Advanced Simulation and Training Fellowships   Administered by the Institute for Simulation & Training at the University of Central Florida

The Link Foundation awards up to five fellowships to qualified doctoral students in academic institutions per year, with each grant totaling $25,000 to support students while they complete their dissertation research. This program, in place since 1990, has awarded fellowships—approximately $1.3 million worth—to qualifying doctoral students studying in the simulation and training field at U.S. and Canadian universities. No limitations have been placed on citizenship. Edwin Link's most famous invention was a ground-based simulator used for training aircraft pilots. This fellowship continues to support research in the field of flight training, but its scope has been expanded to a variety of non-aviation applications, some of which are listed below. The research proposed in these applications must still embody the objective and characteristics found in the original flight training simulator; i.e., the training and preparation of individuals to perform in complex, interactive, real-time environments. Thus the emphasis must continue to be on training rather than education, and on simulation for training purposes rather than for design-development or product-research purposes. Applications that require the training of operators, and could benefit from new and/or improved simulation techniques, include: A variety of vehicle types: airborne  (piloted and/or UAVs); spacecraft; ground-based; and marine. Medicine/Healthcare procedures: various forms of surgery; other less invasive procedures; operation of complex medical tools and equipment; training of handicapped patients to operate support equipment; and patient/doctor interactions. Military personnel (other than vehicle crews): Command and Control staff; soldiers in potentially hostile environments; logistics operations. Security and Emergency operations: coordination of first responders; triage techniques; and recognition of threat situations.

Objectives

To foster advanced level study in simulation and training research; to enhance and expand the theoretical and practical knowledge of how to train the operators and users of complex systems and how to simulate the real-world environments in which they function; and to disseminate the results of that research through lectures, seminars, and publications.

The Awards: Doctoral Student Awards

On the basis of an application in the form of a research proposal, the Link Foundation awards up to five fellowships to qualified doctoral students in academic institutions. A grant totaling $25,000 will be awarded. A Link Foundation fellowship provides funding primarily for a graduate stipend of $21,500. An additional $2,500 is designated for expenses associated with the fellow's research; the remaining $1,000 is to help defray publication costs of the student's research results and/or to support the fellow's attendance at technical meetings.

The recipient university will provide tuition support, if needed, from institutional resources as a condition of accepting the fellowship. Other charges not allowed include: summer salary or other compensation for the research director, pooled or overhead costs, and salary for support staff (e.g., secretarial or clerical help). The fellow is to be enrolled full time with no teaching obligations and no research obligations to sponsors other than the Link Foundation for the duration of the award.

If a student does not expend the full amount of an awarded fellowship, either because the student completes work toward their degree in less time than the full duration of the fellowship or because the student withdraws from their degree program, unexpended funds will be returned to the fellowship program manager's institution in an amount pro-rated based on the fraction of the fellowship tenure during which the student was actively working on Link-supported research.

The fellowship program is administered by the Institute for Simulation and Training.

Basis for Awards

The applicant should be working full-time towards a degree in an established doctoral program at a  U.S. or Canadian institution. The applicant should have advanced to candidacy and the proposed research should be part of the Ph.D. dissertation requirement.

The applicant must submit a proposal that includes

• A completed Application Form


• A 500-word essay that places the research in the context of current activities in the field.


• Project objectives, timeline and projected budget for use of the fellowship in accordance with Link Foundation guidelines (see "Objectives" and "The Awards..." sections, above).


• Two letters of recommendation, one of which must be from the dean and the other from the applicant’s Ph.D. advisor. The dean’s letter must include verification that there are adequate facilities for the applicant's research, specifically include a statement that acknowledges that “the university will provide tuition support, if needed, from institutional resources as a condition of accepting the fellowship,” and provide a description of the equipment applicant will use. One of the letters must include verification that the applicant is a full-time Ph.D. student, has advanced to candidacy, and that the proposed research will lead to completion of the applicant’s dissertation.


• Two additional letters of recommendation (professional or educational).


• A current resume.

Preference will be shown to proposals dealing directly with simulation and training and explore ideas not yet fully tested.

While in the past most fellowships have come from engineering and computer science departments, we encourage applicants from other disciplines to apply with innovative simulation modeling and training ideas.

Application Form

Application Form Available...
Online		Application Form in HTML Format
Mail		Link Foundation Fellowship Forms Request Marybeth Thompson Institute for Simulation and Training University of Central Florida 3100 Technology Parkway Orlando, Florida 32826-0544 FAX: (407) 882-1335
E-Mail		thompson@ist.ucf.edu

Timetable

• Fellowship Applications Due: January 16
• Fellowship Applicants Notified: March
• Financial Award sent to home institution: July 1
• Period of use of the grant: July 1 to June 30 the following year
• Report to the Link Foundation: September following completion of the grant

The Awardees for 2011-2012

• Tricia Gibo - Johns Hopkins University
• Kevin Lister - University of Maryland
• Enilda Romero - Old Dominion University

Background

The Link Trainer, invented by Mr. Link in 1929, was the first successful flight simulator and truly a pioneer engineering effort that started a whole new field of endeavor. Simulation is on the brink of further major developments in many new fields where operators use complex systems.

The Advanced Simulation & Training Program was put in place by the foundation in 1990 and the first awards made in 1991. Grants of $25,000 are awarded by a selection committee to qualifying doctoral students. Through 2011-12 the Foundation has made 90 awards. The Foundation intends to continue the program as the simulation and training field develops.

