Making the Connection: Federal Government Agencies & Cooperative Education Programs ASEE Conference for Industry & Education Collaboration January 25,
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Making the Connection: Federal Government Agencies & Cooperative Education Programs
ASEE Conference for Industry & Education Collaboration January 25, 2006San Antonio, Tx
Bryan Dansberry, Assistant ProfessorLou Trent, Assistant Director & Associate ProfessorDivision of Professional PracticeUniversity of Cincinnati
University of CincinnatiP.O. Box 210115Cincinnati, OH 45221-0115E-mail: bryan.dansberry@uc.edu or louis.trent@uc.edu
Outline
• Background of Speakers• An abridged tour of Gov’t Co-
op• Do’s and Don’ts of making the
connection• Security Clearances• Debate, discussion, and
monologues…..
Dustin Ochoa, AsE ’05
NASA-Johnson Space Center
Background: Bryan
•Co-op Student (AsE Class of ’87)
•Co-op Supervisor
•Co-op Faculty (2002 - ????)
Transonic Dynamics Tunnel NASA-Langley
Background: Lou
Defense Contract Management Agency
• Intern in Counseling Psychology.
• Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology.
• Professional Practice Advisor, 1978.
• Mainly work with Mechanical Engineers.
• Worked with federal agencies for 27+ years.
Gov’t Co-op Programs: The Grand Tour
• NASA - Johnson• Redstone Arsenal• Naval Research Labs• Website Tour
– DOE
Kyle Blakley, CE ’08
Butler County Engineer’s Office
Gov’t Co-op Programs: Johnson Space Center
• JSC’s largest student employment program
• Average about 160 students/year
• Cover a wide range of majors
• #1 Source of New Hires
JSC Fall ’05 Co-op Group Photo
Gov’t Co-op Programs: Johnson Space Center
• Centrally Operated Program
• Very Organized• Social Activities• Students rotate
departments
Co-op students acquiring experimental data to
determine maximum rate of hotdog consumption
Gov’t Co-op Programs: Johnson Space Center
“During his first work term at NASA, Joshua Hunter from Georgia Tech, modified and prepared for use a device known as the Multiple User Cooling Unit (MUCU) for astronauts’ space suits. Hunter’s design was based on an initial prototype created by another student employee—Garret Fitzpatrick from the University of Wisconsin. The MUCU, now in use, keeps astronauts comfortable when they are outside the shuttle simulator at Johnson Space Center. “ - Debbie Pierson, GA. Tech.
“Thilini Rangedera, an aerospace engineering co-op from Georgia Tech, has made great contributions to the International Space Station Training Group. She is the first co-op student to become certified to teach two electrical power systems lessons to flight controllers as part of their preparation for an upcoming Space Station mission. She accomplished this goal during a four-month co-op tour.” - Robert P. Musgrove, NASA JSC
Gov’t Co-op Programs: Other NASA Centers
At many NASA centers co-op students rotate thru wind-tunnel facilities where they learn classic mime techniques such
as “Walking against the wind.”
Ames Research Center Dryden Flight Research Center Glenn Research Center Goddard Space Flight Center Jet Propulsion Laboratory Kennedy Space Center Langley Research Center Marshall Space Flight Center Stennis Space Center
Naval Research Lab’s
Spacecraft Engineering Department
Overview for Co-Ops & Expecting Graduates
NAVAL RESEARCH LAB
Outline• Organization
• History
• Mission Statement and Implications
• Environment & Culture
• Types of Work
• Facilities
• Hiring Facts
• Interviews
Organization
Naval Research Lab - NRL
Spacecraft Engineering Department(Code 8200)
You Would Work Here
Space Systems DevelopmentDepartment(Code 8100)
Naval Center for Space Technology(Code 8000: 1 of 8 Divisions in NRL)
Environment & Culture• Relatively Close Knit Group : SED (8200) about 125 People
– Will Not Get Lost in a Large Organization
– Management is On a First Name Basis
• Low Structure…“Nuts Running Loose”– Management & Admin Support per Employee is Relatively Low
– Fosters Creativity & Flexibility
– Provides Tremendous Opportunities to Succeed
– Judged on Capability Not Rank - Often Receive Jobs and Responsibilities Well Above Your Rank
– However Requires Additional, Pro-Active Effort to Not be Left Behind
• Matrix Organization so Inherent Conflict: 2 Bosses- Formal & Project Boss
• Value “Showing Not Telling”– Emphasis on Technical Understanding & Ability to Get the Job Done
– We are “Engineers of Research”, not the “Ponderers of Research”
Personality is Important,
Some Thrive in This Environment, Others Do Not
Types of Work• Mission Design• Spacecraft Design, Integration, & Test
– Structures– Mechanisms– Cmd Tlm & Data Handling– Thermal– Guidance, Nav, and Control– Power– RF Comms– Flight & Ground Software– Propulsion– Integration & Test– Payloads: Imaging, RF, Comms, etc.
• Launch Vehicle Interfacing & Ops• Ground Station & Flight Operations• Orbitology & Mission Planning• Technology Development
Facilities
• State-of-the-Art Design & Testing Facilities
• Mediocre Personal Facilities: Emphasis is on Functional, Not Nice
• No Nice Lobby Entrance, Furniture is Hit or Miss, etc.
