Hertz Foundation

Fannie and John Hertz Foundation
Founded 1957
Founder Fannie and John Hertz
Focus Applied Science and Engineering
Location
Area served
United States
Method Ph.D. Fellowships
Key people
 Robbee Baker Kosak, President
David J. Galas, Ph.D., Chairman of the Board
Thomas Weaver, Ph.D., Senior Fellowship Interviewer
Website http://www.hertzfoundation.org

The Fannie and John Hertz Foundation is an American non-profit organization that awards fellowships to Ph.D. students in the applied physical, biological and engineering sciences. It is considered to be the most competitive and prestigious graduate fellowship in science and engineering. The fellowship provides $250,000 of support over five years. The goal is for Fellows to be financially independent and free from traditional restrictions of their academic departments in order to promote innovation in collaboration with leading professors in the field. Through a rigorous application and interview process, the Hertz Foundation seeks to identify young scientists and engineers with the potential to change the world for the better and supports their research endeavors from an early stage. Fellowship recipients pledge to make their skills available to the United States in times of national emergency.

History

The Hertz Foundation was established in 1957 with the goal of supporting applied sciences education. The founder, John D. Hertz, was a European emigrant whose family arrived in the United States with few resources, when the boy was five years old. Hertz matured into a prominent entrepreneur and business leader as the automotive age burgeoned in Chicago. Initially, the Foundation granted undergraduate scholarships to qualified and financially limited mechanical and electrical engineering students. In 1963, the undergraduate scholarship program was phased out and replaced with postgraduate fellowships leading to the award of the Ph.D. The scope of the studies supported by Fellowships was also enlarged to include applied sciences and engineering. Recipients of the Hertz Fellowship typically attend competitive graduate schools such as Stanford, Harvard, MIT, Caltech, Princeton University, and UC Berkeley.

Competitiveness

For the 2015-2016 academic year, over 800 applied for 12 spots, giving it an acceptance rate of 1.5% or about a quarter of that of top undergraduate institutions.

Eligibility and application

To be eligible for a Hertz Fellowships, a student must be citizen or permanent resident of the United States of America. Eligible applicants must be students of the applied sciences or engineering and desire to pursue a Ph.D. degree in the applied sciences or engineering. College seniors as well as graduate students already pursuing a Ph.D. may apply.

The application period opens on 1 September, when electronic applications are made available by the Hertz Foundation. All Fellowship applicants are notified by mail of the Foundation's action on their application on or before 1 April.

Notable Hertz Fellows


In 2007, three of MIT Technology Review's TR35 young innovators were Hertz Fellows, with two more in 2009 and another in 2010.

Thesis Prize Winners

The Hertz Foundation requires that each Fellow furnish the Foundation a copy of his or her doctoral dissertation upon receiving the Ph.D. The Foundation's Thesis Prize Committee examines the Ph.D. dissertations for their overall excellence and pertinence to high-impact applications of the physical sciences. Each Thesis Prize winner receives an honorarium of at least $1000. In addition, two faculty members who profoundly influenced the winner (as designated by the Thesis Winners) also receive honoraria.

References

  1. ↑ Saijel Kishan (1 October 2015). "Two Sigma Hires Google's Spector as Chief Technology Officer". Bloomberg.com.
  2. ↑ "Office of the President".

External links

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