KNOXVILLE – The University of Tennessee, Knoxville and Oak Ridge National Laboratory have established a new Distinguished Fellowship designed to attract top graduate students in science and engineering.
The first-of-its-kind program, funded jointly by UT Knoxville and ORNL, will provide students with an unparalleled opportunity to take part in cutting-edge research at both institutions and build on similar programs to attract to research faculty. Recruiting is now under way for the inaugural class of students, who will be admitted for fall 2010. The application deadline is Feb. 1, 2010.
“These fellowships open a new level of partnership between UT Knoxville and Oak Ridge,” said UT Knoxville Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek. “By combining the opportunities available at our two institutions, we will attract the best graduate students in fields vital to our nation’s future and continue to develop the strong relationship between our institutions.”
The combination of hands-on research work at the nation’s largest science and energy laboratory combined with their academic and research work toward a degree in the highly-ranked scientific programs at UT Knoxville is expected to serve as a major attraction for students.
Fellowships will be available in materials science, computational science, nuclear science and neutron science with coursework in UT Knoxville’s College of Engineering and College of Arts and Sciences. Applicants should have academic experience in at least one discipline of the physical or computational sciences.
“These fellowships are sure to attract even more of the nation’s top talent to UT and ORNL,” said Thom Mason, Director of ORNL. “This program is another example of a partnership that is bringing enormous value to both the university and the laboratory.”
The fellowships offer paid tuition, along with a $30,000 annual stipend. Renewable up to five years contingent on the student’s academic and research progress, the package represents an opportunity competitive with other top institutions.
Graduate students in the sciences and engineering play a vital role in the advancement of research by helping top faculty advance their research projects while also generating their own research. In addition, these positions can be expected to have a positive impact on the area’s economy by attracting and retaining talented students.
Students selected for the fellowships will undertake summer research internships at ORNL beginning the summer before they start coursework at UT Knoxville. Their work at ORNL and UT Knoxville will provide them with research opportunities at world-class facilities and centers, including the UT-ORNL joint institutes for computational, biological, neutron and advanced material sciences.
“We have been able to attract world-leading scientists to UT Knoxville and ORNL through the Governor’s Chair program, and the scientific resources that helped draw them to East Tennessee will help draw students to the Distinguished Fellowship as well,” said UT Knoxville Provost Susan Martin.
More information on the program, along with application materials, is available online.
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C O N T A C T :
Jay Mayfield (865-974-9409, jay.mayfield@tennessee.edu)