The Department of Aerospace Engineering has won a $1.2 million grant from the U.S Department of Education as a part of the Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN) program. This three year grant will provide eight fully funded fellowships for students to concentrate in space engineering.
The GAANN program provides these fellowships to departments in fields designated as areas of national need. These graduate students must also demonstrate financial need.
Space engineering encompasses researchers from aerospace engineering, materials engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, systems engineering, and engineering physics.
Space engineering is the research, design, and development of systems related to the exploration, exploitation, and commercialization of space.
Of the eight fellowships, at least four will go to students from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds, and must be used to support domestic students.
The fellows will contribute advancements in technology though creation of innovative analyses and methodologies, development of useful tools and diagnostics, and exploration of new techniques and approaches.
This will also prepare these candidates for teaching positions in higher education later in their careers.
"Through research, teaching, and mentoring activities, these fellows will be strongly prepared for future careers as leading researchers, teachers, and faculty within their fields," said Joshua Rovey, associate professor in Aerospace Engineering. "This program will help attract U.S. citizens to graduate study, increase the number of U.S. Ph.D. graduates, increase diversity of U.S. faculty, and increase the research capacity of the U.S. in an area of increasing national importance: space engineering."