Name: Jenette Phillips

Internship, Co-op or Research Site: Future Renewable Electric Energy Delivery and Management (FREEDM) Systems Center

Position Title: Undergraduate Research Scholar

Major(s)/Minor(s): Mechanical Engineering

Expected Graduation Year: May 2017

Briefly describe your internship, co-op,  or research opportunity, including your day-to-day tasks, responsibilities, and assignments.

The FREEDM Systems center is located at NC State but has partner universities that will are also participants of the same program. I was the only member of the FREEDM REU to be researching out of MS&T. Because I was the only member of my REU at this location I was paired up with a sister program through MS&T. Since I was with the sister program I would also participate and complete their requirements while doing my required tasks for FREEDM. So on Monday's and Wednesday's I would go on an online meeting and video conference the FREEDM center and other partnering universities and businesses. Friday's would alternate between a meeting with the MS&T student researchers and faculty and a field trip to various renewable energy related sites. 

The best visit was when the sister program took a visit to the Anheiser-Busch Beer facility in St. Louis. After touring the grounds, looking at the horses and Dalmatian, and smelling beer waft through the air, we then went to their water treatment facility. If I recall correctly they take the waste water from the factory (from cleaning out beer tanks and such) and use bacteria to eat the particles left inside. They can produce energy at a high efficiency , treat the water to be reused by the facility, and produce about 7% percent of the energy needed to make the beer during the brewing process. Almost every week I wrote a reflective essay for FREEDM. I had to create an elevator pitch to be presented for FREEDM. I had to create a poster which I presented twice, once for FREEDM and the next for a poster symposium at MS&T. 

My assignment was to develop a simulink model of an internal combustion engine. MS&T currently house an electric vehicle simulation that compromises essentially of 4 motors, 2 capacitors, and a GUI for the user to "drive " the vehicle with. Developing a simulation of an internal combustion engine, it could be integrated in the original electric vehicle model in varying different ways and could test which power train configuration would be the most efficient and environmentally sensitive model. Before going into this program I knew nothing about cars; the first three weeks were dedicated to nothing but trying to understand them! After reading over 100 papers and watching countless YouTube videos I realized how difficult my task would be. It's not because there aren't current models for the public to see, it's because of how much effort is needed to create one that actually makes sense.

Describe the process of obtaining your internship, research, or co-op opportunity.

I found this REU program through NSF's website. I knew that I wanted to do something mechanical and related to renewable energy, so I was sifting through all types of options : materials engineering, solar, wind, vehicular and animal safety, simulation, ect. This program caught my eye due to how long it has been running and how impressive the previous students' research projects were. I'm not very good at electrical engineering concepts, and that's what the program mainly focuses on, but I felt that I could utilize my strengths in mechanical engineering and love for thermodynamics to help me if I were to be accepted for the position. (Shout out to Dr. Sanchez for being so clutch at teaching thermodynamics, a seriously great professor!)

What have you enjoyed the most about your position or organization/company?

First of all, I am one of three UMBC undergraduates that were accepted into this program, and that's awesome! Just from that alone I felt confident from the beginning. I've gained a lot of insight that can help guide me to my future career. Like that I hate sitting behind a computer all day, so simulation engineering won't be for me, but that I love combustion. I also love teaching others about cars (and I'm really proud of myself for learning so much on my own) and am now seriously considering going to Graduate's school in order to become a professor. At first I was really nervous about being in Rolla, MO. It's a huge culture shock, coming from the DC metropolitan area, but it really opened my eyes to the shear impressiveness that other universities have to offer. I definitely think that students should take the opportunity to leave their hometowns to learn through research or industry experience. 

How do you believe you have made an impact through your work?

What I am working on right now has seldom done before. Car companies produce their own engines (I mean , it is the heart of the car. They wouldn't be able to survive if they didn't) and because of that, highly protect their products. The information that can be accessed by the public is readily used by researchers, but used without understanding what the information is actually providing. Basically, it's like if someone tried using an engine from a Honda Hybrid in a big pick up truck. It wouldn't drive the way it was mean to. Most of my work has been focused on the lack of attention given to these models and finding an easier, accessible and more accurate solution.

What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience?

Do something different every summer, but at least do something. This a chance for you to discover what you're passionate about. Last summer I taught literature and engineering to kindergarten through fourth grade students at the Lakeland Elementary-Middle School. Lessons learned: I love teaching, but I do not love the public school system. This summer I did research. The next I plan on becoming a company's intern. That way I have a multitude of varying experiences to reflect upon while deciding what to do post-graduation.

