Developing and Funding Undergraduate Engineering Internships

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Developing and Funding Undergraduate Engineering
Internships

• Theodore W. Manikas, Gerald R. Kane
• Dept. of Electrical Engineering
• The University of Tulsa

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Why Internships?

• benefits for all
• undergraduate engineering students
• industry sponsor
• university sponsor

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Internship Benefits for Students

• practical applications of coursework
• exposure to corporate issues
• project management
• finance
• manufacturing
• experience will help acquire and succeed in
  full-time employment

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Internship Benefits for Industry

• helps identify potential recruits
• develops collaboration with university

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Internship Benefits for University

• enhances students engineering education
• develops collaboration with industry

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Establishing Internship Programs

• identify potential companies
• local professional societies
• current university/industry collaborations
• contact companies
• e-mail with follow-up telephone call
• on-site meetings with corporate staff

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Funding Internship Programs

• NSF programs (workshop at ASEE)
• very competitive
• state and local programs
• industry match

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Internship Program Example

• Collaboration
• University of Tulsa Electrical Engineering
  (TUEE)
• Geophysical Research Co. (GRC)
• Funding
• 50 OCAST (state funding)
• 50 GRC (industry match)

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Corporate Contact with GRC

• IEEE local professional society meeting
• TUEE alumni current employees
• looking for future engineers internships

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Application for Funding

• OCAST (Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of
  Science and Technology)
• RD Student Intern program
• prepare students for technical fields
• support high-tech companies in OK
• students work as interns in OK engineering
  industry

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OCAST Project Requirements

• 1 2 year projects
• PI sponsoring university
• Mentor sponsoring company
• internship work done at company
• work with full-time engineers on projects
• part-time (10 hrs/wk) during school year
• full-time (40 hrs/wk) during summer

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OCAST Funding Requirements

• 11 match from company
• 50 from OCAST (up to 30K/year)
• 50 from company
• may include mentor salaries as match
• about 80 for intern salaries
• other PI salary, travel, supplies

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Intern Selection Process

• undergraduate EE student at TU
• post announcement for internship
• resumes and interviews

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Intern Project Duties

• work on engineering project under mentors
  guidance
• bi-weekly meetings with PI and progress reports
• mentor submits intern evaluation sheet to PI at
  end of each semester

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Intern Project Status

• One EE senior at GRC
• Mar 07 Feb 08
• Hybrid circuit design for pipeline gauges
• Currently developing prototype for testing

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Questions?