GER-9553409 Odom An Industry Graduate Research Traineeship Program (IGRT) is described to increase the number and quality of advanced degree graduates in science and engineering who are performing research directly related to industrial interests. The major objectives of this program are to foster increased linkages between academic researchers and their counterparts in industry, and to introduce students to industrial research and development (R&D) as a viable career alternative. These objectives will be accomplished by requiring that the graduate trainees perform at least 50% of their dissertation research on-site in an industrial R&D laboratory. Research faculty who have developed close ties to the private sector will serve as directors of the chosen trainees. The means by which the trainees are recruited, selected, maintained, and evaluated are described. Support for five trainees per year for each of five years is requested from the NSF. The project will be directed by administrative personnel currently serving on the South Carolina State EPSCoR Committee.
