Ohio Technology Consortium offers college students invaluable summer work experience in high-tech industry

While many college students spend their summer studying abroad or taking courses, a handful from Ohio have been spending their summer break learning the ropes of a high-tech environment.

This summer, 11 graduate and undergraduate students are interning with the Ohio Technology Consortium (OH-TECH), a division of the Ohio Board of Regents located at The Ohio State University. Delivering next-generation technologies and world-class expertise that benefit academic researchers and Ohio’s economy, the consortium is comprised of: the Ohio Supercomputer Center (OSC), OARnet, OhioLINK, eStudent Services and the Research and Innovation Center.

With funding from the Ohio Board of Regents, each member-organization offered internship positions to provide students with real-world learning experiences – from high-performance computing (HPC) to communication and policy practice. For many students, internship experience provides a key advantage when seeking full-time employment after graduation.

“Not only have I had the opportunity to be part of a fast-pace work environment, but I was seen as a real member of our team. I was responsible for projects that will have long-term effect on our organization. Not many interns can say that,” said Megan Schmenk, business analyst intern for OSC.

OH-TECH relies upon their summer interns to contribute to important company initiatives, assignments that have a real impact on the organizations’ futures. These projects have included: writing summary reports of policy information, formulating communications plans, developing resources for websites and conducting business research.

Dwayne Sattler, associate vice president for policy at OH-TECH states, “By further developing an internship program for undergraduate and graduate students, the consortium is fulfilling its ultimate goal to advance STEM education and positively impact the economic outlook for Ohio.”

OH-TECH is dedicated to facilitating science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education throughout Ohio. At the K-12 level, the Ohio Supercomputer Center annually hosts two summer programs, one for high school students and another for middle school girls, to boost skills and encourage an interest in science and technology. At the post-secondary level, OSC offers programs in computational science through the virtual Ralph Regula School, workshops and various internship opportunities throughout the year. At the workforce level, computational science certification programs and other training modules are available.

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EDITORS: The following identifies the students selected for OH-TECH’s internship program. The list identifies the university each attends, along with her or her internship title.

Joshua Cassidy, Student Programmer, The Ohio State University

Brooke Felts, Policy Intern, The Ohio State University

Christina Perk, Communications Intern, Miami University

Pete Ragias, Business Office Intern, The Ohio State University

Koh Schooley, Help Desk Consultant, The Ohio State University

Megan Shemenk, Business Analyst Intern, American University

Mahogany Williams, Supercomputing Operations, Wilberforce University

Hauwa Muibi, User Services Intern, Wilberforce University

Anil Sunke, HPC Operations Intern, The Ohio State University

Cole Taylor, HPC Operations Intern, Wittenberg University

Eric Mann, HPC Operations Intern, Wittenberg University