image: UCSD's 2006 SMART Scholarship winners are Anton Yen, Nathan Farrington, Deborah Goshorn and Jerry Fu. view more
Credit: UCSD
October 10, 2006 -- Four UC San Diego students are among the 32 nationwide recipients of the 2006 Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) scholarship, a program run by the U.S. Department of Defense.
The four students will concurrently earn advanced degrees in engineering or mathematics at UC San Diego and work at the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, San Diego (SSC San Diego). SSC San Diego is responsible for developing technology to collect, transmit, process, display and manage information essential to successful military operations.
The highly competitive SMART scholarship program promotes the education, recruitment and retention of outstanding undergraduate and graduate students in science, math and engineering.
"By gaining real-world experience as a graduate student, I have a real advantage. I am not just seeing things from an academic point of view. I get the whole picture and can tailor my research to make it of value in the real world," said Deborah Goshorn, a 2006 SMART scholarship winner from the UCSD department of Mathematics.
In 2005, the inaugural year of the program, Deborah Goshorn -- who was then finishing a master's degree in electrical engineering at the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department of the Jacobs School of Engineering -- earned one of the year's 36 awards.
The other 2006 winners who will be studying at UCSD and working at SSC San Diego are Nathan Farrington and Jerry Fu from the Computer Science and Engineering Department of the Jacobs School of Engineering, and Anton Yen from the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department of the Jacobs School of Engineering.
"UCSD is proud that four of the 32 students recognized nationwide will pursue their studies here at UCSD as they work at SSC San Diego, a premier research facility of the Department of the Navy," said Frieder Seible, Dean of the Jacobs School of Engineering at UCSD at a recent reception for the students hosted by the Corporate Affiliates Program at the Jacobs School of Engineering.
Dr. Seible then turned to the four students, "You are all very talented individuals and everyone here at UCSD is looking forward to your future accomplishments."
Ms. Carmela Keeney, Executive Director, SSC San Diego warmly congratulated the four UCSD recipients of the scholarship and underscored the importance of educating and training talented American men and women to lead state-of-the-art research projects in disciplines having the greatest payoff to national defense requirements.
SMART scholarship recipients are chosen after review of their academic records, personal statements, recommendations, and graduate record examination scores.
The scholarships cover awardees' tuition and provide a stipend in exchange for a period of employment with the U.S. Department of Defense.
"We wanted to recognize and celebrate the fact that 4 of the nation's 32 honorees chose to study at UCSD. SMART fellowships can be used at the university of the awardee's choice," said Fran Abrams, Deputy Director, Corporate Affiliates Program, Jacobs School of Engineering.
SSC San Diego is a member of the Corporate Affiliates Program, the primary means by which the Jacobs School of Engineering cultivates relationships with industry -- through research partnerships, customized access to student resumes, and the opportunity to have a voice in the future of engineering education.