2 Binghamton University students win competitive SMART Scholarship

Long before graduation, Amelie Syto and Dimitri Mohamed already have their career plans in place.

The two Binghamton University students received the highly competitive Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship, which covers full tuition and study abroad costs, and provides an annual $30,000 stipend, paid summer internships and, after graduation, guaranteed civilian employment with the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD).

Mohamed, who is a junior this fall studying mechanical engineering at the Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science, grew up as part of a military family. His father has been an active-duty U.S. Navy corpsman for 28 years and counting — so although Mohamed was born in Queens, he moved around a lot and has lived in California, Florida, Virginia, Japan, and Bahrain.

Before starting college, he took a gap year in Bahrain to travel and save money while also launching a global tutoring business that reached students across the world.

The SMART Scholarship has been on Mohamed’s radar since high school, and he applied multiple times before receiving it. As a college student who works full time while pursuing his degree, he felt motivated to ease the burden for his 18-year-old twin sisters.

“My dad has G.I. Bill benefits and can split them among the three of us,” he said, “but I want those benefits to go straight to my sisters, and all the money that my parents saved up for college to go to them as well.”

After graduation, Mohamed will work in Manhattan as a civilian for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Syto — a sophomore physics major this fall — will be part of a physics modeling team at U.S. Army DEVCOM Armaments Center, headquartered at New Jersey’s Picatinny Arsenal. 

A native of Hopatcong, New Jersey, she was introduced to physics in the eighth grade.

“Physics was the first subject that really challenged me,” she said. “I like it because it keeps my brain active and it’s hard. When I sit down and work on a physics problem, it’s satisfying to feel that click when you finally understand what you’re working on.”

Syto’s father works at Picatinny himself, and she first learned about the scholarship as a junior in high school. While he was eager to help, Syto was adamant that she do all the work herself, she said. 

This summer, she has a site visit scheduled at DEVCOM; her internship begins next year, once she obtains the needed clearance. Most of the facility’s work is classified; generally speaking, the physics modeling team works with other research groups on engineering problems, she said.

The Army Corps of Engineers is based out of the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building, the tallest federal building in the U.S. at 41 stories. A recent site visit gave Mohamed a preview of his future career, revealing cutting-edge engineering resources beyond what a standard college lab can offer.

The DOD is the largest employer of federal scientists and engineers, with nearly 300,000 civilian STEM professionals. SMART Scholarship recipients are required to spend the same number of years working for the DOD as they receive educational funding. 

The department also offers opportunities to pursue higher education while working, and Syto and Mohamed hope to pursue their master’s degrees and eventually doctorates in their fields. 

“If I do switch jobs, I know that one of the first applications I want to send would be to NASA,” Syto said. “It’s kind of cliché, but it’s every physicist’s dream to work at NASA, and it’s always worth a shot.”

Even as Mohamed juggled his coursework and a full-time job at Chipotle, he somehow has made time for other activities at Binghamton. He was just elected president of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, he’s the projects coordinator for Engineers for a Sustainable World, and he serves as the treasurer for the National Society of Black Physicists. 

Previously, he was part of the suspension subteam for Binghamton Motorsports but had to drop out because of scheduling constraints. Financial stability from the SMART Scholarship may allow him time to rejoin the racing crew.

Mohamed and a group of friends also are designing their own jet turbo engine, and they hope to get University funding to build the high-powered prototype. To prepare for life as an upperclassman, he is spending this summer taking extra courses and earning professional certifications.

“I've been participating in a ton of extracurriculars, and I do a ton of personal passion projects,” he said. “I love everything about mechanical engineering. I love learning the most that I can, especially because I'm only a sophomore. This is the chance where I need to see all my options.”

While Syto’s future is already taking shape, she’s making sure to enjoy her time at Binghamton, where she lives in College in the Woods.

“I’m from a very small town, so growing up, I didn’t know that many people who were like me,” she said. “Once I got to Binghamton, I really found my group of people, people that I’m going to hang out with for a majority of my life.”

Mohamed keeps a packed schedule at Binghamton, and sleep is at a premium, but he has a motto when things get hectic: “I’ll only be in college once.”