-structuring along with advanced manufacturing techniques such as atomic layer deposition (ALD) are powerful tools to augment the performance metrics of these all-solid-state capacitors that can compete with state-of-the-art liquid electrolyte-based supercapacitors. This dissertation has two primary objectives; 1) Study the behavior of polymorphs of ALD LiPON as a capacitor material and 2) Enhance the performance metrics using advanced materials and 3D nanostructuring for improved energy storage and high-frequency applications.

In this work, ALD LiPON-based solid state capacitors are fabricated with a gold current collector to study the behavior of the solid electrolyte. LiPON shows a dual energy storage behavior, in low frequency (<10 kHz), LiPON shows an ionic behavior with electric double layer type energy storage, beyond this frequency, LiPON shows an electrostatic behavior with a dielectric constant of 14. The capacitor stack’s thin film structure and dual frequency behavior allow for extended frequency operation of these capacitors (100 Hz to 2000 MHz). Next, LiPON’s energy storage metrics are enhanced using pseudocapacitive energy storage behavior and enhanced surface area in ALD oxy-TiN. Finally, new fabrication techniques and ALD recipes are developed and optimized for integration into 3D templates. For fabrication of these capacitors, the material’s chemistry is analyzed, and ALD techniques are developed to enhance the deposition of electrode/electrolyte materials and current collectors into the 3D nanostructures. The intermixing during the ALD processes are studied to understand the behavior and reliability of these thin films. This work highlights LiPON characteristics as a capacitor material for high-energy and high-frequency applications. Though incomplete, we discuss progress towards the development of all ALD solid-state 3D supercapacitors that can compete against state-of-the-art capacitors available in the market.

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Fellowships & Scholarships

American Association of University Women Fellowships

Selected Professions Fellowships are awarded to women who intend to pursue a full-time course of study at accredited U.S. institutions during the fellowship year in one of the designated degree programs where women’s participation traditionally has been low. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

OrganizationAmerican Association of University Women
Education LevelFellowship
SubjectsArchitecture, Computer/Information Sciences, Engineering, Mathematics/Statistics
Amount$20,000
Access ModeOnline
Number of AwardsNA
CityAny
NationalityDomestic
CountryUSA
Contest DeadlineDecember 1, 2022
Application FeesNA
RequirementsFellowship application

Application Deadline

The deadline for online submission of the application and supporting documents is December 1, 2022

Apply Now