Brigham Wilson, an undergraduate researcher at the Information and Decision Algorithms Laboratories at Brigham Young University, has been awarded a 2010 Science, Mathematics and Research for Transformation Fellowship by the U.S. Department of Defense.
The SMART Fellowship provides full tuition, book allowance, health insurance, a living stipend and a summer internship. This highly selective national program supports individuals who demonstrate an aptitude and interest in conducting theoretical and applied research.
Wilson is an economics and mathematics double major. He will be starting a master’s program in computer science at BYU this fall, where he will continue his research with BYU computer science professor Sean Warnick in the IDeA Labs. The Air Force Headquarters A9 Directorate, Analysis and Assessments, in Washington, D.C., has offered Wilson a position after he completes his master’s degree.
Under Warnick’s supervision, Wilson completed an honors thesis titled “Forecasting Political Instability: Control-Theoretic Modeling of International Conflict.” Wilson is completing an internship with the Computation Institute at the University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory.
The Department of Defense established the SMART program to support undergraduate and graduate students pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines. The program aims to increase the number of civilian scientists and engineers working at Department of Defense laboratories.
BYU’s Computer Science Department’s IDeA Labs is unique in its focus on dynamic systems, control and optimization as a foundation for studying a wide variety of complex phenomena. Top students from across the university find a home for their research interests in business, life sciences, engineering or government. As a result, IDeA Labs is an incubator for students from a variety of technical majors to launch into careers or top programs of their choice.
For more information, contact the Computer Science Department at (801) 422-3027.
Writer: Brandon Garrett
