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$500,000 in DHS funding provides career development grants through FAZD Center

The Department of Homeland Security has approved a special $500,000 grant to fund a new FAZD Center program that will provide career development grants to encourage the interdisciplinary education required to launch a career in homeland security.

The grant will allow the FAZD Center to leverage an existing HS-STEM Career Development Program that provides financial educational support to undergraduates and graduate students on a transparent, competitive basis. For example, the DHS grants may provide support for students who enroll in the Masters of Preventative Veterinary Medicine programs at Texas A&M University or the University of California, Davis, both of which are core partners in the FAZD Center.

HS-STEM is an acronym standing for for "homeland security related science, technology, engineering and mathematics."

The program will also provide students with opportunities for international studies, access to facilities generally not open to students (such as Plum Island Animal Disease Center), and exposure to world class scientific and educational leadership.

The overall goal is to establish a very high probability for desirable employment of graduating students in a wide range of fields within government, academia and the private sector.

Partner institutions and program for which qualified student applicants will be eligible to be recipients include:

  • Texas A&M University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Integrative Biosciences, Masters of Preventative Veterinary Medicine program, among others.
  • University of California, Davis, College of Veterinary Medicine, Masters of Preventative Veterinary Medicine program.
  • Texas A&M University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Departments of Pathobiology and Microbiology and Immunology.
  • University of California, Davis, College of Veterinary Medicine, Departments of Population, Health and Reproduction, Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology; Center for Animal Disease Modeling and Surveillance (CADMS).
  • University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) at Galveston, Department of Pathobiology, the Sealy Center for Vaccine Development, and the Western Regional Center of Excellence for Biodefense.
  • Texas A&M University, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Departments of Agricultural Economics, Biochemistry, Poultry Science, and Rangeland Ecology and Management.
  • University of Southern California, Information Sciences Institute.
  • Georgetown University, Imaging Science and Information System Center.
  • Texas A&M Kingsville (an Hispanic Serving Institution).

Minimal qualifications for a student applicant are:

  • U.S. citizenship.
  • A cumulative GPA of 3.30 or higher on a 4.0 scale, averaged over all academic terms, which must be maintained during the grant period.
  • Major in a priority HS-STEM field.
  • Attending the annual DHS Scholars and Fellow Orientation meeting in Washington.
  • Complete the application form, including essay questions.
  • Apply through the FAZD Center and subsequently through the graduate school of the desired institution.
  • Interview with an advisory committee and obtain a faculty mentor.
  • Willingness to sign an award contract with a one-year commitment to employment in a HS-STEM occupation that is not funded by DHS.

For more information, contact Dr. Thomas F. Powdrill at TFPowdrill@ag.tamu.edu