AFRL scholars meet industry giants at career forum

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  • Kirtland Public Affairs
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  

Students in the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Scholars Program recently met with several of the biggest employers in the science, technology, engineering and math industries at its annual Career Forum.

The forum brings together program students with employees from 14 well-known companies such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon Missiles Systems, Jet Propulsion Laboratories and many others. Representing Kirtland was the AFRL, the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center and Sandia National Laboratories.

“There are an amazing amount of opportunities through the career forum,” said Julie McCullough, coordinator for the AFRL Scholars Program. “It allows students to meet with industry-specific employers, where they have a unique opportunity to ask questions they wouldn’t get to ask in a formal interview. They get to really learn about the companies and what they do.”

She said it’s also an opportunity to network, as many of the companies bring recruiters, and get their resumes in the hands of someone who might be impressed with their skills, education and experience.

The Scholars Program, which is managed by the Universities Space Research Association, offers stipend-paid summer internships to high school seniors, and undergraduates and graduate level university students pursuing STEM degrees. Students come from all over the country to work for eight to 10 weeks with AFRL mentors on research and other projects. About 1,100 students applied this year, and 158 were selected for positions.

“It’s an excellent opportunity for the students,” McCullough said. “They are working side by side with some amazing AFRL scientists and engineers.”

The selected interns gain valuable hands-on experiences, working on unique, cutting-edge research and technology projects. Graduate interns are able to collaborate with AFRL on current research and incorporate the research into their graduate work.

“It’s a real honor for them to be here and they are all aware of that and appreciative of the opportunity,” she said.

It isn’t just the students who benefit from the program. Matthew Fetrow, AFRL tech engagement lead, said having the students provides a shot of energy to the AFRL and the scientists and engineers who are mentors.

“The students here are really bright and they come up with project solutions that are really well researched,” Fetrow said. “They do some really good work.  It’s also a great opportunity for the mentors to experience new ideas and innovation. The researchers appreciate the students’ level of energy. They bring modern and youthful ways of thinking about problems.”

Fetrow added that this program, along with many other programs designed to bring along the next generation of technologists, helps build the future STEM workforce, which will ultimately benefit the Department of Defense’s ability to defend the country through enhanced technology.

Heather Abeyta, who works for the personnel directorate at the AFNWC, was at the career forum at Kirtland. She said the event was a great chance to seek the best and brightest future employees, individuals already screened by the AFRL.

“We want to find future employees for internships and permanent positions,” Abeyta said. “We’re prepared to make big investments in these individuals, so we want to make sure we’re getting a good match, and that they are happy with their choices. The forum helps us both make informed decisions.”

The career forum is not a typical job fair, and all the students have time left in school, so there is no direct hiring that takes place at the event. But McCullough said more than a dozen individuals from the Scholars Program have been hired in permanent positions, and that number grows as the program grows.