I am enjoying my internship very much (Hubbs). I help test the water quality in the fish tanks. I take temperature and pH of the water. Also, I test for things like nitrite and nitrate. I am learning a lot and it is cool to see how the things I learn in chemistry class can be applied to real life. It has also been neat to listen to the scientists' stories about college and their past research. Thank you for this awesome opportunity!

Katherine (Katie) Eskridge

I got accepted by Southwest Fisheries, the NOAA building in La Jolla. Everything's been going well. The people are really friendly and made the really easy for me to settle in. The building has a REALLY nice view overlooking San Diego Bay and the work hours/area are really comfortable and flexible. I know in college I'll go into something in biology or engineering (something science-related) and I applied hoping to see what it's like to explore both at the same time. And I think it's safe to say that this internship has taught me the good and bad. It brought the reality into my naive perception of the field. Not all of it is as glamorous or interesting as I thought it'd be of course, but needless to say, I am definitely enjoying my time there. So far they've had me help them build "whips" or wires for their new ROV, correcting and processing data from their survey cruises, and sorting samples taken from scrapings from the benthic zone of the ocean. The part thing that really helps me appreciate what I do there is the fact that what I'm doing as an intern are all tasks that my mentors have been doing before I got there. When cast in that light, I don't feel like I'm doing the stereotypical "coffee and filing" expected from most internships. Rather I feel like I'm really getting to know the profession in its entirety. Any questions I ask are answered extensively by the people there and for all this I am very thankful. All in all, I am grateful for this opportunity. Thank you!

Ben Hong

Everything is going pretty well. Everyone is really nice and helpful, and I feel like people are concerned with what I am gaining from the internship. I have learned a lot so far about production and operation of the robots.

So far, I have been making instructions for different procedures in both written and video formats. I have also started to help out with videos that show how to fly the robots.

Evelyn Hunter

So far everything has been great (SeaBotix). I have had an opportunity to learn new skills and apply these to my own pursuits. I have been creating Excel graphs to track QA issues. I am also using a program called LabView to design a program to control the thermal shock tank that is currently under construction at Seabotix. I am working on the design aspect of the tank as well together with another intern and some engineers.

Markus Ito

Everything is going just fine (SAIC). So far, I have been working on the maintenance database and inventory with SAIC, and learning some VBA and SQL.

Tim Trahan

My summer internship at SPAWAR is great! I'm working on all sorts of different projects; the environment is great, and the knowledge endless. My first week I learned the basics of Computer Aided Design (CAD) on Pro-E, as well as worked on creating marks for land mine detection. My mentor assigned me to create a light, packable, durable mark that can be place on land mine after detection. Such a mark can be as simple as a cone to complex as a self-righting telescoping pole.

We are also testing new sensors, or more so the mobility of the robot with the new sensors, also called "arms" (due to looks). The extra sensors are large, heavy and protrude out of the robot. Some of the tests we will conduct may be driving the Talon or Packbot (the robots) up and down ramps simulating a hill or curb and observing how much the new sensors get banged around, or even if the sensors affect the speed or mobility. I put some of the arms on the robots. I also got to drive the Packbot and Talon to become more familiar with the controls for the testing, and also because it was fun!

An hour each day is designated to research all different types of robots for the other interns and me (they are from a different program SEAP). Mainly the research is just getting contact information and email of the program manager, but I also get to see an array of different robots. The Office of Naval Research (ONR) wants to find all possible abilities a robot can have so they can create (or find) the perfect robot. Once all the emails are collected, a data sheet with specification will be sent. This sheet will contain info that can pick out the best candidate for their perfect robot.

In CAD I made a part that will be attached to the Packbot. It is a sensor mount that will attach on the back of the Packbot and place the sensors looking down towards the ground. The sensors can detect a hole or long drop. They can also measure the distance of the hole or drop. The part is stable and durable as it is going to get shaken around of the Packbot. The part was great practice on CAD and also showed me an important part of engineering. In the end, I was able print out my part on a 3-D printer!

