Three approved for OCAST Intern Partnerships program

Monday, June 27, 2011

Three R&D Intern Partnerships have been approved by the governing board of the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST) for funding totaling $149,989.

Professors from the University of Tulsa and the University of Oklahoma and from SouthWest NanoTechnologies will oversee student interns in the awarded projects. The R&D Intern Partnerships will operate for one to two years in collaboration with universities and private-sector companies in Tulsa and Norman. Awards support undergraduate student internships in energy, advanced materials/chemicals and computer software.

The OCAST R&D Intern Partnerships program has helped Oklahoma small businesses locate hard-to-find technology trained employees. OCAST pays half of the cost for an undergraduate intern to work in a research and development setting.

OCAST’s program is designed to assist technology-based job creation. It combines university faculty oversight with financial support and company mentoring from the private sector. Some of the college students who participate in the program eventually become employees of the small businesses that sponsor them.

The most recent program awards follow:

Energy

Tulsa – University of Tulsa Professor Surendra Singh will oversee work performed by student interns at the John Zink Company. Two interns will work on vapor control systems needed in vapor recovery and vapor combustion. The project, titled “Design and Development of Burner Systems,” will be conducted under the direction of two design engineers at the John Zink Company in the firm’s design, testing and manufacturing facility in Tulsa. New products that come from the research project will increase John Zink’s revenue, creating employment opportunities for engineers and technicians. Award: $60,000 for two years

Advanced Materials/Chemicals

Norman – Ricardo Prada Silvy will serve as principal investigator for a project titled “Undergraduate Internships in Advanced Nanotechnology.” Three interns will be hired at SouthWest NanoTechnologies Inc. to work collaboratively with the OU School of Chemical, Biological and Materials Engineering and the Department of Chemistry. Award: $60,000 for two years

Computer Software

Norman – OU’s Center for the Creation of Economic Wealth will provide matching pay for interns working under the direction of the University of Oklahoma’s Jeffrey Moore. Titled “University of Oklahoma Software Business Accelerator (SoBA) Internship Program,” the project combines the talent of interdisciplinary students, the expertise of faculty researchers, and the experience of private sector entrepreneurs to launch novel software products in an accelerated fashion. SoBA provides student interns an unparalleled opportunity to experience the technology-based entrepreneurial process, from idea generation to product development and launch. Award: $29,989 for one year