USI, Crane partnership seeks to boost STEM talent pipeline
Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
The University of Southern Indiana is growing its nearly 20-year relationship with Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division with a new Education Partnership Agreement.
The agreement, signed in late March, is designed to provide science, technology, engineering and math, as well as business management, opportunities for USI students.
“We’re really doubling down on STEM and innovation related to STEM and trying to excite students to be involved in those STEM agreements,” said USI Interim President Steve Bridges.
As part of the agreement, NSWC Crane has committed to giving students access to its facilities, equipment, and research projects, as well as mentorship opportunities. The university said the goal is to “bridge the gap between academic learning and real-world applications in STEM.”
“[Students] could get hands on experience potentially at Crane, which is a really impressive facility,” Bridges said. “The opportunity to utilize equipment that’s being used in the marketplace today just makes our students stronger when they enter the workforce, and that’s something we’re always interested in.”
The relationship between and USI and NSWC Crane dates back to 2007 when the two entities signed a Memorandum of Understand, which was followed in 2009 by a Partnership Intermediary Agreement.
They then inked a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement to study chemical reactions, including the chemical outputs of special munitions and pyrotechnic reactions, USI said.
Bridges said partnerships like the one USI has with Crane is crucial to the university’s mission.
“We want to have connections with employers so that when they hit the market, they have the skills that are needed,” he said. “We also want to make sure at the university that we’re actually providing the skills that industries need. So it’s really a seamless element for us to work with business…and we want the best of outcomes for our students.”
The partners said with the new EPA, students will not only gain hands-on experience at Indiana’s only federal laboratory, they will learn about national security and specialized technology focus areas.
“This partnership can inspire a new generation of skilled professionals in STEM fields that are critical to national security and technological advancement,” Angela Lewis, technical director at NSWC Crane, said in a news release. “Partnering with USI strengthens the talent pipeline for NSWC Crane and other organizations seeking highly qualified individuals in STEM fields and provides students with a unique educational experience where they can take lessons learned and apply to their future careers.”
Bridges said he hopes USI will be able to grow the number of internships for students in order to place more of them at Crane and keep them in Indiana after they graduate.
“Seventy percent of our students, when they leave us, live and work in Indiana, so I’m hoping to see more students who are interested in Crane if we open their eyes a bit, and obviously other employers as well,” he said. “Hopefully we’re going to spark that interest in the STEM programs…and place those with Crane, which is doing really critical work.”