UT Engineering Ranks 2nd in U.S. in Number of NSF Fellowship Recipients for 2012
The National Science Foundation (NSF) announced its Graduate Research Fellowship recipients for 2012 and The University of Texas Austin’s Cockrell School of Engineering tied for second place for the highest number of fellows among top 10 engineering programs in the country.
The University Of California Berkeley College of Engineering received 45 of the fellowships, and the Cockrell School tied Georgia Institute of Technology’s engineering college with 30 of the fellowships, an amount that’s nearly double the number awarded at the Cockrell School in 2011.
Students received fellowships in the areas of biomedical, electrical, chemical, environmental, mechanical, aerospace and computer engineering. Cockrell School NSF awardees totaled 30 this year, nearly double the amount recognized in 2011.
“Encouraging our students to apply for competitive programs like the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship program was a priority this year,” said Cockrell School of Engineering Dean Gregory L. Fenves. “I am proud to see that these results reflect the excellence of our students and the quality of their engineering education.”
The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program helps ensure vitality of the human resource base of science and engineering in the United States and reinforces its diversity. Fellows receive support for three years that includes annual stipends of $30,000, full tuition, medical insurance coverage, opportunities for international research and professional development and TeraGrid Supercomputer access.
The greatest number of NSF fellowships was awarded to students in the school’s Department of Biomedical Engineering. Increasing from one award in 2011 to seven awards in 2012, this is the largest number of fellowships awarded to students since the department became a combined program offering both undergraduate and graduate degrees in 2001.
“The spectacular success of our undergraduate and graduate students in this prestigious national competition is one more indication of the high academic standards we exercise in our program,” said Nicholas A. Peppas, chair of the Biomedical Engineering Department.
The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the school’s Environmental Engineering program also made big strides this year, more than tripling the number of awards received in the previous year.
Several prospective graduate students who are planning to join the Cockrell School of Engineering in the fall from other universities also received NSF Fellowships.
Visit the National Science Foundation online for a complete list of NSF Graduate Research Fellowship recipients.