I actually started my internship early, so I only have one week left. This was a great experience and I learned a lot. I'm starting to look into robotics as a career choice, maybe even with SPAWAR. In robotics you get the best of the engineering world: some computer science, some mechanical engineering, and hands on experience. My favorite part is the hands on experience!

Thank you so much for this internship!

Rachel Shrum

I've been working with Eddie Kisflaudy in the Scripps Marine Biology Research Department. The internship has been better than I ever could have expected. This has been the greatest experience. I have been doing a wide range of things. We've done everything from working on the plumbing in the aquariums around Scripps, going out on Eddie's boat plenty of times studying leopard sharks with grad student Andy Nosal as well as collecting many different types of marine life for research, helping renovate and organize Eddie's office, taking care of the animals, and even diving around Scripps Pier to collect starfish from the pilings. This internship has been great and I'm so grateful to be able to experience it.

John Marin

Things have been going great at Sontek working with Adam. I've been learning tons and it's definitely started to become something I'm really interested in doing for a real career.

It's been a crazy couple of weeks because I've been busy learning how to use Solid Works and I've been re-drafting and fixing a lot of previously designed drafts, sending quotes and also designing my own fixture! I've also been working with Adam on making a silicone negative mold for a faring and then using poly-urethane to make new ones with some blue dye.

Adam gave me the assignment to create some way to make it easier to break some PCP boards here at Sontek because the people working in manufacturing were having trouble breaking them with the fixture the previous intern designed. So I designed a piece called the "ram blade" which Is a small piece of 303 stainless steel that is shaped into what looks like a triangular blade attached to a square, Which will be screwed into the bottom of a manual press and then allowing them to easily break through most of the board, making it so they could just tap off the end and be done in no time.

Unfortunately I was just out for a few days because I had a crazy head cold so I just got back today so hopefully my fixture has shown up from the machine shop and then we can test it and see if it works.

It's definitely been a great experience working here at Sontek, I've had a blast and it's helped me see that this is something I really want to do later in life.

Thanks for the allowing me to take part in this internship! :)

Mac Brown

Everything is going great over here at Sontek! I've been having a great time and experience working with my mentor, Jon, and interacting with the other employees here. Everyone is really friendly. It has been really fun and I'm really glad I signed up for this.

So far, I have been doing a lot of work in the 3D modeling program called Solidworks. I've designed a lot of fixtures that help assemble different parts. Its really cool to see an idea actually come to life and be able to hold the a part that you designed in your hand. I also help with odd jobs around the office such as fixing desks, labeling part bins, or sorting things. My mentor has also given me a full company experience. I've gotten to experience all different sorts of positions around the office, from shipping and receiving to product repair. It has really been a truly valuable experience.

Braden Schick

I just finished the internship at Teledyne RDI. It was such a great experience and I learned so much. I had to program an additional module. They gave me the original project to work with and I basically needed to write a program, which would convert a data type to another one and integrate my program into the synthesizer. Although it was a lot of work, I really enjoyed the internship. Thank you so much for supporting this program. I think it really allows youths to explore and develop their skills in the scientific field.

Theresa Lee

This internship has been a great experience so far. I'm working on a number of projects here at Scripps Oceanography, most notably a wetland restoration project where I'm working with UCSD students to control invasive plant species and restore natural biodiversity. I'm also interning with a researcher on kelp studies and running my own project with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, studying the effects of a promising new nutrient mixture on the growth of native plants. I love the field work involved--we go two or three times a week to an estuary in Imperial Beach and there's a lot of hands-on work; moreover, I'm planning to publish a paper on my experiment in a journal with the help of my adviser. All in all, this is exactly the kind of involvement I was hoping for. The researchers and staff, especially Mrs. Talley (who runs the wetland project) are really nice and are always willing to help out and its fun to work with the college students. I've learned a lot so far about ecology and conservation and look forward to the rest of my internship.

