Class of 2025 West Point Cadet Named Hertz Fellow

The Hertz Foundation recently announced that Cadet Edward Chen, Class of 2025, has earned a Hertz Fellowship. Cadet Chen is one of 19 fellows selected this year and is the first USMA recipient since 2011.

Since 1963, the Hertz Foundation has awarded more than 1,300 doctoral fellowships with the goal of supporting the early-stage research endeavors of the nation’s most promising innovators in science and technology. Hertz Fellows receive funding for up to five years of graduate study, culminating in a PhD, to pursue research that best advances our nation’s security and leads to life-changing innovations. Hertz Fellows are selected from a broad applicant pool based on a written application, as well as two rigorous technical interviews.

Cadet Chen is a chemical engineering major and engineering management minor from Madison, Wis. His research focuses on optimizing energy storage devices and installation energy resilience for the Army. Chen’s proudest research experience consists of starting a research team at West Point to investigate membranes for flow battery systems. He has also interned at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to study Iron/Iron redox flow batteries and the Pentagon to review Department of Defense technology for energy resilience. As a cadet, he is the 1st Regiment Command Sergeant Major and competes on the Army Water Polo Team. Chen will be commissioned as an Engineer Officer and plans to pursue a Master of Science and Doctoral in Chemical Engineering at Caltech. He will continue his research in electrochemical systems with a focus on modeling to drive improvement in energy storage technologies.

“I am incredibly honored to be selected as a Hertz Fellow and be a part of a community filled with innovators that have made lasting impacts on our nation. I am also proud to represent the Chemistry and Life Science Department, West Point, and the Army within this community of innovators to drive changes that will support our national security and defense. Receiving the Hertz Fellowship is such an amazing privilege as I am able to pursue unparalleled research opportunities through my service. Finally, I would like to thank my mentors, research advisors, and my family for their unwavering support throughout my time as a cadet.”

About the Technical Scholars Program

The Technical Scholars Program mentors and guides cadets in their pursuit of STEM-only undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships as they seek national and international honors for their performance. With over 240 scholarships and fellowships awarded, the Technical Scholars Program continues to fill the Army ranks with innovative leaders prepared for the challenges they will face throughout their careers. Learn more at https://www.westpoint.edu/academics/scholars-program/technical.  

About West Point

The U. S. Military Academy at West Point is a four-year, co-educational, federal service academy located 50 miles north of New York City. It was founded in 1802 as America's first college of engineering and continues today as the world’s premier leader-development institution, consistently ranked among top colleges in the country. Its mission is to build, educate, train, and inspire the Corps of Cadets to be commissioned leaders of character committed to the Army Values and ready for a lifetime of service to the Army and Nation. For more information, go to www.westpoint.edu.