Electrical engineering student awarded Department of Defense SMART Scholarship

Jun 16, 2025

By Mariah Lucas

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Micah Haack, a doctoral student in electrical engineering in the Penn State College of Engineering, has been awarded the U.S. Department of Defense Science, Mathematics and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship.  

The SMART Scholarship-for-Service Program awards undergraduate and graduate students in science, technology, engineering and math fields full tuition for up to five years, along with mentorship, summer internships, an annual stipend of $30,000 to $46,000 and guaranteed post-graduate civilian employment with the Department of Defense. Haack was awarded two-and-a-half years of funding through SMART and plans to graduate in December 2027.

During the summer internships, students are paired with experienced mentors at a U.S. defense research facility to enhance their technical expertise and receive hands-on experience in their field. During the summer months and after graduation for a minimum of two-and-a-half years, Haack will work at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Dahlgren, Virginia.     

Haack’s research in the Computational Electromagnetics and Antennas Research Laboratory (CEARL) led by Doug Werner, the John L. and Genevieve H. McCain Chair Professor of Electrical Engineering, centers on optimization techniques and antenna and metamaterial design within electromagnetics. Specifically, Haack researches directed energy applications — such as laser or microwave energy — for defense applications, which he will continue while at Dahlgren.

“A major need in defense is the development of non-lethal engagement options, which warfighters have routinely requested more options for,” Haack explained. “Electromagnetics can provide valuable options for non-lethal engagement, and the group that I will join at Dahlgren researches high-power directed energy systems in intermediate force applications and vehicle and vessel stopping. These systems are vital for defense for both military and civilian facilities at home and in foreign countries. By contributing to this research, I can help provide a safer environment for people worldwide.”

Haack was born in Montana but lived most of his life in Hendersonville, North Carolina, and graduated from high school from the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics. He received a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, with minors in computer science and physics, from Grove City College in 2021 before joining Penn State as a graduate student in summer 2021.

“Micah is an exceptionally driven and talented researcher whose work in electromagnetics and directed energy technologies is innovative and impactful,” Werner said. “His selection for the SMART Scholarship is a well-deserved recognition of his dedication to advancing critical defense technologies, and I have no doubt that he will make significant contributions at Dahlgren and beyond.”