EUGENE–"I’m 22 and I make more than my parents," Jennifer Petersen reflected.

Recently hired as a process engineer at Hyundai Semiconductor America’s computer chip plant in Eugene, Petersen owes a certain amount of her success to an innovative internship program at the University of Oregon that combines academics and on-the-job training. She graduated this June with job experience, a master’s degree in chemistry–and a new job in a competitive industry that pays more than $40,000 per year.

Launched by the UO Materials Science Institute (MSI) last summer, the Industrial Internship Master’s Program combines classroom instruction and laboratory work with a six- to nine-month industrial internship. Participating companies include Mitsubishi Silicon, LSI Logic, Hyundai, Forrest Paint, Planar and Intel.

Students can expect to earn 30 credits and $2,000 to $3,000 a month during the internship portion of the program, which features specialties in semiconductor processing and polymer science. With the addition of 12 credits in physics or chemistry, students receive a master’s degree. A doctoral version of the program was launched in June.

"It’s a mutually beneficial arrangement for companies and students," says chemistry professor Dave Johnson, who promoted the idea to a variety of high-tech industrial leaders. "Companies see the students as potential employees they get for nine months on a trial basis. While industry is in need of qualified applicants, students have the opportunity to get hands-on experience and a step up in the job market," he says.

Johnson and five other MSI faculty members developed the program in response to feedback from recent graduates as well as from regional industrial partners.

"This feedback defined the need to augment the basic science curricula to include coursework that better prepares students in physics and chemistry to become effective problem solvers in semiconductor manufacturing and polymer synthesis," Johnson says.

The coursework is designed to help students develop their skills as well as to increase their knowledge.

"Our focus is teaching them how to apply the fundamentals they’ve been taught as undergraduates to solve problems in industry," says Johnson.

Jessica Daniel, a chemistry student who’s interning at Planar, a flat-panel display manufacturer in Portland, says the program helped her get into the company’s research and development (R&D) department. She tried job hunting first but found most companies weren’t interested in someone with a chemistry degree and no experience.

"Most students could learn the job eventually," says Johnson, "but the job-specific training they received in the MSI program cuts down on the financial commitment companies have to make before workers are productive."

Daniel underscores the importance of getting a foot in the high-tech industrial door.

"It’s not so much what I learned in the program as the connections I made," she says.

Petersen, the process engineer, said one of the best things about her internship was Hyundai’s willingness to give her responsibility early on.

"They weren’t treated as students, they were treated as new hires," says Johnson.

And sometimes that is a big difference, as physics intern Lucas Wilms found out when he was asked to run his department at Hyundai for a week while his supervisor was out of town.

"It was fun," he says, adding that problem solving was an important part of surviving the week. "It’s one of the best things physics teaches you."

Johnson remarks that all indicators point toward a bright future for the Industrial Internship Program.

"When we first approached industry, they were excited but cautious–we originally received eight offers for internship positions," he says. "Now our partners in industry are willing to absorb as many as 30 interns. We’ve had an incredible response from industry and we’ve only solicited Oregon companies so far."

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