1991-92 Joe Dumas / University of Central Florida
1992-93 Julia Carrington / University of Central Florida
1992-93 Ginger Watson-Papelis / University of Iowa
1993-94 Michael Bajura / North Carolina University
1993-94 Eric Foxlin / Massachusetts Institute of Technology
1993-94 Gary R. Geroge / Binghamton University
1993-94 Matthew P. Reed / University of Michigan
1993-94 Benjamin A. Watson / Georgia Institute of Technology
1993-94 Ronald J. Guckenberger / University of Central Florida
1993-94 Henry A. Nelson / University of Central Florida
1993-94 Carl Muller / University of North Carolina / Chapel Hill
1994-95 Kurt M. Joseph / Kansas State University
1994-95 Mark R. Mine / University of North Carolina
1994-95 James R. Otto / University of Kentucky
1994-95 Jim Chen / University of Central Florida
1995-96 Ellen Bass / Georgia Institute of Technology
1995-96 Jonathan Cohen / University of North Carolina
1995-96 Doreen Comerford / Kansas State University
1995-96 Curtis Lisle / University of Central Florida
1995-96 Hans Weber / University of North Carolina
1995-96 Donna Wilt / Florida Institute of Technology
1996-97 Robert A. Glaser / University of Massachusetts
1996-97 Leslie L. Heimenz / Ohio State University
1996-97 Mark C. Kilby / University of Central Florida
1996-97 William R. Mark / University of North Carolina
1996-97 Ellen Scher Zagier / University of North Carolina
1996-97 Douglas A. Peterson / University of South Dakota
1997-98 Robert Franceschini / University of Central Florida
1997-98 Barry Kelly / Binghamton University
1997-98 Darren Law / University of Central Florida
1997-98 Mark Livingston / University of North Carolina
1997-98 Glenn Martin / University of Central Florida
1997-98 Carol Chensey / University of Florida
1997-98 Michael Downs / University of California / Berkeley
1998-99 Matthew Cutts / University of North Carolina
1998-99 Kenneth Graham / University of Alabama
1998-99 Jeff Jacobson / University of Pittsburgh
1998-99 Ramesh Raskar / University of North Carolina
1998-99 Andrew Thall / University of North Carolina
1999-00 William Foss / University of Central Florida
1999-00 William Gerber / University of Central Florida
1999-00 Peter Lindstrom / Georgia Institute of Technology
1999-00 Margaret Loper / Georgia Institute of Technology
1999-00 Gopi Meenakshisundaram / University of North Carolina
1999-00 Peter Sulatycke / Binghamton University
2000-01 Pedro Claudio / University of Central Florida
2000-01 Brent Insko / University of North Carolina / Chapel Hill
2000-01 Aditi Majumder / University of North Carolina / Chapel Hill
2000-01 Voicu Prpescu / University of North Carolina / Chapel Hill
2000-01 Robert Telban / Binghamton University
2001-02 Andrew Brooks / Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2001-02 Wei-Chao Chen / University of North Carolina
2001-02 Jatin Chhugani / Johns Hopkins University
2001-02 Benjamin Lok / University of North Carolina
2002-03 William Baxter, III/ University of North Carolina
2002-03 Jose Castro Mora / University of Central Florida
2002-03 Kim Hammel / University of Massachusetts
2002-03 Sang-Uok Kum / University of North Carolina
2002-03 Ruigang Yang / University of North Carolina
2003-04 Jason Corso / Johns Hopkins University
2003-04 Gilbert Barrett / University of Central Florida
2003-04 Felix Hamza-Lup / University of Central Florida
2003-04 Shuangbao Wang / George Mason University
2004-05 Jernej Barbic - Carnegie Mellon University
2004-05 Cali Fidopiastis - University of Central Florida
2004-05 Yiping Guo - University of Central Florida
2004-05 Cristian Luciano - University of Illinois – Chicago
2005-06 Eric Burns - University of North Carolina
2005-06 Terranoot Chanthasopeephan - Drexel University
2005-06 Juan Cui - George Mason University
2005-06 Anand Santhanam - University of Central Florida
2006-07 Jason Jerald - University of North Carolina
2006-07 Henry Lin - Johns Hopkins University
2006-07 Adrien Treuille - University of Washington
2007-08 Sarthak Misra - Johns Hopkins University
2007-08 Ozan Cakmakci - University of Central Florida
2007-08 Robb Lindgren - Stanford University
2007-08 Victor Hung - University of Central Florida
2008-09 Hassan Rivaz - Johns Hopkins University
2008-09 Tabitha Peck - University of North Carolina
2008-09 John Quarles - University of Florida
2008-09 Ilhan Kaya - University of Central Florida
2009-10 Elena Eribiceanu - University of Central Florida
2009-10 Zachary Pezzementi - Johns Hopkins University
2010-11 Luv Kohli - University of North Carolina
2010-11 Daniel Mirota - Johns Hopkins University
2010-11 Amy Blank - Johns Hopkins University
2011-12 Tricia Gibo - Johns Hopkins University
2011-12 Kevin Lister - University of Maryland
2011-12 Enilda Romero - Old Dominion University

 

Notice of Non-discrimination
The University of Central Florida is committed to a policy of non-discrimination on the basis of race, sex, national origin, disability, religion, age or other nonmerit reasons, in admissions, educational programs or activities, and employment, all as required by applicable laws and regulations. Responsibility for coordination of compliance efforts and receipt of inquiries, including those concerning Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, has been delegated to Janet Balanoff, Director, Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Program, UCF, Orlando, Florida 32816.