Greetings! Several people have asked me if the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Department of Transportation) will be hiring any student interns. I found out at the end of last week that they are expecting to have some positions available. Right now, I do not have the precise information about who to contact, but I should be able to send it out in a couple of days. Right now I am trying to provide a little information about the Center, what student interns have done in the past, and the types of people they like to hire. If this internship appeals to you, I recommend preparing your resume so you can apply as soon as possible. *********************************************************************** The Volpe National Transportation Systems Center is located in Kendall Square in Cambridge. It is a federal government facility run by the Department of Transportation. The Operator Performance and Safety Analysis Division (I think I got that name right) has been hiring Tufts students for several years now to assist in Human Factors related research. The student interns have worked on a wide range of projects. I have been analyzing data from experiments that were performed to see how well pilots respond to numbers that are transmitted in different formats (either sequential, like two-three-zero, or grouped, like two-thirty). I have also helped with a study that will test the effects of motion in flight simulators, and have helped with several other projects. Other Tufts students I know have worked on studies to determine why pilots sometimes seem to crash for no reason (Controlled Flight Into Terrain or CFIT). Someone else I know investigated data to see what factors often coincide with car accidents. It is hard to predict exactly what this year's summer interns will be working on. I said I would try to give some indication of what types of people they will want to hire. Of course this is speculation on my part, but I think that many of the people who work there want interns who are familiar with experimental design and statistics. You will probably have an advantage if you have taken Psych 31 and Psych 32. They are also probably interested in hiring students who are comfortable with computers, and not afraid to learn new things. Most interns do literature searches from time to time, so you would probaly do some library work if you worked there. I think they want people who can work independently when necessary and are able to clearly describe what they have done. Overall, I am pretty sure they want people who can help them, not make their jobs more difficult. I have worked at the Volpe Center since June and have really liked the experience. I have learned many new things and feel that I was really able to make a contribution. If you have any specific questions you want to ask me, just send an email, or call (628-0834), and I will try to help you out. I'll send out the contact information about these internships as soon as I get it (hopefully in a day or so). Mary Townsend Someone pointed out that I didn't give an address for the internship at the Volpe Center. Here is an address you can use for Mary Stearns and Judith Burki-Cohen: Operator Performance and Safety Analysis Division Volpe National Transportation Systems Center 55 Broadway Kendall Square Cambridge, MA 02142 and here is the address you can use for Francine Eladhari: Human Resources Volpe National Transportation Systems Center 55 Broadway Kendall Square Cambridge, MA 02142 I was also asked who to address the cover letter to. Honestly, I'm not sure. I think any of the people I listed would be fine. Mary Stearns spoke to me first about finding summer interns, so I would probably address it to her. I'm sure she will distribute the information to everyone else. You might want to send a quick email to all of the people I listed and ask what they would like you to do.