TransForum Vol. 9, No. 2

Interns Play an Important Role in Argonne's Transportation Research

As a whole, the Lab had 250 students from all levels of education participate in the summer internship program. Here, Argonne interns gather to hear a speaker at one of their weekly seminars.

Advanced engine testing and tribology research aren’t part of typical summer internships. But here at Argonne those are a few of the responsibilities taken on by interns in the Lab’s Transportation Technology Research and Development Center (TTRDC).

This summer, 25 students from colleges and universities across the country worked with TTRDC researchers on a wide variety of projects. These internships gave students the unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience working on groundbreaking studies in cutting-edge laboratory environments. Most interns were hired for 10 weeks, and wrapped up their time on July 31.

“It just sounds good saying I worked at Argonne,” said Ryan Vojtech, an engineering student at Southern Illinois University. “Having an internship at a recognized facility like this is pretty substantial.”

Vojtech worked with Argonne engineer Steve Ciatti to run experiments on different biodiesel fuel blends for General Motors.

The lab’s summer internship programs have a great impact on the recruitment of students to careers in research. Participants in Argonne’s programs are twice as likely to secure research and development positions and three times as likely to work in a federal laboratory compared to those who do not participate.

Ellen Briggs, a student who graduated from College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn this spring, participated in the Department of Energy’s Community College Institute. For her 10-week internship, she worked with visiting scholar Christine Matta on tribology research projects. (Tribology is the science and technology of friction, wear and lubrication of surfaces in relative motion.)

“I studied chemistry and hadn’t heard of tribology until I came here,” Briggs said. “I plan to make a career in research at a government lab—hopefully Argonne—or in academia.”

Cory Adams, a Penn State University student, also saw this opportunity as a great stepping stone. He plans to go on to graduate school and then pursue a career in transportation research.

“Whenever I talked to my professors, they always asked how my internship was going,” Adams said. “It was a great experience. I think it will definitely help me get my foot in the door.”

But the students aren’t the only ones who benefit from these internships. Argonne scientists and engineers also get some much needed help with their research.

Adams worked with engineer Thomas Wallner to run engine tests in Argonne’s Advanced Powertrain Research Facility.

“It was a great help having him around,” Wallner said. “We gave him a lot of responsibility, and he showed that he could handle it. He wanted to do engine testing and he got a lot of it.”

Argonne metallurgist Bob Erck had interns doing everything from upgrading laboratory computer systems and improving the design of test instruments to analyzing numerical data and characterizing results using optical and other microscopy.

“The interns provided valuable assistance in the research work of the tribology section,” Erck said. “They performed a great deal of day-to-day work that would otherwise need to be performed by the staff members.”

Lauren Valentor, a senior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, was one of the interns working in tribology. Valentor’s work focused on nanocomposite layers on diamond-like carbon coatings. “The only downside to my internship at Argonne is that it only lasted 10 weeks,” she said.

Argonne’s Division of Educational Programs is the largest in the Department of Energy system and sponsors traditional internships, teacher training and other programs that take advantage of the laboratory’s unique facilities.

More

• Argonne’s Division of Educational Programs Web site
  

October 2009