Thanks for running this program and putting me through with this great opportunity!

Chris Wu

My internship at Fugro has been going very well so far. The people here have been extremely welcoming and helpful, answering any question that I might have. So far I've taken a training course in ArcGIS software, and used it to help with projects. I've also been preparing documents, using Google Earth and Snagit, for planning use in the upcoming West Coast mapping project at Fugro. Apart from the working aspect of the internship, I've meet some amazing people from all around the world who are working at Fugro as college interns, temporary employees, or third-party workers. This internship has been a valuable opportunity for me to learn more about marine technology.

William Zhang

Everything about my internship at DeepSea Power and Light is going great! My main mentors, Steve Weston and John Sanderson, are kind and helpful. I really appreciate that both are always eager to explain aspects of the company that are confusing or interesting to me. Additionally, I often work with DeepSea's camera sales specialist, Pete Weber, who is also an amazing mentor. Because of a prior commitment, I have to work half-days on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, but I work full days on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I have been working at DeepSea for four weeks now, and I have been kept very busy, mostly working with DeepSea's ample supply of LED and halogen lights.

In the beginning, I mainly worked with the integrating sphere and tested the light output of different types of LED's at different temperatures (ranging from 0 C to 90 C). I then moved on to measuring and calculating the horizontal, vertical, and diagonal field-of-views of some of DeepSea's most popular underwater cameras. I measured these field-of-views both in the air and in DeepSea's test tank filled with water. Although DeepSea currently had the field-of-view measurements present on their specifications sheet for most, if not all, of the cameras, they were concerned that these measurements were incorrect. After finishing these projects, I wrote up lab reports for both the integrating sphere experiment and the camera field-of-view exploration process. John Sanderson later shared my report on the integrating sphere experiment with some sale representatives from different manufacturers of LED's that DeepSea uses. For my next project, I set up a large grid on a wall with thin tape and took high quality pictures of the beam that DeepSea's most popular lights produced (with all windows blacked out and all external lights turned off). Most recently, I have been formulating the beam patterns of some of DeepSea's lights in their water-filled test tank. I look forward to whatever new projects DeepSea has in store for me!

Marci Rosenberg

Everything is going great with the internship. Working with SeaBotix has been a very nice opportunity for me. Being a part of a company that is centered around many different aspects of engineering has given me better knowledge of the different majors I could soon pursue in college. I have been working on a Thermal Shock Test System that will be used to test an ROV's responses to great fluctuations in water temperature in short amounts of time. The idea is that the ROV will be submerged in water at 125 degrees (F). Water will then be swiftly pumped out, and the ROV will be submerged in water that is around 34 degrees (F). This whole system has required me to build circuit boards, construct pipelines made of various materials depending upon its use, and learn how electricity and flow of energy is affected by the median through which it travels. I also have been able to learn about voltage and how it is proportional to amps, giving someone a better understanding of wire gauges. Lastly I have been creating concepts through LabVIEW, creating the software programs to fully automate the system. This has been a great internship and I have gained so much from it. Thank you for the opportunity.

Chris Haas

Everything is going great at SeekTech! Although I felt somewhat out of place for the first few days or so (being the youngest employee), I've finally become acquainted with the procedures and lots of the people working there. I have been drilling holes in lots of metal and exchanging old monitors for new LCD displays. I've been enjoying going to work, as this internship is my first job.

Alex Fish

Things are going fine at SeaBotix. I am working in the engineering department. I have tested materials such as foam in a pressure vessel at the site. I also have written a major lab report about how well the foam that SeaBotix uses holds up to intense pressure. I enjoy most driving the robot around the tank, and discussing robots with fellow engineers. I look forward to taking one of the robots apart and hopefully using what I have learned here to start an underwater robotics team to compete at my high school!

Ben Brin