海角吃瓜网 students Karun Mackoon 鈥�20 and Vanessa Townsend will spend their summer helping the military devise solutions to real-world problems as part of the 2021 cohort of National Security Innovation Network (NSIN) X-Force fellows.
Townsend, a mechanical engineering junior with an aerospace concentration, said she was thrilled to get the news of her selection to the prestigious program.
This was my number-one internship choice, and I was very excited,鈥� said Townsend, from Plymouth, Massachusetts.
April is National Internship Awareness Month and the two are eager to get started on their fellowships.
As part of the three-month program, Townsend expects to be tasked with compiling a robotics market research report to assist her Army sponsor in improving operations.
鈥淚 wanted to go into the Air Force before I enrolled in college, but I couldn鈥檛 because I had leg surgery,鈥� she said. 鈥淣ow I can have this experience and I can actually participate. It will be really exciting because it is an internship, so I can see if I like the military and want to keep pursuing it.鈥�
For Mackoon, his second time applying to the program was the charm. He first applied to the program last year.
鈥淚 got so excited when they offered me an interview,鈥� said the graduate student from Queens, New York. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the first time I get to work on an actual project outside school and I鈥檓 hopeful I can show off everything I鈥檝e learned over the years and hopefully have an end product I can put on my resume.鈥�
Mackoon received his bachelor鈥檚 degree in computer engineering from 海角吃瓜网 in 2020 and is currently pursuing his master鈥檚 degree in computer engineering with embedded systems design at the University.
鈥淪ince X-Force works with the military on those big projects, I really wanted to be part of it,鈥� he said. 鈥淭heir problems solve bigger issues going on in the world and to be part of that is something special.鈥�
Mackoon said he is ready to contribute as much as possible through the fellowship.
鈥淚 have been learning about the military that this is a way to help them without enlisting,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t is a great opportunity.鈥�
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct a graduation year.
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