The title CEO Intern seems inherently contradictory, but it is an accurate description of a student-focused reality show that is in the works for this summer.

CEO Intern is a reality TV program that follows five students who will become group CEO of the cryogenic processing company, 300 Below. The students will be put in charge of a veteran staff that is likely to challenge them socially as well as from a business standpoint.

Cryogenic processing is the science of improving metals to make them last longer and perform better by exposing them to extreme temperatures. 300 Below has customers in several different industries that will provide many opportunities for...Read More

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Young engineers put their skills on display recently in Boston, as they built robots for battle in what looked like an automated version of American Gladiators.

The Boston regional of the FIRST (For Inspiration & Recognition of Science & Technology) Robotics Competition was held Friday March 28 and Saturday March 29, at Boston University's Agganis Arena.

A number of teams of students from the Boston area competed in FIRST Overdrive matches where three teams would form an alliance against thr...Read More

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What's more impressive on an engineer's résumé than a stint at NASA?

With four successful co-op assignments at NASA under his belt, Reeve Ingle already boasts a pretty impressive list of qualifications as he approaches graduation this May.

In his four years at Georgia Institute of Technology, the electrical engineering major with a minor in Spanish has gained valuable experience working at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston and through an internship at the US Department of Defense in Ft. Meade, MD.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my co-op experience as a student at Georgia Tech,” said Ingle. “I feel li...Read More

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Even engineering programs have to “keep up with the Joneses.”

In order to make engineering students well-rounded when they enter the workforce, the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology has taken steps to encourage more liberal arts schools to have engineering programs.

Beginning in 2001, engineering programs had to follow the ABET’s new standards, which are less technical and more compatible with a liberal arts curriculum. 

Companies that have experience with engineers new to the work force, such as Boeing and Texas Instruments, were influential in bringing about the change in standards, because of their observations of new workers lacking experien...Read More

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Anyone who has looked for an internship knows it isn’t easy to do on your own, but now your daily visit to Facebook can help.

A new Facebook group, InternPower, is a unique program aimed at helping students get the most of all the internships available to them.

“We, at InternPower, hope to help students in the internship application and actual interning experience,” said Oriana So, who is an intern herself, working on the project. “InternPower hopes to show students how interning can help forward their career paths and choose the right career for them.”

At this stage in the process InternPower is a Facebook group that enables interns, prospective i...Read More

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Interning at a major company can get you great exposure and is more than just fun and games. But sometimes it’s that too.

Every summer for a number of years, interns at Microsoft have set out to travel across Washington state in an Amazing Race-style scavenger hunt. The students spend a weekend solving complex puzzles to lead them through a series of clues set up by fellow Microsoft employees.

The game gives the students a chance to have a fun weekend off from their challenging internship positions while still showing off the problem-solving, technical skills that got them in those positions. The history of the game is documented on The Microsoft Summer Intern Game website, which details all the puzzles and solutions.

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Education is the first step to building the engineering work force.

Therefore, in order to sustain the industry, steps to constantly improve and advance engineering education are necessary.

Studies, such as Rising Above the Gathering Storm done by National Academy of Sciences in 2005, have suggested improvements need to be made and interest spurred in the science and technology fields to keep the US in a competitive position in the global economy.

Though some, such as Vivek Wadhwa in his Business Week article The Science Education Myth, argue these concerns are overstated and education statistics are misinterpreted, improvements in the engineering education system certainly shouldn’...Read More

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Sometimes opportunity knocks where you least expect it.

In 2004, Elizabeth Muller was a part-time engineering student searching for a way to pursue her dreams when she got the opportunity of a lifetime thanks to a chance encounter with two NASA engineers while working in a Virginia restaurant.

Through the advice of her customers, Muller got a three-year internship in NASA’s Langley Aerospace Research Summer Scholars project (LARSS) in Hampton, VA. She was able to earn scholarships to complete her degree at Old Dominion University and was assigned to the Airborne Subscale Transport Aircraft Research (Air STAR) testbed development activity under the Single Aircraft Accident Preven...Read More

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What are the benefits of interning in a different country?

Like co-operative education, tuition-based study abroad internships offer class credit and sometimes allow for financial aid to help with expenses.

International internships offer the same valuable industry experience as all internships with the added opportunity to work in a completely new environment and see the industry from an international perspective. Working in an industry in a different country where it is just beginning or is a cornerstone of the industry, for example, can be very educational and beneficial for a student.

The opportunity to work in India's rapidly expanding software industry is a ...Read More

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Among major fields of study, engineering is possibly one of the most male-dominated in the United States.

Though she will be in the minority as a female engineer when she enters the work force, Northeastern University mechanical engineering major Jen Chin feels her opportunities should be determined by her work ethic and skills, not her gender.

“Like most professions, to be considered an equal it takes hard work and skill,” said Chin. “For those who show effort in engineering, no matter the gender, opportunities will always be offered.”

Although that may be more ideal than realistic in the industry today, it is interest in engineering among women that seems to hold the statistics so low. According to the ...Read More

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The only thing better than gaining real industry experience through an internship, might be the opportunity to get that experience without the stress of searching for the perfect job.

Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering in Needham allows students the opportunity to get real-world engineering experience without having to leave the comfort and familiarity of a school project. As part of Olin's project-based curriculum, the Senior Consulting Program for Engineering (SCOPE), gives seniors the chance to use what they’ve learned to take on an actual engineering project for a real client.

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The relationship between college interns and the companies they work for is often perceived to work one way, in that the company gives the student the opportunity to gain crucial experience

In the engineering industry, however, the value of interns is being recognized and opportunities are beginning to present themselves to students, as the industry assumes its responsibility of taking care of its next generation.

There are a number of factors creating the need for engineers, such as the baby boomer work force reaching retirement age, and increased market demand due to economic growth. 

In the aerospace industry, for example, the Cold War provided an industry boom that provided a wealth of jobs for young engineers, who still make up...Read More

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