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Internship Program

Join the MATRIX Lab this summer for a unique and hands-on learning opportunity. As a MATRIX Lab intern, you'll have 10 weeks to work hands-on with researchers, your mentor, and the MATRIX Lab team on a project of your choosing. The project can be anything related to the modeling, design, analysis, simulation, assembly, and/or experimentation of autonomous systems. You'll be a member of the MATRIX Lab team, getting paid an hourly rate to work at our lab spaces on the USMSM campus in Southern Maryland.

Now accepting applications for Fall 2024 and beyond!

Read about our Summer 2024 Internships

Requirements

Interns must be:

  • Students from rising sophomore to rising senior from any accredited university or community college
  • U.S. citizens or permanent residents (due to ITAR equipment in use)
  • Able to work onsite in California, Maryland throughout 10 week internship (44219 Airport Road, California, MD 20619) with hybrid work available during the academic year

Applying

  • Identify a faculty mentor who will work with you to identify a project that is related to autonomous systems and remain as your advisor and primary source for project assistance throughout the internship.
  • Apply directly to Lab Manager Joe Copenhaver, joecope@umd.edu, with:
    • your resume,
    • an agreement from your mentor who has agreed to work with you (email or short note),
    • a short description of your proposed project (no more than one page), and
    • your proposed budget.

Projects must be approved by the MATRIX Lab for applicability, scope and budget. Applicants are reviewed and approved on a rolling basis, so apply as early as possible. The Summer 2024 application period is closed. Now accepting applications for Fall 2024 and beyond!

The University of Maryland MATRIX Lab offers researchers, students, government and industry access to extensive resources and pools of expertise in every aspect of autonomous technologies research.

The MATRIX Lab is a Southern Maryland hub for autonomous technologies and systems research. It sparks innovation and builds bridges for partnerships in research, education, and economic development. It is located in St. Mary's County inside the SMART Building, a joint effort of the University of Maryland (UMD) and the University System of Maryland at Southern Maryland (USMSM). This single space for innovation is one of the most recent additions to the state’s “autonomy corridor” and is the home of the UMD MATRIX Lab.

The MATRIX Lab is a high-tech research and education facility with unique features built to advance autonomy and uncrewed systems. The lab serves industry, government, academia, and most importantly, the people of Southern Maryland. It maintains multiple affiliations and partnerships with the Department of Defense, including the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD), and many other federal research labs.

As an intern, you will work with researchers, your mentor, and the MATRIX Lab team on a project of your choosing that involves the modeling, design, analysis, simulation, assembly, and/or experimentation of autonomous systems. Tasks may include:

  • Modeling and analysis of performance, capability, and cost
  • Developing models and establishing statistical relationships between component attributes and behaviors
  • Performing analyses of platform and system components
  • Applying generative design techniques to structural components
  • Participating in additive manufacturing process setup and part assembly
  • Applying statistical analysis and experimental design techniques to intelligently perform simulation of models
  • Applying mathematical modeling techniques to explore relationships between design variables, technologies, and requirements
  • Field research with autonomous platforms and systems

As a member of the MATRIX Lab team you will also be integrated directly into the day-to-day operations of the Lab.

Internship positions may be continued part-time into the academic year at the student’s home institution.

  • Work full time at the MATRIX Lab throughout 10 week internship.
    • Limited deviations from this schedule are negotiable (including requests for unpaid vacation time), however, attendance on the first day is mandatory.
    • If a student does not live close enough to commute, the MATRIX Lab will offer affordable local lodging options.
  • All internships are paid at an hourly rate, both during summer and the academic year.
  • Each intern’s work will be established and supported by their mentor and supervised by a MATRIX Lab team member.
  • All projects will be relatable to an autonomous technologies research project.
    • Projects may include hardware, software, or both.
    • Projects may include any portion of the system, including but not limited to vehicles, sensors, software, data links, control station and/or human integration.
  • All project budget allocations/transactions will be coordinated through MATRIX Lab staff, to include a proposed budget at the outset of the project.
  • At the end of the summer, interns will present an outbrief at the MATRIX Lab to our team and mentors on the project and its outcomes.
  • If required by the faculty mentor, there will be a written report/technical paper on the project.

Desired qualifications may include, depending on project:

  • Computer programming/scripting experience
  • Intermediate knowledge of statistical data analysis tools and languages
  • Intermediate knowledge of autonomous platforms and systems
  • Basic knowledge of system modeling, system analysis, and time-based event analysis
  • Basic knowledge of additive manufacturing principles and techniques
  • Technical writing skills commensurate with conference or journal publications

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