Penn State's "Graduate Engineering Education Fellowship for Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities" (GEE) program aims to educate new engineering PhDs and prepare them for academic careers. This program has the unique feature of a phased recruitment leading to a university/industry/government partnership and a steady state program after NSF support ends. Fellows will receive a financial support package and enroll in PhD programs in the College of Engineering or the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. In addition to taking courses, preparing for candidacy exams, and writing dissertations, fellows will participate in an organized development program that includes research, teaching, mentoring, networking, professional development, and professional society activities. Dissertation research will take place in departmental programs and laboratories, interdisciplinary centers, or intercollege programs. Throughout the program the progress of the fellows will be studied and evaluated. A variety of institutional and non-NSF support will be provided for the fellows.
