DREaM Scholars

Interested in becoming a DREaM Scholar?

We are looking for students at the undergrad, master’s, and doctoral levels to become DREaM Scholars. A vast lineup of potential Army and DoD careers are offered, along with open applications to compete in the DoD SMART Scholarship.

Our approach involves four simple stages: Recruit, Engage, Retain, and Promote. We will:

• Recruit students from several nearby institutions to become DREaM Scholars. 
• Engage students in defense-related experiences through various activities, including:
  • Visiting the DEVCOM Soldier Center;
  • Attending organized seminars on defense-related topics, hosted at JSNN (virtually and in-person) to raise awareness regarding high-impact research careers at the DEVCOM Soldier Center and other Army/DoD labs;
  • Active familiarization with soldier-focused research through joining an ICONS research team and virtually attending their monthly team meetings; 
  • Preparing and submitting the DoD SMART Scholarship application.
• Retain DREaM Scholars through a mentorship and career-exploration process, in which we identify multiple mentors in the form of an expert faculty member, a peer graduate student, and a DEVCOM Soldier Center researcher (the core of each ICONS research project.) A JSNN mentor and a Soldier Center SMART Program mentor are likewise included.
• Promote the hiring of DREaM Scholars for summer internships and future employment at the DEVCOM Soldier Center, other DEVCOM Centers, and DoD laboratories. This will be facilitated through year-long mentor interactions established between DREaM Scholars and DEVCOM Soldier Center researchers.