Here you will find the application information for the process of applying for fellowship for 2009-2010. This will give you a guideline of the requirements for applying for fellowship.

The UC Davis FCH2V GATE Center of Excellence Fellowship candidates will be evaluated based on academic and professional record, sponsorship of a professor and completion of a twelve month research plan consistent with the goals of the Fuel Cell, Hydrogen and Hybrid Vehicle (FCH2V) Center. The fellowship will cover fees, tuition and provide a stipend of 50% (20 hours/week) during the school year and 100% (40 hours/week) over the summer. The award also includes travel funding for up to one conference paper / presentation (max $1,000 per qualifying conference).

How to Apply:

The candidates will need to provide the items listed below by no later than March 31, 2009. Please submit all the required documents electronically to Annemarie Schaaf (aschaaf@ucdavis.edu). Awards will be decided based on merit by an executive review committee by April 2009 for awards to be granted October 1, 2009.

1. An updated resume including academic and professional experience/accomplishments, publications (indicate peer reviewed journals when relevant).
2. Complete twelve month research plan detailing the research and deliverables you would be working on during your fellowship. The research plan must also include a commitment to meet the reporting requirements and the course requirements of the FCH2V Center. See below for full description of research plan. Page limit = 8 pages.
3. Letter of sponsorship from a participating professor. The letter of sponsorship must indicate that the professor has read and approved your research plan, will act as your primary advisor and will cover a salary portion equivalent to a summer quarter salary (as cost-share) for the fellow position (this may be 2 separate letters). For more information on the cost share requirement, please see the Q&A at http://gate.its.ucdavis.edu/enrollment/fellowshipqa.
4. Current academic transcript.
   

Qualifications/Conditions

Applicants must meet the following qualifications:

• Currently participating or accepted as part of a MS or PhD program within the Transportation Technology and Policy or College of Engineering programs.
• Currently have a 3.5 GPA in your field of study (exceptions granted only under special circumstances)
• Applicant must provide a letter of commitment from a sponsoring professor to provide a cost share to cover the equivalent of a summer salary for the fellow. This will be approximately $8,000 - $10,000 for the period of the fellowship. By U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) requirements, the cost-share portion provided by the Professor must be provided by non-federal funds, see http://gate.its.ucdavis.edu/enrollment/fellowshipqa Section #9.

Research Plan (12 month)

Each application must include a concise but comprehensive research plan that includes the items listed below. The research plan should clearly describe what is expected to be accomplished over the research plan period (October 1, 2009 – September 30, 2010). The research plan must not be any more than eight (8) pages in length.

1. Research plan description

• Statement of the research questions/problems you will be addressing over the research plan period.
• Overall goal of the research.

2. Expected contributions

• Include expected methodological, theoretical, or empirical contributions. (How is your research original, and why it might be valuable)
• How does your research fit in with the overall FCH2V Center?

3. Research Methodology

• What types of methods, programs, and/or analysis you will be using in your research.

4. Literature review

• This can be either base on the papers/books you have reviewed or intend to review.
• If you have neither of the above, list the topic areas of the literature you intend to review.

5. Timeline and Deliverables

• What are the major tasks for your research over the following 12 months and when will they be completed? Please include the semi-annual reports due March 15 2010 (project status report, early research findings), and September 15, 2010 (final project report)
  

6. Interim publications

• List of paper titles you will develop during your program. If known, a list of journals and/or conferences you intend to target.

7. Interaction with other researchers

• Who will you be working with and how will that research complement or integrate with yours.

8. Personal Education Plan (as it relates to the research)

• List of courses and knowledge areas you will need in order to complete your research plan. Indicate the electives you plan to take (from the attached list) over the course of your degree.
• List the degree (MS/PhD) you are targeting and the expected date of completion.

9. List your advisors and what role each one will play in your research, including outside (non-academic) knowledge contacts.

Relevant information from the FCH2V Center of Excellence narrative

Existing and Proposed Research for Center

The new GATE FCH2V Center researchers will have the opportunity to work on research projects and will be exposed to all of the Center’s research programs through research seminars, classes, and joint projects. Researchers will be exposed to a comprehensive research program that begins at the component and systems integration level, but expands to include the entire vehicle and even the broader energy system.

