R&D Engineer Intern

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:

• CURRENT PENN STATE EMPLOYEE (faculty, staff, technical service, or student), please login to Workday to complete the internal application process. Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday.

• CURRENT PENN STATE STUDENT (not employed previously at the university) and seeking employment with Penn State, please login to Workday to complete the student application process. Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday.

• If you are NOT a current employee or student, please click “Apply” and complete the application process for external applicants.

Approval of remote and hybrid work is not guaranteed regardless of work location. For additional information on remote work at Penn State, see Notice to Out of State Applicants.

JOB DESCRIPTION AND POSITION REQUIREMENTS

The Systems and Emerging Capabilities (SEC) Division in the Undersea Systems Office (USO) at the Applied Research Laboratory (ARL) is seeking Engineering Interns. This position provides you the opportunity to apply your skills to real-world engineering problems in the demanding undersea domain. SEC is home to ARL’s innovation hub for development and evaluation of advanced capabilities in the Undersea Weapons and Subsea and Seabed Warfare (SSW) mission areas. We work at the intersection of autonomy; battery technology and motor development; flight dynamics and controls; systems engineering; underwater robotics, and prototype system integration to rapidly transition new technologies to Navy sponsors.

ARL is an authorized DoD SkillBridge partner and welcomes all transitioning military members to apply.

You will:

• Assist engineers and researchers with the design, development, and testing of robotic and autonomous systems.
• Support hardware integration, system troubleshooting, and laboratory experimentation.
• Develop software tools, scripts, or algorithms to support research objectives.
• Collect, analyze, and visualize experimental data.
• Document technical findings, test results, and development activities.
• Participate in design reviews, technical discussions, and project meetings.
• Contribute to prototype development and field testing activities, as appropriate.
• Present project outcomes and recommendations at the conclusion of the internship.
• Be assigned to one or more engineering teams. 

Required Skills/Experience areas include:

• Strong analytical skills and ability to work across disciplines
• Effective verbal and written communication abilities.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively within a team environment.
• Currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree in: Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Robotics Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related technical discipline

What you will experience:

• Hands-on experience working on real-world engineering and robotics challenges.
• Exposure to advanced research and development methodologies.
• Mentorship from experienced engineers and technical leaders.
• Opportunities to collaborate across multiple engineering disciplines.
• Professional development through technical presentations and project reviews.
• Experience contributing to technologies with meaningful operational impact.

Location and Travel:

You may work up to 20 hours/week during the fall and spring semesters and have the opportunity to work up to 40 hours/week over the summer. This is a paid internship opportunity, and location will be fully on-site located in State College, PA. Relocation and housing are not provided.

ARL’s purpose is to research and develop innovative solutions to challenging scientific, engineering, and technology problems in support of the Navy, the Intel Community (IC), and other federal government customers.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION on ARL, visit our website at www.arl.psu.edu.

BACKGROUND CHECKS/CLEARANCES

Employment with the University will require successful completion of background check(s) in accordance with University policies.Notice regarding employment at the Applied Research Laboratory (ARL):
Employees must be eligible to obtain a government security clearance, participate in the ARL drug testing program, and comply with electronic and physical monitoring requirements applicable to federal contractors. ARL operates in a secure information environment involving Unclassified, Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), and Classified information. Personal electronic devices brought onsite must be registered and may be restricted from certain areas. You must be a U.S. citizen to apply.

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