$5 million awarded to next generation of nuclear scientists, engineers

April 14, 2021, 7:01AMNuclear News

The Department of Energy on April 9 announced more than $5 million in scholarships and fellowships for students pursuing degrees in nuclear energy and engineering in the United States. Included in the funding are 50 undergraduate scholarships and 31 graduate fellowships for students at 36 colleges and universities in 23 states—from Boise State to Virginia Tech. (The full list of schools is available online.)

Each scholarship provides $7,500 to help cover education costs for the upcoming year, while the three-year fellowship provides $52,000 per year to help pay for graduate studies and research. Fellowships also include $5,000 to fund an internship at a DOE national laboratory or other approved research facility to bolster the ties between students and the DOE’s energy research programs.

Investment advice: “Nuclear is going to play a critical role in America’s clean energy future, which means it’s more important than ever that we invest in this brain trust,” said energy secretary Jennifer Granholm. “Today’s whip-smart students are going to power tomorrow’s cutting-edge solutions, and I can’t wait to see where they take us.”

Backdrop: Since its establishment in 2009, the DOE’s Nuclear Energy University Program, or NEUP, has awarded nearly 850 scholarships and fellowships through its Integrated University Program, totaling approximately $50 million. Eight former fellowship winners are now university professors engaged in nuclear energy–related research, and one was competitively awarded an Office of Nuclear Energy research and development award in fiscal year 2020, according to NEUP.


Related Articles