RIT Microsystems Engineering Program Receives Fellowship Award

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A. Sue Weisler

Bruce Smith

Rochester Institute of Technology was recently granted a prestigious Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need award, a competitive national grant that provides funding for graduate fellowships for students working toward doctoral degrees in microsystems engineering. The award, totaling $525,000, was given by the U.S. Department of Education.

“The focus of the program is to train the best and brightest students to conduct research and teaching in order to contribute to the U.S. competitiveness in fields of microsystems engineering and nanotechnology,” says Bruce Smith, professor and director of the RIT microsystems engineering program in the Kate Gleason College of Engineering.

RIT Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need Fellowships will be awarded on a competitive basis to four students to cover tuition and provide a stipend of up to $30,000. They are intended for individuals new to or in the early stages of the Ph.D. program in microsystems engineering. Candidates must demonstrate financial need and plan to pursue a doctoral degree with an interest in teaching.

Students supported by the program will be trained by the top research and teaching faculty from the departments within RIT’s College of Engineering and College of Science, Smith adds.

“The microsystem engineering Ph.D. program will provide these students with a unique interdisciplinary experience and provide an opportunity for the students to become pioneers in critical fields of research and technology,” he says.

The microsystems engineering program is a multidisciplinary Ph.D. program that builds on the fundamentals of traditional engineering and science combined with research activities to address the technical challenges of micro- and nano-systems—a growing industry in New York state and across the country.

NOTE: More information about RIT’s microsystems engineering Ph.D. program can be found at RIT's Department of Microsystems Engineering Ph.D. and RIT's Degree Directory.