Fuel Cell and Hybrid Component and Systems Level Research

GATE researchers will have the opportunity to work on the following projects:

• Research on fuel cell component and electrical energy storage in batteries and ultra-capacitors. This work, which has been ongoing for more than ten years in the Hybrid Vehicle Power Systems Laboratory, includes testing of advanced energy storage devices on test cycles appropriate for both fuel cell and hybrid-electric vehicles. Early tests of ultra-capacitors in parallel with a fuel cell have shown that the system was essentially self-controlling without electronics. This approach has been shown to be optimum in the Honda fuel cell vehicle. Future GATE researchers will have the opportunity to expand on this work by integrating and testing advanced component and system configurations for fuel cell and hybrid systems.
• Fuel cell and vehicle systems modeling involving various approaches to controlling the fuel cell. Models have been developed for direct hydrogen and for methanol and hydrocarbon reforming systems. The fuel cell stack and auxiliary air and water systems were modeled in detail using MatLab/Simulink so that their operation could be optimized. Most of the reports and papers published to date have been prepared by the faculty and graduate researchers associated with the GATE Fuel Cell Center. Future GATE researchers will have the opportunity to expand this modeling to test new fuel cell vehicle system configurations.
• Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) for hybrid-electric vehicle applications. Current and ongoing research has resulted in the most efficient and robust CVTs in the world. Future GATE researchers will continue this work within the FCH2V center.
• Research to enhance the internal combustion engine of these hybrids to increase thermodynamic efficiency up to 45 percent or higher, and provide power capability under all environmental conditions with ultra-low emissions.
• Advanced electronic control concepts allowing the integration of multiple components such as fuel cells, ultra-capacitors, and batteries. All of this is possible due to the availability of the embedded controller concepts being developed, in the HEV laboratory in conjunction with industry. Future GATE researchers will expand and extend this work in the FCH2V center.

Vehicle and Energy Systems Level Research Exposure full vehicle development and energy systems research is critical to understanding how technologies are integrated into the final product — the vehicle — as well as the technologies’ and vehicles’ potential impact on the environment and energy system. Researchers will have an opportunity to work on the following projects:

1. Design, system integration, and full vehicle development for the Challenge X Competition. The Challenge X team at UC Davis is investigating the use of fuel cells, batteries, plug-in hybrid drive trains, and advanced internal combustion engine technology for the development of ultra-efficient, low-emission vehicles.
2. Design, integration and testing of fuel cell auxiliary power units (APU’s) for heavy trucks. This ongoing research program supported by Freightliner, California Air Resources Board, Chevron, and others, will evaluate the use of PEM and SOFC fuel cell systems for providing power to heavy trucks to avoid idling emissions and improve overall operating efficiency.
3. Detailed studies of the production and distribution of hydrogen fuel for hybrid and fuel cell vehicles. Researchers will conduct well-to-wheel energy efficiency, emissions (including greenhouse gas), and economic analyses of the production of hydrogen from various feedstocks.
4. Overall, the FCH2V Center will continue to explore concepts that will lead to more efficient technologies and vehicles, and broader applications of the developed technologies. The goal will be to involve three or four GATE researchers per year in the FCH2V Center research.
   

Objectives (Success Criteria):

1. Semi-annual research plan updates for GATE Fellows (included with U.S. DOE quarterly reports)
2. One to two publications and/or conference presentations per researcher per year (included with annual report to DOE)
   

FCH2V Center Curriculum

Core Courses:

1. Advanced Energy Systems Lab
   Instructors: Andy Burke, Paul Erickson, and Marshal Miller
   This new class will be developed specifically for the FCH2V Center with GATE program funds. The class will give students a hands-on introduction to advanced energy hardware, focusing on fuel cells, batteries, and ultra-capacitors. It will draw from the resources of the Hydrogen Production and Utilization Lab and the Hybrid Vehicle Propulsion Systems Lab.
2. Vehicle Systems Lab
   Instructors: Andy Frank, Paul Erickson, and Andy Burke
   Another new class developed specifically for the FCH2V Center, this course will consider the passenger vehicle as a system to be optimized and powered by either fuel cells, or a hybrid system, or both. The class will corroborate with the Challenge X team on both the theoretical and real-world vehicle systems modeling and testing.
3. The Hydrogen Economy – Technology, Pathways, Economics and Policy
   Instructors: Christopher Yang, Joan Ogden, Andrew Burke, Paul Erickson, Kenneth Kurani, Timothy Lipman, Marshall Miller, and Daniel Sperling
   This course is designed to introduce students to concepts and tools for analyzing the hydrogen economy. Hydrogen is envisioned as an alternative energy carrier to displace a significant proportion of petroleum used for transportation and to provide electricity for stationary applications. A multidisciplinary set of tools is required to fully understand the large technical, societal, and economic efforts and impacts associated with a shift to the hydrogen economy.
4. FCH2VC Electives
   GATE students will also have the opportunity to choose from among 40 other electives consistent with the goals of the FCH2V Center. These courses have been developed and refined within the College of Engineering and TTP programs over many years. GATE researchers will benefit tremendously from having access to this rich and varied course offering, some examples of which are listed below:

¹Sponsoring professor must cover the equivalent of a summer salary in 2008 as part of cost-share requirement