Thomas Ryan awarded SMART Scholarship to support his studies on defense technologies

Thomas Ryan, an undergrad studying Electrical Engineering, has been awarded a Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship from the Department of Defense (DoD). This scholarship supports students pursuing STEM degrees that help further the DoD’s mission to create a lasting impact.

“I’ve always wanted to design military systems,” Ryan said. “Weaponry is hitting a major turning point as IoT technology, networking, autonomous systems, and smart devices are colliding with conventional designs, and I want to redefine military capabilities professionally.”

Last summer, Ryan worked for the defense contractor CACI, where he helped develop a tool in Matlab for Link Budget Analysis. He’s assisted with RF research by impedance matching reciprocal and active networks, and he’s also working on developing an application for inductive power transfer.

“My parents and grandparents on both sides served in the armed forces, and I grew up seeing firsthand the sacrifices that our service members make,” Ryan said. “A career with the DoD through SMART will enable me to directly support their mission in my capacity as an engineer.”

Ryan is interested in opportunities offered through SMART, such as the Picatinny Armament Engineering Graduate School After he completes his undergraduate degree, he plans to earn his master’s in Electrical Engineering.