Operating Status Summer 2024:

TBD (The lab has yet to determine whether the internship will be fully on-site, remote, or a hybrid.)

Student Requirements:

Interns must be solely U.S. citizens. (Dual Citizens and permanent residents are not eligible.) They must also have their own transportation onto the internship site.

Mission

The mission of NSWC Crane is to provide acquisition engineering, in-service engineering and technical support for sensors, electronics, electronic warfare and special warfare weapons. NSWC Crane also works to apply component and system-level product and industrial engineering to surface sensors, strategic systems, special warfare devices and electronic warfare systems, as well as to execute other responsibilities as assigned by the Commander, Naval Surface Warfare Center.

About the Lab

Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane), located in Crane, Indiana is a shore command of the U.S. Navy. Located on the third largest naval installation in the world, NSWC Crane’s total focus is to support the Warfighter by leveraging its technical capabilities for the rapidly changing combat environment. Anchored by technical expertise, a strong work ethic and total lifecycle leadership, NSWC Crane’s personnel and preeminent facilities set the standard for excellence in acquisition, engineering and sustainment. NSWC Crane provides comprehensive support for complex military systems spanning design, development, deployment and sustainment in three focus areas: Electronic Warfare, Strategic Missions and Expeditionary Warfare. NSWC Crane’s skilled professionals put technical solutions directly into the hands of the Warfighter, ensuring safer missions. Our broad customer base includes the Navy, Marine Corps, Army, Air Force, United States Special Operations Command, Coast Guard, NASA, and many other military, civilian, and foreign military organizations.

What is unique about this lab?

NSWC Crane is one of Indiana’s largest high-tech employers with over 3,800 employees of which 2,500 are scientists, engineers and technicians.

About the Internship

NSWC Crane is seeking motivated high school students with an interest in expanding their knowledge and developing laboratory experience in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) career fields in service of the US Navy. Students interested in majoring in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, and Electrical Engineering are of special interest for this opportunity. Interns work in an environment that fosters creativity and a problem-solving mindset while participating in meaningful research projects and gaining experience working in an organization comprised of mostly US Navy civilian scientist and engineer STEM professionals.

What will I do any given day as an intern at this lab?

Interns participate in lab functions in a number of ways including (but not limited to) assisting mentors with guided research projects; job and project shadowing with professional researchers; networking with STEM professionals and other interns; group mentoring sessions; team and leadership development; team building workshops; and other professional development activities.

What Subjects Should Students Be Studying To Be A Good Fit For Interning At This Lab?

The primary subjects of interest include:

• Computer Science
• Engineering
• Mechanics
• Physical Science
• Physics
• Programming
• Statistics and Probability

What will I learn as an intern at this lab?

As a SEAP intern, you will be assigned to a mentor in one of the following Departments: Strategic Missions, Expeditionary Warfare, or Electronic Warfare. The internship is designed to provide a hands-on experience working in a technical organization as a team member with career STEM Professionals. Interns will provide acquisition engineering, in-service engineering, and technical support for sensors, electronics, electronic warfare and special warfare weapons. Interns will gain an understanding of the roles and responsibilities of U.S. Navy civilian scientists and engineers and will also learn about career employment opportunities in STEM careers as a U.S. Navy civilian.

What kinds of projects do interns at this lab participate in?

C4ISR (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) systems often require usability and UI/UX improvements. The project would involve gaining an understanding of at least one C4ISR system used by U.S. military personnel and suggesting improvements in order to make the system more user friendly. The goal is to allow the operators in the field to understand & use the system to the fullest potential with ease. The intern will help create User Interface, User Experience, & Human Computer Interaction recommendations for at least one C4ISR system.

Traditional mid-wave infrared (MWIR) sensors are hindered by bulky, unreliable cooling systems and expensive materials. Nanostructured metamaterials offer new paradigms for electro-optical engineering that offer significant reductions in size, weight, and power while circumventing the need for cooling systems. This project will aid in the design of uncooled MWIR sensors based on metamaterials by compiling and integrating experimental measurements of key material parameters, including MWIR absorption measured by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), into a finite element method (FEM) model that supports prototype design of a MWIR metamaterial-based sensor.

Strategic Missions—Deter. Defend. Defeat: NSWC Crane Strategic Missions Center delivers technical solutions to detect threats, provide a layered, integrated missile defense and offer global strike capability. Strategic Missions professionals work to develop, deploy and sustain the technologies to ensure that weapons systems are fully reliable and always available to the Warfighter. Strategic Missions resources deliver innovative technical solutions encompassing the full range of military activities to alter an adversary’s will and ability to attack the U.S. and its interests. NSWC Crane’s Strategic Missions Center is dedicated to delivering the best technical solutions in Threat Detection, Integrated Missile Defense and Global Strike, to deter and defend against aggression and to defeat threats worldwide.

Expeditionary Warfare— Rapid Response: Proven Solutions. Focused on agility, maneuverability, individual weapons, munitions and technical training, NSWC Crane Expeditionary Warfare Center equips the most elite warriors for the combat environment. Expeditionary Warfare supports military forces engaged in Special Operations, Irregular Warfare and Riverine Operations. With more than 1 million square feet of offices and laboratories, the Expeditionary Warfare Center provides a distinct advantage in sensors and communications, mobility and maneuverability, and special munitions and weapons.

Electronic Warfare/Information Operations (EW/IO)—Control the spectrum. Control the fight: As the largest multi-service facility within the Department of Defense (DoD) for EW, EW sensors and electronics, NSWC Crane’s EW/IO Center is critical to the success of many military operations and is designated as the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Center of Excellence for Electronic Warfare, Signals Intelligence and Information Operations. EW/IO provides innovative, leading-edge, technical solutions for military actions that use electromagnetic energy to control the electromagnetic spectrum. Warfighters use this technology to destroy an adversary’s combat capability, gather intelligence data and ensure friendly use of the electromagnetic spectrum.