The SMART Scholarship-for-Service Program, administered by the U.S. Department of Defense, provides students with full tuition and a stipend as well as summer internships and employment after they graduate. Credit: Istockphoto: blacklight_trace / :Jetlinerimages
Aerospace engineering graduate students awarded Department of Defense fellowship
Nov 8, 2024
By Mariah Lucas
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Five Penn State aerospace engineering graduate students, including two brothers, were selected for the Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship-for-Service Program, which is administered by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD).
The educational and workforce development opportunity provides students with full tuition and a stipend for up to five years, as well as mentorship, summer internships and full-time civilian employment with the DOD after they graduate.
During their summer internships, SMART scholars work at one of over 200 national laboratories for the Army, Navy, Air Force and other DOD affiliates and gain technical skills to later support the DOD’s national security mission as a civilian employee. Following graduation, students must remain employed with the DOD for as many years as they received the fellowship.
“I am so impressed with the accomplishments of our SMART scholars,” said Amy Pritchett, professor and head of the Department of Aerospace Engineering. “The scholarships are competitive, with only 8% of applications nationwide selected by the DOD. Each of them has already demonstrated creative new ideas in their graduate research worthy of this recognition.”
Below are the awardees:
- Brett Dalrymple, a first-year doctoral student, is advised by Ed Smith, distinguished professor of aerospace engineering. Dalrymple’s research interests include rotor blade design and optimization. This summer, Dalrymple will intern with the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Aviation and Missile Center in Fort Eustis, Virginia. After graduation, Dalrymple will continue working with the DEVCOM Aviation and Missile Center on researching and developing technologies to improve high-speed rotor blades.
- Andrew Glenn, a first-year doctoral student, is advised by Puneet Singla, the Harry and Arlene Schell Professor of Engineering. Glenn is interested in guidance and navigation of aircraft in cislunar space, or the space between the Earth and the moon where the gravitational pull of both must be considered. Glenn will work in the Space Vehicles Directorate at the Air Force Research Laboratory in Albuquerque, New Mexico, during his summer internships and after graduation.
- Ryan Glenn, a third-year doctoral student also advised by Singla, researches state estimation methods. Glenn will work for the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Dahlgren, Virginia, researching the navigation and control of aerospace vehicles during his summer internships and after graduation.
- Colby Medina, a first-year master’s student in aerospace engineering, is advised by Mark Miller, assistant professor of aerospace engineering. Medina is interested in experimental fluid dynamics and aeroacoustics. This summer, Medina will intern at the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) in Carderock, Maryland, where he will work in the Anechoic Flow Facility to help develop advanced noise-reduction technologies for underwater vehicles. After graduation, Colby plans to continue working at NSWC Carderock to research and develop the next generation of submarines.
- Daniel Weitsman, a third-year doctoral student, is advised by Eric Greenwood, assistant professor of aerospace engineering. Weitsman’s primary research focus is in computational and experimental aeroacoustics of rotary-winged systems. Specifically, Weitsman is currently investigating a noise reduction technique for helicopter rotors. During his internship, Weitsman will work with the Experimental Aeromechanics Group in the U.S. Army’s Aviation and Missile Center Technology Development Directorate. After graduation, Weitsman will primarily support the group’s wind tunnel testing and low- to mid-fidelity modelling efforts at the NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.
Ryan (at left) and Andrew Glenn, brothers from Lancaster, both received fellowships from the U.S. Department of Defense for their work in aerospace engineering. Credit: Poornima Tomy/Penn State.
While all five recipients share an interest and aptitude in aerospace engineering, two share something else: a name. Ryan and Andrew Glenn, brothers from Lancaster, attributed their selection for the same fellowship to their mutual interests and background.
“It is always easier to develop an interest if the journey is taken with another,” Ryan said. “We were raised in a tight-knit family, took courses with the same instructors, and participated in similar activities. All those factors increased the likelihood that we would pursue the same field.”
Ryan and Andrew were involved in the student chapter of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics during their time as undergraduate aerospace engineering students at Penn State.
“Though I have been interested in aerospace engineering longer than Ryan, I have benefited from his technical and emotional mentorship,” Andrew said.
Singla, who advises the brothers, noted that they have made important contributions to research in his lab related to the navigation of aircraft in cislunar space and the guidance and navigation of hypersonic vehicles in uncertain environments.
“Both Andrew and Ryan are talented and committed to excellence,” Singla said. “I have interacted with both the brothers from their undergraduate studies at Penn State. I am confident that Andrew and Ryan will contribute immensely to their engineering profession and DOD research endeavors by maintaining their high level of productivity and excellence for many years to come.”
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