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Want to be the next Intern of the Week? Make sure to fill out this form and stay tuned. New interns are announced every Friday!

A not to miss opportunity for those interested in Medical School.

Attend Monday's upcoming upcoming information session with:
Dr. Lloyd Minor, MD
Dean, Stanford University School of Medicine

THIS Monday, April 25th
11:00 AM till 12 Noon
ITE 108 A - Imaging Resource Center

Lloyd B. Minor, MD, is a scientist, surgeon, and academic leader. He is the Carl and Elizabeth Naumann Dean of the Stanford University School of Medicine, a position he has held since December 2012. 

As dean, Dr. Minor plays an integral role in setting strategy for the clinical enterprise of Stanford Medicine, an academic medical center that includes the Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford Health Care, and Stanford Children’s Health and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford. He also oversees the quality of Stanford Medicine’s physician practices and growing clinical networks.  More information on his bio can be found here.

Interested in working for the federal government? Look into USAjobs, the federal government’s official source for job listings, applications, and employment opportunity information.

The federal government has internship and employment opportunities for majors in many different disciplines, from political science to engineering. As a double major in history and global studies, I have always been interested in opportunities with the federal government, so I’ve made an account on USAjobs. The hardest part of making an account is understanding the resume.

Federal resumes are completely different than typical resumes. Usually resumes are a one page summary of your skills and experience, but federal resumes tend to be two to five pages long. It is a much more in-depth description of your skills and experience. Most federal jobs expect you to include past salary and the number of hours worked per week for each past position, which is much more information than is included in a typical resume.

Once you finish your resume, it is usually a good idea to figure out what kinds of jobs you would be eligible for and interested in. The list of Federal Occupations by College Major is a great resource for this; it gives a detailed list of the types of jobs you may be interested in. This is a great way to fully understand the options available to you within the federal government.

Ideally, every federal employer would post all vacancies on USAJobs, but that is not always the case. There are many employers, like the CIA and the Supreme Court, that rarely post on USAJobs and recruit in other ways. It may be important to keep an eye out for employment opportunities with these departments as well as the ones listed on USAJobs.

On April 26 at noon in the Commons, room 331, the Career Center is hosting a workshop on managing the federal job process. Adrian Williams from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management will be presenting on the different aspects of the federal job search, including Pathways Program overviews, how to search and apply for jobs, and how to manage your USAJobs account. This workshop will be a great opportunity to ask questions about federal job opportunities and applications, and it will definitely help you prepare for the federal job application process.

If you are still struggling to understand any aspect of the federal job process after this workshop, USAJobs has four free online presentations coming up to explain the federal job application process. They will walk attendees through the job selection process by explaining the many aspects of job opportunity announcements and helping them identify important requirements of the job. They will then help people tailor resumes to specific jobs and explain the USAJobs resume builder.

These workshops are being held on:

Monday, May 2, 10:00am-11:30am

Monday, May 2, 7:00pm-8:30pm

Wednesday, May 4, 11:00-12:30

Wednesday, May 4, 6:00-7:30

Make sure you register online by clicking the links, attendance is limited to the first 1,500 people who RSVP per event.

The federal job search may be very different than a typical job search, but it is definitely manageable. There are opportunities for tons of different jobs, so feel free to check it out!

IBM Security  will be on campus this Wednesday, 4/13 at the Spring Career Fair (12pm - 4pm, University Center Ballroom) recruiting both undergraduate and graduate students for the intern and full-time positions below. 

Please be sure to apply and stop by their table to introduce yourself.

Relocation costs/summer housing provided.

Apply to the positions below via the ReqID here http://www-03.ibm.com/employment/security/

Full-Time Positions:
- Software Developers for Network Protection & Fiberlink - "Atlanta, GA, Austin, TX,  Blue Bell, PA (ReqID: 6710BR)
- IBM Security Guardium Advanced Support Engineer, Littleton, MA (ReqID: 29331BR)
- Security Services - Consultant (C&SI), Consultant with 1 year experience, 75% travel (ReqID:25708BR)

Intern Positions:

- Internship - Security Services Specialist (MSS), (ReqID: 34668BR)

- Security Services Consultant (non-SIOC) Internship,
(ReqID: 20356BR)