Fellowship Grant for Nuclear Engineering Graduate Students at Pennsylvania State University

The Ken and Mary Alice Lindquist Department of Nuclear Engineering at Penn State University is committed to maintaining its rich history by strengthening its prominent nuclear engineering program. This proposal describes a plan to create graduate fellowships in nuclear engineering utilizing funds from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) Nuclear Education Program Fellowship Grant Program. Both fellowships will be for a four-year period beginning in the Fall 2022 semester and continuing through the Spring 2026 semester. The total project cost is approximately equivalent to our graduate research assistant support and, with additional funds provided by Penn State's cost match, will provide two fellows with full four-year support with full tuition and fees coverage and majority funding in the summer. Recipients will be selected based on prior academic performance as demonstrated in their application to graduate school and reviewed by the Nuclear Engineering Graduate Studies Committee. Consideration will also be given to underrepresented minorities and women to encourage them to enter the department's nuclear engineering graduate program. Our department offers the Master of Science (M.S.) (thesis and non-thesis options), the Master of Engineering (M.Eng.), and the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in nuclear engineering. There are currently 66 resident graduate students enrolled in nuclear engineering at Penn State University Park. In addition, there are 56 students taking courses through our World Campus Masters of Engineering online program; these students do not receive any financial aid. Of the 66 on-campus nuclear engineering graduate students, 51 are Ph.D. students and 15 are M.S. students. Our graduate program's size, coupled with our strong curriculum in nuclear power, means each year Penn State produces a large number of new engineers that enter the nuclear power workforce. Over the last three years, Penn State awarded 29 Masters of Engineering, 14 Masters of Science, and 11 Doctor of Philosophy degrees in nuclear engineering. Our graduates are highly recruited by all sectors associated with nuclear power, including vendors, utilities, national laboratories, academia, and government agencies. These new fellowships will attract academically strong U.S. students to continue in or to enter studies in nuclear engineering. We are confident that the recipients of these fellowships will become the future leaders of nuclear science and engineering.