College of Engineering News

Chemical Engineering and Materials Science Receives GAANN Fellowship Funding

Posted on: October 7, 2009

The Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science (CHMS) has received a U.S. Department of Education GAANN Award (Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need) to enhance graduate education. The award provides fellowships totaling $174,208 a year for 3 years, with a match of an additional 25 percent of the total from UC Davis. It supports five graduate students who are citizens or permanent residents, have superior ability, demonstrate financial need and are pursuing the highest degree available in their course of study.

“There are not enough chemical engineers and materials scientists being trained,” says Roland Faller, associate professor of chemical engineering and materials science and the PI for the grant. “The GAANN allows us to take on people who are not from a chemical engineering background but who have similar training, like chemists, for example.” The GAANN funding makes possible any additional training to bring such candidates up to speed in chemical engineering before they begin projects with their faculty supervisors. Each student will receive GAANN fellowship funding for a year and will thereafter be supported by the research funding of their professor.

An important function of the GAANN award is preparing the recipients to teach. During their tenure at UC Davis, the recipients will work as teaching assistants and will guest teach at a community college to experience preparing classes.

“This is a significant amount of money that really enables us to grow our program,” Faller says. “It provides flexibility for the students and for the department.”

CHMS is the only College of Engineering department to receive a GAANN award this year; the department previously received such fellowship funding during the period from 2003 to 2009.

Department Chair Bob Powell noted, “Our success in competing for GAANN grants is a clear indication of our commitment to increasing excellence and diversity.”

The five new graduate students receiving GAANN fellowship support are Lucas Parent, Caroline Kim, Joseph Kistler, Shaun Orr and Jacob Wolf.