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Avetec Interns recognized locally and nationally for research funded by the National Science Foundation

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04/07/11

On Wednesday, April 6, a film crew for Boston public television station WGBH-TV came to Avetec to profile Kristen Edwards, one of Avetec’s second-year interns participating in the National Science Foundation-funded internship program.  The program is a two-year partnership between Avetec, Clark State Community College and Central State University that immerses students in the fields of cyber security and high performance computing. 

“The grant allows Avetec and Clark State to set up interesting opportunities, unique in the sense that faculty and student teams are involved to work in the industry and engage and realize projects there,” said Cathy Balas, Avetec’s Executive Director of Education. 

Clark State faculty Dan Heighton and Ronda Black are the instructors for the program that will run on Wednesdays until July.  The other interns working along with Kristen Edwards are Mike Adkins, Amy Boggs, Matt Cardosi, Joshua Schrader, Benjamin Schneider, Todd Shroyer, Jacob Steiner, Derick Stephens and Donald Wheeler. 

The news crew began the day setting up in Avetec’s simulation room where they interviewed Edwards who is attending Clark State cyber security classes and double majoring in math and computer science at Central State.  Footage was also captured of the entire group of interns who were preparing a variety of computer equipment for use during their internship.  The equipment includes laptops and pad-based computers for student use, as well as specialized systems that will be used to build the high-performance clustered systems.

After filming at Avetec, the afternoon was spent shooting a group interview that included Avetec intern Jacob Steiner, the only other second-year intern in the program; instructors Dan Heighton and Ronda Black; Cathy Balas, as well as Edwards and her family.

While downtown, a reporter and photographer from the Springfield News-Sun also came to interview the group for a news article.  The article from the News-Sun ran the following day and is available on their website at http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/springfield-news/avetec-interns-filmed-by-boston-public-tv-1129232.html.

The story from WGBH-TV will be shown on national TV this summer.