Martin Naughton, long a generous benefactor to the University, has established a fund for an exchange program between graduate students in science and engineering at Notre Dame and Trinity College Dublin. This spring, the program will invite its first students to join the program for the 2009-2010 academic year.
The new program will be highly competitive. It will enable top-ranked, advanced students to experience international education at one of Ireland’s leading universities and at the University of Notre Dame in three broad areas of study:
- Biomedical sciences and bioengineering
- Energy-related research
- Nanoscience and technology
Naughton exchange students will work directly with international teams of scholars in one of these three fields. Each student will spend one or two years of his or her doctoral program at the host institution while working on a doctoral degree from the home institution.
The program will provide a nationally competitive stipend for four or five years, plus a supplement for living expenses for the one to two years the student is at the host institution
In establishing the exchange program, Martin Naughton said: “Having witnessed how education transforms lives and the incredible benefits of overseas study, this is the area on which I wish to focus. The study of new sciences and technologies are essential to the prosperity of society. It will be a tremendous benefit for our talented Irish and American students to have both a European and American qualification from leading universities on both sides of the Atlantic.”
Originally published by at graduateschool.nd.edu on February 13, 2009.