Students working with the (clockwise) Northwest Tissue Mechanics lab; Robot Controls lab; Mechanical Adaptations Lab; Computational Materials and Design lab; (center) Boise Applied Biomechanics of Infants lab.
Overview
The Research Internship in Mechanical & Biomedical Engineering is a fall program that gives Mechanical Engineering students a professional research experience that is not readily available through the standard undergraduate curriculum. Students accepted into this program will work on a research project in a research laboratory, where students will learn new techniques and concepts, and be able to apply their formal engineering knowledge to real-world challenges. By taking this course, students will earn 3 credits in ME493, which will count as an ME technical elective, and may also count as a technical elective for a minor degree (e.g. biomedical engineering minor). At the end of the research internship, students will submit a final report and will accomplish the following general learning objectives:
- Form testable research hypotheses.
- Perform experiments and/or analyze data to support a research project.
- Present project updates and research findings to researchers in a professional manner using written and oral communication.
Application Process
This internship program has limited availability and is a competitive selection process that is open to all Boise State University undergraduate students that have been admitted to the Mechanical Engineering major. Interested students will apply during the spring semester to start in the fall semester.
Eligibility Requirements
You must be admitted as an ME major before the internship begins at the start of the fall semester.
Important Dates
- April 26: Program announcement
- May 26: Application deadline
- July 1: Notification of decision
- Aug. 15: Selected students apply for an academic internship through the career center
- Aug. 23: Fall internship begins
- Dec. 10: Fall internship ends
Application Materials
The following application materials need to be emailed to Dr. Gunes Uzer (gunesuzer@boisestate.edu) no later than the deadlines specified above.
- Application form (Research Internship Application Form)
- Statement of purpose (no more than 1 page). Articulate your academic preparation, your interest in mechanical and biomedical engineering research, and please include information on why you want to work in a particular lab. A list of participating labs is provided at the end of this document.
- Resume: Please include contact information for two references (prioritize past research or work experience if possible)
- Unofficial transcript
Note: All application material should be submitted as a single PDF.
Internship Period
The internship period coincides with the fall semester. The time commitment is 135 hours over the 15 week period (~10 hours/week).
Prior to starting the internship, selected students are expected to 1) apply for an academic internship through the career center by Aug. 15th (https://web.boisestate.edu/internships/), and 2) complete any safety training required for their project.
At the end of the internship period, students will submit a final report detailing the skills acquired from the internship, and whether the learning objectives were achieved. The internship coordinator, Dr. Krishna Pakala, will review the reports and assign a grade. Note: This is an unpaid internship that provides 3 credits for an ME technical elective. There is potential to be hired after the internship period in a paid position.