Work Schedule Type:

On-site, Hybrid, Remote

Student Requirements:

Students must be solely U.S. citizens. (Permanent residents and dual citizens are not eligible.) Students must also be turning 18 years old by the start of the internship and have their own transportation to the site.

Mission

Develop and deliver research to inform human relations education and training to optimize total force readiness.

About the Lab

Since 1971, the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute (DEOMI) has been the primary developer and deliverer of integrated human relations training for the DoD. DEOMI is a joint-activity environment, with civilian and military personnel from all military Service branches (Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, and the Navy and Marine Corps). DEOMI’s mission is to foster cultures of excellence through learning, research, and integrated knowledge management to optimize total force readiness. Located within DEOMI’s Hope Research Center (HRC), the Applied Science and Analytics (ASA) Department conducts research to ensure the accuracy, validity, and innovation of DEOMI training and education programs and to generate evidence-based recommendations to equip DoD leaders to make research-backed decisions and inform effective human relations policy.

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

ONR NREIP students may learn about Miltary Equal Opportunity (MEO), Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO), and leadership training developed and delivered at DEOMI. Students may support curriculum evaluation through test item development and evaluation, creating capstone exercises to determine course material mastery, and developing rigorous rating procedures to improve both the reliability and validity of student scores. Students may also conduct topical research (e.g., literature reviews) to ensure curriculum remains evidence-based, using the most up-to-date information. They may also help support the design, development, and execution of surveys, focus groups, and experimental research related to the content and delivery of DEOMI education and training products. When supporting these types of projects, students may acquire technical skills in research methodologies, data analysis, and policy evaluation by engaging with ongoing projects that require both quantitative and qualitative research approaches, including the use of advanced data analytics tools. Students may also acquire writing and reporting skills specific to the military environment. Additionally, interns may develop a deeper understanding of how research is applied to inform leadership strategies and training programs within the DoD, with an emphasis on producing evidence-based recommendations for improving organizational outcomes.

What majors and disciplines are a good fit for interning at this lab?

The primary subjects of interest include:

• Behavioral Science
• Computer Science
• History
• Management/Leadership
• Organizational Development
• Public Policy
• Social Sciences
• Statistics
• Data Science
• Human Factors
• Human Relations
• HumanSystems 
• Information Science
• Military Studies
• Organizational Behavior
• Organizational Studies
• Political Science 
• Program Evaluation
• Education Evaluation
• Education Leadership
• Program Evaluation
• Psychology (IOand social) 
• Systems Engineering

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

Assisting mentors with guided research projects, Attending technical meetings, Group mentoring sessions, Job and project shadowing with professionalresearchers, Network with other interns and STEM professionals, Professional development activities, Touring labs, Presenting a final oral presentation and poster display, Working alongside interns from military service academies(e.g., USAFA, West Point); Briefing civilian and military leaders on research findings/project results; Collaborating with civilian and military personnel personal in a joint-activity and joint-civilian and military environment; Training on specific research skills and software; Performing statistical analysis; Aiding facilitation of focus groups; Assisting with the execution of behavioral experiments; Scientific and scholarly writing

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

• Cultural Competency Frameworks: Models outlining knowledge, skills, and abilities related to effective communication, conflict resolution, and disparity mitigation designed to equip leaders to maximize engagement, optimize team performance, and improve organizational effectiveness. 
• Culture and Leadership Concept Brief Series: Topical essays written for an educated non-specialist audience of military leaders that define and explain emergent human relations concepts and key leadership constructs, analyzing their practical application within military contexts. 
• Field Support Products: Series of web-based products designed to educate DoD audiences about key issues identified in military human relations policy and to enable facilitated discussions about such issues within units and organizations (e.g., PowerPoint Slides, Fact Sheets, Discussion Guides, Scenario-based Training Videos). 
• EOAC Research: Interdisciplinary and mixed methods evaluation and applied research conducted with students enrolled DEOMI’s in-residence Equal Opportunity Advisor Course (EOAC); past projects include electronic surveys, behavioral experiments, focus groups, and usability studies. 
• Advanced Learning & Simulation Lab (AL&SL): Currently under development, DEOMI’s AL&SL will use mixed reality simulations (virtual, augmented, and immersive environments) to assess the effectiveness of immersive learning experiences on improving learning outcomes in military human relations training. 
• Training Evaluation: Designs, develops, validates, and applies instruments to evaluate the effectiveness and impact of equal opportunity and related human relations training offered by DEOMI and other military organizations. 
• MEO/EEO Ecosystem Analysis: Ongoing evaluation of Military Equal Opportunity (MEO)/Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) programs utilizing mixed social scientific methods to investigate federal program alignment, effectiveness and impact of training/education, stakeholder mapping, and practitioner experience in the field, fleet, wing, and delta. 
• Misc. Pilot Studies and Topical Projects: Literature review research on emergent and policy-driven topics germane to military leadership, human relations, and equal opportunity, as well as data collection and instrumentation piloting among military members and civilian employees at joint-Service institutions. 
• Natural Language Model: A natural language processing base model developed by DEOMI to capture overarching thematic and sentiment trends across historical data from the Defense Equal Opportunity Climate Survey