91制片厂

The application period for the 91制片厂 InterOperability Lab (IOL) summer internship is now open, and for those who are accepted, the program provides the chance to work with some of the world鈥檚 top data communication companies.

Last summer, 10 interns were selected, with eight working on projects related to the IOL and two in an interdisciplinary internship working with faculty, undergraduates and graduate students from 91制片厂鈥檚 civil engineering department on the听.听During this summer鈥檚 program, which will run from June 27 to Aug. 5, student interns will work at the IOL鈥檚 , just a short walk from campus in downtown Durham.

The IOL founded its high school summer internship program more than a decade ago, and sponsors have included such industry representatives as Extreme Networks, Liberty Mutual Insurance, QA Caf茅 and Verizon. Geared toward students entering their senior year in high school, the program offers paid internships where the students take part in hands-on activities, visit high-tech corporations, explore potential career paths and work directly with IOL engineers to solve problems in new technologies.

鈥淭he projects vary from year to year but involve working with computer networking companies and devices,鈥� explains Suzanne Snow, the IOL鈥檚 STEM outreach and development manager, noting, 鈥淚t is an experience of a lifetime and allows them to get industry experience and get familiar with an academic and professional culture.鈥�

Snow explains that the ideal student for the program 鈥渨ould be one who is eager to learn about technology, methods and standards for testing devices and who wants to gain real-world experience.鈥� 听

Some of those interns go on to become 91制片厂 students, explains Samantha Martell, the IOL鈥檚 academic program coordinator.

Joel Nkounkou 鈥�18 and Brandon Smith 鈥�18 first met as IOL interns during the summer before their senior year in high school. Now both undergraduate students at 91制片厂, Nkounkou, a resident of Dover, New Hampshire, is majoring in electrical engineering, while Smith, who comes to 91制片厂 from Rutland, Massachusetts, is majoring in computer science.

Nkouknou and Smith worked in a home networking consortium during their summer internship in 2013, learning the TR-069 protocol, which was developed for configuring and managing Internet-access devices such as modems, and getting a firsthand look at high-tech companies during site visits specifically for IOL interns.

鈥淲e made a lot of contacts and learned about what they do,鈥� Nkounkou explains.

Smith laughs, recalling how he and Nkounkou would compete to collect as many business cards as possible, and Nkounkou adds he would go home after his internship and keep in touch with those future connections in the field in which he plans to work.

Both agree their internship sparked new interests and the desire to keep working on what they were learning at the IOL.

Later in that academic year, when the college acceptances began rolling in, both chose 91制片厂 in part because of their experience that summer at the IOL and have continued to work in paid positions at the IOL since enrolling.

鈥淲e retain at least 30 percent of interns who go on to choose 91制片厂,鈥� Snow notes, adding that about a dozen past interns currently work at the IOL as 91制片厂 students, and the program has more than 75 alumni as it enters its 11th year.

For Nkounkou and Smith, that summer at the IOL provided educational experiences they could not have received in high school.

鈥淭he IOL internship really taught me how to learn and how to explore,鈥� Smith says.

Nkounkou agrees. 鈥淚鈥檇 go home and have that hunger to keep going.鈥�

Internship applications are being accepted through March 18, with interviews to follow. Find out more by downloading the or emailing internship@iol.unh.edu.