EPSCoR Graduate Fellowship Program (EGFP): STEM PhD Production at the University of Alabama in Huntsville

The National Science Foundation (NSF) EPSCoR Graduate Fellowship Program (EGFP) supports EGFP designated institutions and programs in EPSCoR jurisdictions by providing funding for graduate fellowships for new or continuing EGFP-eligible applicants. EPSCoR awards support a total of three years of stipend and associated cost-of-education (COE) allowance for each NSF EPSCoR Graduate Fellow. This award at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) will support fifteen EPSCoR Graduate Fellows with funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) EPSCoR Graduate Fellowship Program (EGFP). This support is aligned with goals and programs within NSFs Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE), the Directorate for Engineering (ENG), the Directorate for Geosciences (GEO), and the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS). It seeks to increase the number of doctorates awarded in six signature UAH STEM fields. These fields are Astronomy & Astrophysics, Helio physics & Low-Temperature Plasmas, Atmospheric Sciences, the Mechanics of Materials & Structures for Aerospace Systems, Engineering Design & Systems Engineering, and Computing & AI. The expertise and natural networking provided by the UAH/Huntsville research environment will help Fellows transition successfully into the workforce, regardless of whether this transition leads to academia, the government, or the private sector which are in unique abundance in the Huntsville area. UAH is directly involved with maintaining critical partnerships between academia, government, and industry, supporting the research and education infrastructure, and supporting national security and the defense industry, which all directly benefit society. Further increasing STEM-Ph.D. production with full-time domestic students at UAH thus strengthens these partnerships and helps contribute to the Nation’s interests, including security, while also helping to maintain the economic competitiveness of North Alabama and the Tennessee Valley technology corridor. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.