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Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)

Resiliency in a Time of Coronavirus: Naval STEM’s NREIP Launches New Virtual Initiative

by Alexandra M. Landsberg, Director, Mathematics, Computer and Information Sciences Division, Office of Naval Research | 26 January 2021

by Alexandra M. Landsberg, Director, Mathematics, Computer and Information Sciences Division, Office of Naval Research | 26 January 2021

The Naval Research Enterprise Internship Program (NREIP) is one of the Navy's marquee internship programs for college students. This ten-week summer program provides college students with the opportunity to work at naval labs and warfare centers side-by-side with our scientists and engineers.

Unfortunately, when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out last year, it looked like NREIP activities would be dramatically reduced. While some laboratories were able to pivot quickly to fully virtual internships, several labs were not, leaving those students without a naval internship experience. With those students in mind, the Naval STEM Coordination Office and the NREIP program director developed an innovative, scalable virtual initiative—NREIP Fall Engagement.

NREIP Fall Engagement was a pilot program offering a virtual short-term internship that introduced college students to cutting-edge naval science and technology research, and provided a mentoring opportunity with the Department of the Navy (DON) scientists and engineers. Students spent 40 hours engaged in research activities, including a minimum of 10 hours with DON STEM professionals. Each internship experience was customized, with students expected to deliver products, such as short reports, in order to receive a $575 stipend.

NREIP Fall Engagement was able to host 177 students at 19 DON facilities across the U.S. and concluded in December 2020. We're currently analyzing the feedback, which is mostly positive.  It was truly energizing to read about one student’s NREIP Fall Engagement experience, which I want to share with you.

Matthew (Matt) Paliwoda, an aerospace engineering Ph.D. student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, was disappointed when he learned of his NREIP summer internship cancellation. He was slated to work on experimental plasma research at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) in Washington, D.C. Matt was looking forward to the research and networking, as he is considering a career with the organization.

When Matt was offered the NREIP Fall Engagement opportunity, he was excited; "I was thrilled that I might still be able to interact with the Navy this year. Summer internships are the best opportunities to form a good impression with future employers."

Matt accepted the new offer and was assigned to the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Philadelphia. He worked in a group of five students to design a simulation of the thermal and electrical subsystems of a pulsed-power system for an unmanned vessel. The group modified an existing design to focus on power storage to minimize the requirements for the electrical generator and cooling pumps of the pulsed-power system. The group also reviewed new antifouling technology for the cooling pumps and simulated different cooling fluids to compare their performances. Since the internship was virtual, the group members met weekly via video conferencing and document-sharing platforms.

Beyond the research project, Tristan Wolfe, the NSWC program coordinator and Matt's group mentor, provided the students with supplemental seminars on different Navy systems, including naval architecture, electrical and thermal systems. Mr. Wolfe also led 30-minute discussions on these topics to introduce students to the larger naval context.

Matt found NREIP Fall Engagement to be of great value: "The project allowed me to demonstrate my capabilities to Navy professionals, and the student groups allowed me to meet potential future collaborators and form positive connections within my discipline. The short-term internship was enough time to accomplish valuable aspects associated with an internship: networking, group project experience, exposure to a potential employer organization and investigating a new problem."

Mr. Wolfe certainly was impressed by the work Matt produced, saying, "Matt really went above and beyond in the project, developing some rather advanced code that was specifically commended by a technical warrant holder for the subject area Matt worked in."

NREIP Fall Engagement was the first time we sponsored a short-term virtual internship that operated during the academic year. Matt's experience exemplifies the program's success.  We'll continue to review the feedback looking for lessons learned. We are confident we can provide meaningful short-term internships, scaling up to serve more students throughout the entire year and greatly extending Naval STEM's reach to create a highly trained diverse STEM workforce of the future.

 

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