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SMART Scholarship Awardees visit their sponsoring facility, GVSC

By Mrs. Kimberly Derryberry (TARDEC)June 19, 2019

SMART Scholarship Awardees visit their sponsoring facility, GVSC
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

A group of Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship awardees conducted their site visit to the U.S. Army CCDC Ground Vehicle Systems Center in Warren, Michigan, June 18, 2019.

The 2019 awardees, 10 total, each from a different U.S. college or university, came to their sponsoring facility as a requirement of the SMART Scholarship Program. Four of the SMART students are pursuing their doctorate degrees in electrical engineering or mechanical engineering, one student is a joint master's-doctorate learner in mechanical engineering, and five are earning bachelors in computer science, computer engineering, or cyber security.

During the one-day event, the awardees were welcomed by GVSC director Jeff Langhout, met with the chief scientist and deputy scientist, and had lunch with the center's executive director for systems integration and engineering. The students then met with several of the department managers for face-to-face opportunities with their upcoming supervisors before touring the GVSC facility to see the work and lab areas.

"They were very enthusiastic, very excited," said Linda Durant, a project officer for GVSC. "Especially so when meeting their managers."

Once they complete their degrees, these SMART Scholarship Awardees will join the GVSC workforce as new hires. In the interim, they will intern each summer at GVSC in their respective programs.

GVSC has to-date awarded the most SMART Scholarships within the Army. With a mission to support Army modernization priorities and readiness, GVSC recruits and develops the engineering talent needed to achieve that mission.

The SMART Scholarship Program is a scholarship-for-service program designed to produce the next generation of Department of Defense Science and Technology (S&T) leaders. The SMART Scholarship-for-Service Program improves the flow of new, highly skilled technical personnel into DoD facilities and agencies, while enhancing the technical skills of the workforce already in place.