Engineering Students Show Smarts in Earning SMART Scholarships

Two University of Texas at Dallas students have been awarded Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) scholarships from the Department of Defense.

Computer engineering doctoral student Victoria Gammenthaler BS’23 and mechanical engineering senior Kevin Dinh, both students in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, received the scholarship.

The SMART Scholarship-for-Service Program provides full tuition for up to five years, mentorship, summer internships, a stipend and guaranteed employment after graduation.

Gammenthaler has received an internship scheduled for the summer of 2026 at the Naval Information Warfare Center Atlantic in Hanahan, South Carolina.

“The scholarship provides an amazing opportunity to work with mentors and advance research specific to my field,” she said.

Gammenthaler said she became interested in programming when she took a robotics class in middle school. She earned her bachelor’s degree in computer engineering at UTD and now is a researcher in the Design Automation and Reconfigurable Computing Laboratory (DARClab). In the lab, she works on electronic design automation, which involves developing tools and methodologies to make it easier to design complex integrated circuits.

Dr. Benjamin Carrion Schaefer, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering and assistant dean for graduate student success who leads the DARClab, said Gammenthaler is investigating how large language models like ChatGPT can be leveraged for integrated circuit design.

“Victoria has made good progress and recently had her very first academic paper accepted for publication,” Carrion Schaefer said.

Dinh already has accepted a job at the Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific in Philadelphia, where he will begin after he graduates next year. He said he became interested in working on ships after getting involved in RoboSub UTD, a student organization that designs, builds and programs remote-operated vehicles.

Dinh said his experience with RoboSub has given him direction on the type of career he wants to pursue.

“RoboSub looked like a pretty fun club, and getting involved with the organization has changed a lot for me and created new doors in both my life and career,” he said.

Dinh said his experience with the organization was instrumental to being awarded the scholarship.

“During my interview, they were very interested in my work with RoboSub,” Dinh said. “That’s all we talked about.”

Dinh has been working on a gear system to allow a vessel’s robotic arm to rotate and twist.

“It feels amazing to have this opportunity,” Dinh said. “Now that I have a job after graduation, I don’t have to worry as much. I can focus on school and help out with my club.”

Dr. Yonas Tadesse, professor of mechanical engineering and faculty advisor to RoboSub, said students involved in the group dedicate their own time and take ownership of the club.

“We are very proud of Kevin for being awarded a SMART scholarship,” Tadesse said. “RoboSub gives students the opportunity to apply concepts they learn in classes to work on complex challenges in underwater robotics. It’s exciting when students, like Kevin, are recognized for their hard work and achievements in the organization.”