Integrated Research and Industry Internship Program (IRIIP)

What is IRIIP?

Integrated Research and Industry Internship Program (IRIIP) is an initiative supported by funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) EPIIC program. It is designed to prepare students for the rapidly growing advanced manufacturing and technology sectors in central Ohio through high-quality internships with local corporate partners.

Students selected for this program will enroll in on-campus pre-professional training in Spring, followed by on-site research internship at corporate partners in Summer, and continue with faculty-mentored research in Fall. Students have the opportunity to showcase their research at OWU's Connection Conference in Fall and Spring semesters.

Students present their summer research work at OWU's Fall Connection Conference. *(Photo by Paul Vernon)*

Key Components of IRIIP

Internship Preparation: A spring course focused on pre-professional training and internship preparation.
Corporate Collaboration: Partnerships with local businesses to provide hands-on training and development opportunities.
Faculty-Mentored Research: Post-internship follow-up research experience on a project relevant to the corporate partner with OWU faculty serving as research mentors.

Benefits to Corporate Partners

The on-campus pre-professional training reduces the ramp-up time for summer internships, leading to a smoother transition between campus and corporate tasks.
Funding from NSF will be used as students' summer stipend, which reduces our corporate partner's financial cost. Students working in the Columbus area can also take advantage of the discounted housing on campus.
Meaningful follow-up on-campus research promotes consistency and continuity, and helps to grow future workforce.
Ohio Wesleyan students are equipped with knowledge, competence, and character for leadership, service and continued learning in a complex and increasingly global society.
Ohio Wesleyan faculty and staff will select an outstanding pool of student candidates suitable for the program, reducing the cost and uncertainty for our corporate partners during screening and hiring. We are also committed to integrating our selection process into our corporate partners' existing internship programs.
Ohio Wesleyan has faculty with interests and expertise in use-inspired research areas related to emerging technologies.
Corporate partners will receive an honorarium for contributing to on-campus activities such as pre-professional training and follow-up research.

Contact Information

Please reach out to Dr. David Markwardt (ddmarkwa@owu.edu), Dr. Craig Jackson (chjackso@owu.edu), or Dr. Hanliang Guo (hguo@owu.edu) if you want to learn more about IRIIP.