What is the NSF IGERT Program?

The IGERT program has been developed to meet the challenges of educating U.S. Ph.D. scientists and engineers who will pursue careers in research and education, with the interdisciplinary backgrounds, deep knowledge in chosen disciplines, and technical, professional, and personal skills to become, in their own careers, leaders and creative agents for change. The program is intended to catalyze a cultural change in graduate education, for students, faculty, and institutions, by establishing innovative new models for graduate education and training in a fertile environment for collaborative research that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries. It is also intended to facilitate diversity in student participation and preparation, and to contribute to the development of a diverse, globally-engaged, science and engineering workforce.

What are the goals of the Pittsburgh IGERT Sustainable Engineering Fellowship program?

·         To train graduate engineers to routinely incorporate sustainability into new engineering designs;

·    To educate graduate engineers to appreciate the diversity in sustainable design across countries and cul­tures so that they can effectively operate in an international context;

·    To create sustainable products and processes, especially for the construction and water collection/purification industries, thus enhancing the design options of architects, designers, and planners

Do I have to be a US citizen to apply?

Yes, you must be a US citizen or permanent resident to be considered for an IGERT fellowship.

What is the typical monetary award of the IGERT traineeship?

All IGERT fellows receive an annual stipend of $30,000 stipend and full tuition coverage for 3 years.

How does a candidate apply for the IGERT fellowship?

Applying for an IGERT fellowship is a 3 step process:

1. Fill out the IGERT electronic application form: http://www.engr.pitt.edu/msi/form.html

2. Send an official copy of your transcripts to: The Mascaro Sustainability Initiative, University of Pittsburgh, 1140 Benedum Hall, Pittsburgh PA 15261

3. Complete the standard application process for graduate studies at the University of Pittsburgh School of Engineering.  Click here for the on-line application form.  http://www.pitt.edu/~graduate/apply.html

How will students be prepared for their research rotation in Brazil?

In order for the IGERT Fellows to more effectively study, research and live in Brazil for an ex­tended period of time, they will take three semesters of Brazilian Portuguese and a one semester IGERT seminar which will introduce Fellows to the economic, political, social, and cultural aspects of Latin America in general and Brazil in particular.  

Does my undergraduate degree need to be from a specific engineering department?

No, we have participating faculty from all seven engineering departments. 

Can I apply if I have an undergraduate science degree?

Yes, we encourage you to apply.  Although there may be some additional course requirements. 

Why were green construction and sustainable water use selected as the research focus areas?

By focusing on green construction and sustainable water use, we will be finding solutions to problems that require a broad range of disciplines.  Further, these areas offer a rich range of projects that are tech­nical challenging, require broad, fundamental knowledge and have long-term implications.  Finally, the technology advances that our students create will benefit the quality of life directly.  There is clearly a need for such a program since there are only a relatively small number of graduate programs in sustain­able engineering in the US, and few of them focus on green construction. Even fewer provide an interna­tional research experience for engineering graduate students.  

Why is a capstone design course required?

Unlike undergraduate engineering education, most graduate programs do not include a capstone design course. However, because sustainable design is by nature interdisciplinary, and sustainability is not typi­cally incorporated as a constraint in undergraduate design, we have constructed a two-semester, inter-disciplinary, team based capstone design sequence that will be taken by all students in our program.  The course will require researching a significant problem and will build upon the students’ acquired engineering knowledge.  The capstone courses will reinforce the community-building aspect of the IGERT, since students will work in teams both at Pitt and UNICAMP.  

How will student advisors be selected?

The research interests of the associated Pitt and UNICAMP faculty are very broad, providing students with numerous possibilities for thesis topics. IGERT Fellows will choose co-advisors, at least one each from Pitt and UNICAMP; once students have identified their general area of interest, meetings with their co-advisors will serve to focus on a specific project or research theme. Use of video conferencing for meetings with student’s co-advisors will allow for a seamless research transition between Pittsburgh and Sao Paolo (where the IGERT fellows will spend a full eight months conducting research). To provide maximum flexi­bility, students will be encouraged to choose advisors from any engineering department, regardless of their home department.  

What is the required course sequence?

·         Introduction to Sustainable Engineering

·         Two elective courses that allow students to focus on sustainability within a specialty area (such as ChemE, CivE, IE, or ME)

·         A two-semester Capstone Design Course sequence

·         An IGERT Seminar, devoted to preparing students for their Brazil rotations

·         And three courses of intensive Portuguese language instruction