Electrical Engineering majors have a unique opportunity during their 1/csummer (the summer entering senior year) to spend six weeks working with project engineers, technicians and contractors on “real world” projects. During their internshipsstudentsexperience what it is like to work at a real lab applyingskills and knowledgelearned in the classroom. Several of the internships also requireinterns to travel as part of an installation team to help implement the solution they’ve developed. Some internships, depending upon the project and the cadet's interest,continue during the cadet's 1/c(senior) year either as a directed study or senior design project. Selection for internships is competitive, requiring a 3.0 GPA and recommendations by the electrical and computer engineering faculty and company officer. Nominations are reviewed by the Dean of Academics and the Commandant of Cadets.
Internship Opportunities within the Coast Guard:
Electrical and Computer Engineering students have worked on internships at the following Coast Guard Electrical and Computer Engineering “Centers of Excellence”.
Command and Control Engineering Center (C2CEN - Portsmouth, VA) – C2CEN develops, builds, fields, trains and supports advanced electronic command, control, and navigation systems used by the Coast Guard.
Cadet Internships at C2CEN have included:
- Nationwide Differential Global Positioning System - Testing and transitioning the new GPS reference station and integrity monitors andengineering of a new nationwide control station.
- DGPS Antenna Tuning Unit Recapitalization - Installing a new DGPS coupler in Alaska while gaining expertise in Radio Frequency systems and Radio Navigation.
- DNAV 212 Replacement - Identification of a replacement receiver that effectively determines a DGPS broadcast site’s signal strength.
- Shipboard Command and Control System (SCCS) - Identifying and solving high failures affecting shipboard navigation systems,engaging in market research andprototype testing and installation onboard ship.
Telecommunication and Information Systems Command (TISCOM - Alexandria, VA)
Cadet internships at TISCOM have included:
- Classified Computer Networks - Maintaining and updating the Coast Guard's classified computer network.
- Internet Connectivity for Small cutters - Assisting with the development, deployment and on-the-road installations of satellite communications and cellular solutions for smaller (110' or less) Coast Guard cutters.
- Information Assurance Division - Learning about virus detection, eradication, and forensics; educating users and evaluating security of new technology.
Operations Systems Center (OSC - Martinsburg, WV) - This Center provides full life-cycle support for operationally-focused Coast Guard Automated Information Systems. These systems support the Coast Guard’s five strategic missions: Protection of Natural Resources, National Defense, Maritime Safety, Mobility, and Security.
Cadet internships at OSC have included:
- Computer Network Traffic Control - Examining network traffic and testing traffic simulators using traffic controllers and simulated connections and collecting and evaluating file transfer methods and research database access times, focusing on Oracle and SQL traffic.
- Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Geocoding Project – Developing geocoding (i.e, assigning the latitude and longitude coordinates to an address using address interpolation), intersection matching or zip code centroids capabilityin support of the Port Security Assessment program.
Other Internship Opportunities:
Electrical and Computer Engineering students have worked on internships at the following world renown laboratories.
Lawrence Livermore National Labs (LLNL - Livermore, CA) - This premier applied science laboratory is part of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) within the Department of Energy (DOE). LLNL has been managed since its inception in 1952 by the University of California for the U.S. government.
Cadet internships at LLNL have included:
- Energy and the Environment - Working with the Engineering Directorate's energy demand model to understand energy needs in different climate zones.
- Micropower Impulse Radar - Using signal processing techniques to enhance detection of off-road mines.
- Search and Rescue Radar Technology – Using signal processing techniques with Ultra Wideband RADAR to see through walls of collapsed buildings to look for survivors.
Sandia National Labs (Albuquerque, NM) - Sandia National Laboratories has developed science-based technologies that support our national security. Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin company, manages Sandia for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration.
- Computer Security and Networking - Assessing the vulnerabilities of government computer networks.
National Security Agency (NSA – FT Meade, MD) - The National Security Agency/Central Security Service is America’s cryptologic organization. It coordinates, directs, and performs highly specialized activities to protect U.S. government information systems and produce foreign signals intelligence information.
Cadet internships at NSA have included:
- Microelectronic Reverse Engineering – Reverse engineering of electronic chips to determine how they work
- Wireless Network Red-Team – Assessing the vulnerabilities of government wireless networks
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI – Woods Hole, MA) - WHOI is dedicated to research and higher education at the frontiers of ocean science. Its primary mission is to develop and effectively communicate a fundamental understanding of the processes and characteristics governing how the oceans function and how they interact with Earth as a whole.
Cadet internships at WHOI have included:
- Acoustic Study of Shallow Water Surf Zones – Developing a statistical model to predict how breaking waves will absorb acoustic communication signals in surf zones.