Samuel Cogar, a doctoral student in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at the University of Delaware, has been awarded a highly competitive National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship to support his work over the next three years.

The fellowship, awarded by the Department of Defense to selected students pursuing a doctoral degree in one of 15 specified disciplines, provides financial support, including tuition costs. This year, the NDSEG awarded 180 fellowships from among about 3,200 applicants across the United States.

Cogar, who started graduate studies in fall 2015, is conducting research in computational methods for inverse scattering, a field that is one of the flagship research areas in UD’s math department.

He began his undergraduate career at the U.S. Naval Academy but later realized, he said, that he could better serve his country by conducting defense-related research.

After transferring and graduating from Marshall University, Cogar chose UD for graduate school because of its expertise in applied mathematics. He is working with David Colton and Peter Monk, both Unidel Professors of Mathematical Sciences and noted experts in the theory of inverse scattering.

Cogar explained that inverse scattering uses waves to determine the shape and other characteristics of a distant or unknown object.

“For example, there’s an object out there that you don’t know much about,” he said. “You can shoot acoustic or electromagnetic waves at it, and from the way they bounce back, you can learn more. There are a lot of applications for this in sonar and radar, which is why the military is interested.”

Inverse scattering is also highly useful for nondestructive testing, in which materials can be evaluated for various characteristics while remaining intact and undamaged.

Cogar said his eventual career plans could involve working in a national research lab, in academia or elsewhere, but his motivation hasn’t changed since he first enrolled at the Naval Academy.

“I have many friends who serve in the military, who sacrifice a lot for all of us, and if I could do something that would help them, that would be great,” he said. “The job I wanted to do changed — from being a naval officer to being a researcher — but not my reason for doing it. I want to go where I can do the most good.”

About the NDSEG

The National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship is a highly competitive, portable fellowship that allows recipients to attend whichever U.S. institution they choose.

The fellowship program was established 22 years ago as part of the Department of Defense’s commitment to increasing the number and quality of U.S. scientists and engineers.

The program is sponsored by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the Army Research Office, the High Performance Computing Modernization Program and the Office of Naval Research, all under the direction of the director of Defense Research and Engineering.