Two Penn Staters Receive Department of Defense Fellowships

University Park, Pa. -- This summer, while most students are relaxing poolside or working a seasonal job, Rachel Miller and Shawn Johnson are participating in less common summer activities. The Penn Staters have garnered National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowships from the Department of Defense. As part of the fellowship, Johnson is residing in Italy for the summer and working for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as a research assistant for the Undersea Research Centre. Miller is working at Penn State Hershey Medical Center with Dr. Chris Siedlecki on “nano-islands,” making coatings on material surfaces.

As America faces growing threats from terrorist attacks and increasing number of nuclear defense weapons, it depends more on the intelligence of its citizens. The Department of Defense offers this fellowship to provide the nation with talented doctors who will lead state-of-the-art research projects in disciplines having the greatest payoff to national defense requirements. The fellowship supports a recipient's tuition for three years of graduate study. Students are required to perform three 12-month tenures.

Johnson, a native of Elma, N.Y., plans to conduct research in the field of underwater acoustics, which involves acoustic backscatter from seafloors.

"I'm currently looking at the statistical nature of backscatter. High resolution systems need to be modified to improve accuracy." This area of study is crucial to object detection systems. He will be completing this research at Penn State while working toward his doctoral degree.

Johnson has also been awarded the NATO Undersea Research Centre Research Assistant Programme, the Chancellor's List, the National Defense Industry Association Fellowship, the National Institute of Health Fellowship, and the Matthew S. Polk Scholarship in Recording Arts and Sciences.

Miller, a native of Annville, Pa., received her bachelor's degree in bioengineering through Penn State's Eberly College of Science. Miller plans to focus her research on biomaterials and possibly concentrate on determining the effect of biomaterials on the immune system. She will be attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in pursuit of her doctoral degree.

Miller has received the Goldwater Scholarship, the Astronaut Scholarship, and other scholarships through Penn State. She is involved with the Biomedical Engineering Society, for which she served as Web master, and the Schreyer Honors College, for which she served as a mentor.

Despite her accomplishments, Miller says success is hard work for everyone.

"It was difficult at times to stay focused and devote so much of my time to academics when many of my friends were enjoying their free time. But in the end, it has definitely been worth it."

For more information about the NDSEG fellowship or similar opportunities for students, contact Penn State's University Fellowships Office at (814) 863-8199 or e-mail Univ-Fellowship@psu.edu

From Penn State Live  located at http://live.psu.edu/