Hiring Facts• Co-oping is a Great Benefit to Both NRL & the Student
– NRL can Train and Evaluate Student– Student can Learn, Evaluate NRL, and Sort Out Personal Job
Preferences and Expectations– Procedurally, Allows an Immediate Hiring Decision Upon Graduation
• Summer Internships– Will Consider but Generally Not Worth the Time from an NRL
Administrative Point-of View
• Non-Coop Graduates– Must Openly Advertise & Compete for Job
• Personnel Division Selects Applicants, Not SED (8200)• Usually Hard to have a Stand-Out Resume Straight Out of School
– Generally (NOT Always) Hire Through Another Company Until You Gain Enough Experience to “Stand-Out” in an Open Competition
• Department of Commerce Internship for Postsecondary Students• Department of Energy Special Emphasis Program• DOE Community College Institute at Oak Ridge National Laboratory-• DOE Faculty and Student Teams Program at Oak Ridge National Laboratory-• DOE Pre-Service Teacher Internships at Oak Ridge National Laboratory-• DOE Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships at Oak Ridge National Laboratory-• Energy Student Achievement Program-• Environmental Management Participation for the U.S. Army Environmental Center-•
Federal Aviation Administration Asian American/Pacific Islander and Native American/Alaskan Native Internship Program-
• Fusion Energy Sciences Fellowship Program-• Global Change Education Program-• Great Lakes Colleges Association/Associated Colleges of the Midwest Oak Ridge Science
Semester-
• Higher Education Research Experiences at Oak Ridge National Laboratory for Students-
• Internship at the Office of Water-• Laboratory Technology Program- • National Energy Technology Laboratory Professional Internship Program-
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Student Research Participation-•
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Educational Partnership Program with Minority Serving Institutions
• Nuclear Regulatory Commission Historically Black Colleges and Universities Student Research Participation-
• Oak Ridge National Laboratory Undergraduate Student Cooperative Education Program-• Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management Historically Black Colleges and
Universities Undergraduate Scholarship Program-• Research Participation at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Counterterrorism/Forensic
Science Research Unit-• Research Participation at the U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center-• Research Participation at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense-• Research Participation at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory-• Research Participation Program at the U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and
Preventive Medicine- Savannah River Site Professional Internship Program-
• Student Research Participation at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-• Student Research Participation at the National Center for Toxicological Research-• U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC)-• U.S. Department of Homeland Security Scholarship and Fellowship Program-
Working Effectively With Federal Agencies
Christopher Hummer, AsE ’08Received Engineer of the Quarter Award
Aeronautical Systems Center
Do’s & Don’ts: Basic Understanding
• U.S. Citizenship• No Felonies (may vary)
Zack Norman, Graphic Des. ‘06
National Park Service
Do’s & Don’ts: Good Practices
• Timing• Web applications• Tailor resume/experience• Know your employer
Andrew Sampson EE ’06
Kennedy Space Center
Do’s & Don’ts: Timing
The Simple Hiring Process• Refer credentials 2.5 months
before hiring date• Credentials screened• Offers extended• Student responds
Robin Ventura AsE ‘06
NASA Langley Research Center
Do’s & Don’ts: Timing
More Complex Hiring Process• Students apply on-line• Student notifies university to send transcript & letter of eligibility• University sends transcript & letter• Student gets letter from agency• Student responds• Panel of managers review applications• Hiring decisions made – phone interviews• Unofficial co-op offer extended• Student responds• Background information gathered• Official offer extended• Student responds
Do’s & Don’ts: Security Clearance
• Vary from agency to agency• Types• Timing
Ryan Stobbs ME ’07
Nevada Automotive Test Center
Do’s & Don’ts: Good Practices
• Timing• Web applications• Tailor resume/experience• Know your employer
Robin Ventura AsE ‘06
NASA Langley Research Center
Do’s & Don’ts: Not So Good Practices
• No citizenship/criminal record• Bad timing• Forget Follow-up• Students applying who have money issues• Stop sending referrals
Do’s & Don’ts: Knowing Your Employer
Things to Consider• Requirements for employment• Program resources• Employment structure/process• Institutional purpose – benefits
to supervisor• Employer “quirks”
Boyu Wang BME ‘07
Biomedical Ultrasound Lab
Do’s & Don’ts: Secret’s of My Success
General Comments• Contact as close to the hiring manager level as possible• Make use of alumni contacts• Cruise the internet• Talk to Professors• Attend technical conferences• Site visits (student tours?)
Lou Trent, Assistant Director & Associate ProfessorLouis.trent@uc.edu
Bryan Dansberry, Assistant ProfessorBryan.dansberry@uc.edu
University of Cincinnati Division of Professional Practice P.O. Box 210115Cincinnati, OH 45221-0115
Debate and Discussion
“For my work, I was nominated for Engineer of the Quarter at Wright-Patterson, and I will be
competing against career engineers for this
award.”
Christopher HummerAerospace Engineering, 2008
“I have the ability to predict the behavior of fluids using supercomputers.”
Wright Patterson Air Force Base
“you get to see your work launch into outer space, with a 1000 foot fireball
trailing behind”
Andrew SampsonElectrical Engineering, 2006
NASA Kennedy Space Center
Kyle BlakleyCivil and Environmental Engineering, 2008
“One of the many bridge projects completed by our office.”
“Topics range from storm water
management, roadway layout and design, traffic signal and speed warrants,
environmental studies…”
Ryan StobbsMechanical Engineering, 2007
Nevada Automotive Test Center
“The military came to the company wanting to test the durability of a new turret design”
“You fire several hundred 50 caliber machine gun bullets and drive it through the desert for several hundred miles”
Robin VenturaAerospace Engineering, 2006
NASA Langley
Research Center
“to enhance an aerodynamic model for a simulation of a twin-engine transport aircraft”
“This simulation is now used in to train NASA research pilots to fly a highly advanced remote control model of the aircraft and obtain real aerodynamic data”
Zach NormanGraphic Design 2006
Harpers Ferry Design Center
“ I had the opportunity to design an award that was presented to First Lady Laura
Bush”
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