Corporate Internship Plasma Training in Alabama (CIPTA)

The Alabama NSF EPSCoR FTPP project sponsors a 10-week Corporate Internship Plasma Training in Alabama (CIPTA) for students pursuing degrees in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). The program provides students at FTPP partner institutions with quality experiences on plasma technology applications at private companies and allows students the opportunity to establish connections with industry and university professionals. It is open to undergraduate and graduate students in a broad spectrum of disciplines.

The ultimate goal of the program is to engage a diverse, educated, and skilled pool of scientists and engineers to promote long-term relationships between students, academia, and industry to enhance the Alabama workforce. CIPTA will introduce students to industrial plasma technology applications and prepare them for transition into the AL workforce.

Check out some of last year’s projects!

Applicant Eligibility

Applicants must be fully enrolled at an FTPP partner institution* as a graduate student, or as a junior, or senior undergraduate student and must plan to be enrolled at an FTPP partner institution during the term after the internships.
Applicants must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.
Applicants must be 19 years of age by the start date of the appointment.
Previous CIPTA interns are ineligible to apply for a placement at the prior host site.
Some projects require US citizenship, this will be indicated in the project description PDF.

*Students who attend a University outside of this list are not eligible.

CIPTA Projects

Projects:

Project Title	Project Code	Disciplines	Host Institution
Multi-Dimensional and Multi-Species Laser Plasma Simulations with AMR Codes	Arslanbekov-CFDRC	Gas Discharge Physics, Laser Physics, Computational Plasma Physics, Electrical and Computer Engineering	CFD Research Corp., Huntsville, AL
Spatiotemporal Effects of Plasma Treatment on Degradable Substrates	Tucker-Evonik	Materials Science, Physics, Chemistry, Biomedical Engineering	Evonik Birmingham Laboratories, Birmingham, AL
Plasma Coating Development and Characterization	Renfro-PlasmaProcesses	Materials, Aerospace, Mechanical	Plasma Processes, Huntsville, AL
Studies of Low Temperature Plasma with ACE+ Suite	Wang-AppliedMaterials	Physics of Gas Discharges, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), Electrical and Computer Engineering	This Internship Will Be Held Remotely
Hardware Enabled Data Compression For Space Plasma Measurements	Russ-AspectAerospace	Electrical and Computer Engineering	This Internship Will Be Held Partially Remotely

*Please click on each Project Title to view project descriptions

Internship Benefits

A ten-week stipend of $7,700 for graduate students and $6,700 for undergraduates.
Housing allowance of $2,200 OR on-campus housing (depending on availability) for students participating in sites more than 50 miles away from their home institutions.
Learn about low-temperature plasmas and possible career paths in an industry setting.
Develop professional networks with leading industry professionals.
Hands-on industry experience.

Intern Responsibilities

Interns must participate full-time for 10 consecutive weeks (40 hours a week, Monday – Friday).
Interns must have health insurance coverage during the internship.
By the end of the internship, students must present the results of the summer project to the host facility.
By the end of the internship, students must complete an eight- to ten-page report about the internship experience. The report must be submitted by the mentor after the mentor/facility review/release.
By the end of the internship, students must complete a feedback form to help FTPP assess the effectiveness of the program.
Some projects require US citizenship, this will be indicated in the project description PDF.

Key Dates

November, 2024
- CIPTA starts accepting applications.
February 18, 2024
- Application deadline: Last day for students to submit applications, supporting materials, reference letters, and project preferences.
Beginning of March, 2024
- CIPTA makes offers to selected students.
May 20 – July 26, 2024
- Internship Dates

Application

To start the application process:
Please click on Register/Login if you’ve never made an account on FTPP. You will be redirected to the registration/login page. You will need to create an account in order to complete the application. To do so, follow the on-screen instructions and register for an account.
If you’re a returning user and you have already logged in, you may click on Apply to be redirected to your student dashboard.
Once you’re redirected to the student dashboard, this will display all the projects and your submission status. By selecting a project, you can commence or revise your submission.
You have the option to save a draft of your application’s progress and submit it at a later time. To do this, simply click on “save draft”.
If you already have an FTPP account, you can access your student dashboard by visiting the “PORTAL” section in the navigation menu.

FAQ

Yes. If you are not logged in, you will need to click on “Register / Login”. On the next page, click on “Register”. Please create an account by filling out the needed information and clicking on “Sign Up”. Once you are logged in, you can fill out an application for any of the internships. You can also check your status of completed applications by visiting the student portal from the navigation bar.

No. The CIPTA Summer Intern program is only open to those who are enrolled as undergraduates and graduates at the time of the internship. Graduating undergraduates are not eligible unless they are fully enrolled in a Master’s program the following semester.

In order to be eligible for CIPTA, students must currently be enrolled as a student in one of the following institutions:

The University of Alabama in Huntsville
Alabama A&M University
Oakwood University
The University of Alabama at Birmingham
Alabama State University
Tuskegee University
The University of Alabama
Auburn University
University of South Alabama

Students must also be enrolled as a student at one of the above-listed institutions during the following Fall 2024 semester.

Most projects do not require U.S. citizenship. Please refer to the project list and descriptions to find out more.

Each participant will receive a stipend of $6,700 for undergrad students and $7,700 for graduate students. Stipends are a form of student aid that is provided to support the participant’s living and travel expenses during the course of their internship. The stipend will be paid in two installments: (1) a six-week stipend at the beginning of your appointment (after you report for the first day of your internship) and (2) a three-week stipend at the end of your internship (after you have turned in your final reporting requirements).

Students will also be eligible to receive a $2,200 housing allowance OR campus housing if he/she is working at a site more than 50 miles away from their home institutions. This amount will be paid in the first stipend, if applicable.

Interns will have the option to be paid either by mailed checks or by direct deposit. The direct deposit set-up instructions will be emailed upon internship acceptance. Each participant will receive an email that will direct the participant to the necessary form. Direct deposit forms must be either physically mailed or dropped off at the UAH Accounts Payable office (The University of Alabama in Huntsville, Accounts Payable Dept – SKH 241, 301 Sparkman Drive Huntsville, AL 35899).

Depending on availability, CIPTA can arrange on-campus housing at the nearest FTPP University. If campus housing is available and students meet the eligibility criteria, CIPTA will provide instructions to communicate with the students. In cases where campus housing is unavailable and students are working at a site more than 50 miles away from their home institutions, they will receive a $2,200 housing allowance. This allowance will be included in the first stipend, if applicable.

Please note it can take up to three or more weeks for stipends to be processed through the university system. You must be prepared to pay any internship-related expenses you incur before you receive your first stipend payment.

Students will be notified of their selection by email from the following address: nsfepscor@uah.edu. If you are selected, please keep checking your email regularly as additional required forms will be emailed to you from this address.

Students submit an online application that includes unofficial transcripts in PDF format from their current college, two reference letters, a short essay, and a resume. Accepted students will be notified by March 2024.