Draper Labs Internship: Opportunities and Requirements
Draper is an independent, nonprofit research and development company headquartered in Cambridge, MA, tackling important national challenges. With over 2,000 employees, Draper delivers successful and usable solutions in military defense, space exploration, biomedical engineering, and more. Multidisciplinary teams of engineers and scientists work collaboratively to foster innovation. Draper offers cooperative education (co-op) and internship programs for both engineering and non-engineering students. These programs integrate academic research with practical problem-solving, allowing students to advance their fields while addressing crucial challenges in national security.
Overview of Draper's Internship Programs
Draper's co-op internship program offers hands-on experience to all students, including undergraduate and graduate students. Students can receive academic credit for their degree work during the fall and spring semesters, and engineering students have the opportunity to present their findings alongside our technical staff. Draper also hires students to support business, logistics, communications, and information technology activities in both full-time summer positions and part-time positions during the academic year.
Opportunities for Students
Draper offers vast opportunities for students to explore and engage with diverse projects and programs across various market areas. These include:
- Designing microphysiological systems
- Developing biothreat and pathogen detection solutions
- Leading advancements in synthetic biology
- Pioneering precision guidance for munitions
- Devising hardware and software cyber security for embedded systems
- Providing battlefield solutions
- Contributing to national defense and deterrence capabilities
- Engineering solutions that enable space exploration, including advanced and autonomous guidance, navigation, and control, and fault-tolerant computing and software design.
Specific Internship Examples and Requirements
Threat Management (OTM) Team Internship
One example is an internship within the Threat Management (OTM) team within the Draper Security department. This role provides project and additional duty support, primarily assisting the Senior Counterintelligence (CI) Analyst. The Co-op will learn how TM provides analytic/assessment support to Draper and be introduced to functional CI and Insider Threat (InT).
Duties/Responsibilities:
- Rotate working between multiple groups within the Department to ensure a base knowledge set is experienced for comprehensive professional development.
- Provide assistance to a team, including clerical duties, processing paperwork, customer service, or performing data entry.
- Conducting open source research, analysis, and reviewing/providing inputs into intelligence assessments and awareness messages.
- Assist OTM members in the conduct of its mission to develop a base of knowledge and gain experience across the CI, InT, security investigations (SI) missions.
- Attend meetings, take notes, and review OTM activities to learn CI and InT processes and provide support to TM actions.
- Performs other duties as assigned.
Program Requirements:
- Must be enrolled in an accredited bachelor's/master's degree program.
- U.S. citizen
Qualifications:
- Must be enrolled in an accredited bachelor's/master's degree program in Intelligence, Political Science, Cybersecurity, Criminal Justice, Criminology, Homeland Security, Security Studies, or related fields.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills.
- Excellent work ethic with the ability to work independently or in a team environment.
- Ability to adapt to ever-changing environments, risks, and vulnerabilities.
- Strong computer skills including MS Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.
- Willingness and ability to apply for a US Government security clearance upon acceptance of offer is required.
Preferred competencies:
- Highly motivated, interest in the fields of CI, InT, and Investigations methodologies and best practices
- Skill, expertise in conducting research in the field and in writing papers, assessments
Software Engineering Division Internship
Another internship opportunity lies within Draper's Software Engineering Division, focusing on low-level software for real-time embedded systems.
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Duties/Responsibilities:
- Design, develop, and enhance engineering solutions for challenging problems.
- Implement, test, perform analysis, and provide documentation support.
- Generate and present test reports including plots, tables, evaluation criteria, and conclusions from data collected and analyzed throughout the test process.
- Complete assignments designed to develop a practical knowledge of processes, procedures, equipment, facilities, and systems as well as their interrelationships within engineering disciplines.
- Performs other duties as assigned.
Program Requirements:
- Enrolled in an accredited full-time undergraduate or graduate degree program required.
Skills/Abilities:
- Excellent written and oral communication skills.
- Excellent work ethic with the ability to work independently or in a team environment.
- Ability to adapt to ever-changing environments, risks, and vulnerabilities.
- Strong computer skills including MS Word, PowerPoint and Excel.
Qualifications:
- Competency in C/C++
- Working knowledge of real-time operating systems
- Understanding of the product development and engineering project lifecycle (requirements development through Verification and Validation)
- Experience in RISC-V, ARM, low power processors, embedded Linux, device driver development and software testing a plus.
General Internship Requirements and Information
Academic Standing
Applicants must be enrolled in an accredited undergraduate or graduate degree program. Specific degree programs may be preferred depending on the internship role.
Skills and Abilities
Regardless of the specific internship, certain skills and abilities are consistently valued:
- Excellent written and oral communication skills
- Strong work ethic and ability to work independently or in a team
- Adaptability to changing environments
- Proficiency in computer skills, including MS Word, PowerPoint, and Excel
Citizenship and Security Clearance
Due to the nature of Draper's work, U.S. citizenship is often required. A willingness and ability to apply for a U.S. Government security clearance may also be necessary.
Program Flexibility
Draper offers flexibility regarding work hours and program duration based on the applicant's school schedule and availability. Some positions may be partially hybrid remote, though on-site presence is often considered an important part of the experience.
Compensation
The pay range for internships varies depending on the role, level, and location. Specific salary ranges are available from recruiters during the hiring process.
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Supporting Military Transitions
Draper is committed to assisting active service members in their transition from military to civilian life. Through partnerships with SkillBridge and the Warrior Care Program, Draper offers full-time internships across various departments. The DoD SkillBridge program offers service members the chance to acquire essential civilian work experience through targeted industry training, apprenticeships, or internships during their final 180 days of service.
How to Apply
Interested candidates can explore current openings for student, intern, and co-op positions on the Draper website. Applications should be submitted as soon as possible, as offers may be made early for outstanding candidates. Students are encouraged to contact specific staff members in their area of interest directly.
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