Dean's AFRL-Discovery Lab Industry Undergraduate Experiential Learning Assistantship

In collaboration with the AFRL Discovery Lab and its industry partners, Wright State University College of Engineering and Computer Science has created up to 30 experiential learning assistantships for Ohio undergraduate students. The assistantships position students for internships with regional employers through their participation in the Year-at-the-Edge (YATE) Student Intern Program at the AFRL Discovery Lab. The goal of YATE is to accelerate technology innovations while growing tomorrow's technology leaders. Students selected for the program will participate in experiential research activities at the AFRL Discovery Lab for 5-10 hours per week during the fall and spring semesters and full-time during the summer. New students are expected to begin the summer before their freshman year. Totaling $10,000 per year, the assistantships include academic year scholarships of $1,500 per semester, along with research stipends of $1,500 per semester and $4,000 in the summer. The assistantship may be renewable for up to three years subject to satisfactory performance and availability of funds. Students who leave the program early may be able to retain their scholarships for the current semester provided that they are moving to an internship, co-op or permanent position at WSU, an industry sponsor, or AFRL, subject to review and approval by the program director.

Eligibility

This program is targeted toward new direct-from-high-school students entering the College of Engineering and Computer Science (CECS). Students with excellent academic records are encouraged to apply. Students admitted to CECS for the upcoming fall term may apply by submitting their application form to Dr. Rob Williams at: Robert.Williams@wpafb.af.mil.  Additionally the students must complete the following as part of the application process:
 
Step #2. Students will then at same time produce a high quality short interview video of exactly 2 minutes and 57 seconds long and post on YouTube as an UNLISTED video. In the interview video, the student will repeat each question from the essay before answering.
 
The interview video needs to be exactly 2:57 (not 2:56, not 2:58) and high quality - good lighting, clear audio.
 
The student should wear "business casual" as a minimum for the video. The video background needs to be blank. There can't be any distracting background noise (dogs barking, etc).
 
Student then will post the completed interview on YouTube as an UNLISTED video and email the link address to Dr. Williams in an email with the Subject line "SATE Interview Video - YourLastName, YourFirstName". The email must be received before 11PM April 15 to be considered for the first round of selections.
 
Step #3: The research director for the program will review the videos and then notify students of their selection by email before 11PM April 15. The students have 96 hours after notification is sent to accept or decline via the instructions provided in the selection notification. A telecom will be held within 72 hours to answer questions to help students make their decision.
 
Step #4: A second round of selections will start immediately after the initial selections are finalized to fill the remaining positions.

 

Deadlines

 

Applications for Fall 2013 can be submitted from this page starting November 15, 2012. Decisions are expected on or about April 15 each year starting in 2013.

 

Requirements

Participants are expected to remain in good standing by continuing their research at an acceptable level as determined by periodic review of the program director.  Additionally, students must maintain a GPA of 3.0 and remain in good standing in an undergraduate major in the College of Engineering and Computer Science.

Interested in other scholarship opportunities? Please see scholarships available through WSU's Financial Aid department.