Sommer is from Columbus, Georgia and has been studying at Georgia Tech since the fall of 2016. He is working with Professor Farzad Rahnema on developing improvements to current coarse mesh transport algorithms employed to model nuclear reactor cores both current and experimental. His goal after completing his studies is to work in the Department of Energy's network of national labs or in the nuclear energy field.
"This award will give me the means to achieve this goal, as well as perform further research to increase the competitiveness of American nuclear power," said Sommer.
Through the Integrated University Program, the U.S. Department of Energy is awarding more than $5 million in undergraduate scholarships and graduate fellowships to students pursuing nuclear engineering degrees and other nuclear science and engineering programs relevant to nuclear energy. The awards include 42 scholarships and 34 fellowships for students at U.S. colleges and universities. Through this program, undergraduates will receive a $7,500 to help cover education costs for the upcoming year, while the three-year graduate fellowship provides $52,000 each year to help pay for graduate studies and research. Fellowships also include $5,000 to fund an internship at a U.S. national laboratory or other approved research facility to strengthen the ties between students and DOE's energy research programs.
Since 2009, DOE has awarded close to 800 scholarships and fellowships totaling approximately $44 million to students pursuing nuclear energy-related degrees.