CIMSS Annual Summer Research Internships for Undergraduates in Smart Structures - Fact Sheet

Description of the Program
The Center for Intelligent Material Systems and Structures (CIMSS) at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University offers challenging opportunities to undergraduate students for interdisciplinary research training in the area of smart structures.  The objectives of the CIMSS Summer Research Internships for Undergraduates Program are to expose students to the research environment, to encourage undergraduate students to pursue a graduate degree in engineering, and to foster growth in research-related skills.  Students involved in the program will work alongside and contribute to the research efforts of graduate students and faculty. Research opportunities will span an entire range of disciplines including smart structure design, energy harvesting, autonomic structures, control design, structural health monitoring, signal processing, and solid mechanics.

The focus of the research program at CIMSS is in developing structural health monitoring techniques, morphing aircraft, large space structures, nastic structures, and dynamics and applied control.  Our research makes extensive use of smart materials as actuators and sensors.  Sample projects include:

unmanned morphing aircraft modeling and control
modeling and control of electroactive polymers
biomimetic polymer actuators and artificial muscle technology
impedance-based structural health monitoring
power harvesting using piezoceramics and the thermal electric effect
self-contained wireless sensor systems
hybrid actuation systems
large flexible satellites
autonomic structures
multifunctional materials

Selected students will conduct research at Virginia Tech under the supervision of one or more participating faculty members.  The specific research project will be chosen by the Principal Investigators and the selected students to address a specific issue relevant to the CIMSS research program.

Eligibility and Selection
Funded undergraduate internships are intended primarily for students in the summer following their Junior year in an accredited college or university.  Interns will be selected based on a review of the application and resume of each student.  Student participants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents of the U.S. or its possessions.  Women and minorities are strongly encouraged to apply.  Applications are accepted through March 15th each year.

Benefits and Obligations
Selected students will receive a $4,000 fellowship, and funding will be available for materials and supplies to support the research.  At the beginning of the internship, each student will write a proposal for the specific research project to be undertaken, including a statement of deliverables due at the end of the project (written report, experimental apparatus, etc.).  Appointments are generally for the three-month period from mid-May to mid-August.

For additional information or an application, please contact:          
Dr. Daniel J. Inman, Director    or   Beth Howell, Program Manager
Center for Intelligent Material Systems and Structures
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Blacksburg, Virginia  24061-0261
PHONE: (540) 231-2908   FAX: (540) 231-2903
email:  cimss@vt.edu
website and forms:  http://www.cimss.vt.edu

Top of Page