News

College Students Chosen for Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Internship

Local Students Prepare for Five-Week Internship

10/30/07

This January, five Clark State Community College students and one Wilberforce University student will participate in a five-week internship at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Richland, Washington.  PNNL is one of the U.S. Department of Energy's ten national laboratories and offers annual internships for college-level students.

The internship, funded by Avetec, will offer the undergrads college credit as well as real-world experience in the field of Information Technology.  “The goal of this experience goes beyond a simple internship,” says Dan Heighton, Clark State Professor and the instructor and coordinator of the group.  “The students will be involved in a variety of experiences which will allow the students to extend their comfort-zone.  The overall goal is to bring back a group of students that have a new outlook on the world and a new appreciation for technology and technological research.”

As a part of their internship experience, the students will live, learn, and work as a team.  They will live on the PNNL campus and take part in a variety of activities including job shadowing, lab tours, guest lectures, hands-on computer assignments, and cybersecurity research.  The students also plan to tour some of the high-tech businesses in the area, including the headquarters of Microsoft.

Although the students are just beginning to prepare for the trip, some already have high hopes for their return.  Clark State student, Ronda Black says, “With this opportunity I will be able to return home to my local community and continue to give back to a community that has given me so much.”

For more information about this internship, email educationinfo@avetec.org.