NSWC Dahlgren Combat Direction Systems Activity Dam Neck

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:

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.

Mission

NSWCDD’s mission is to deliver operationally ready systems and platforms for Naval Warfighters.

About the Lab

NSWCDD is a United States Navy field command located in the world’s largest Navy fleet concentration area in Virginia Beach, Virginia. As part of the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) organization and Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division, NSWC Dahlgren Division Dam Neck Activity is a systems engineering, acquisition, and in-service support organization that engineers and fields warfare systems superiority. NSWCDD houses one of Dahlgren Division’s six technical departments, known as the Readiness and Training Department, or R Department. Established in 1963, we have provided cost-efficient, innovative, and effective engineering solutions for our Navy customers and take pride in providing quality products and services to the fleet.

What is unique about this lab?

We are the only NAVSEA Warfare Center located in a major fleet concentration area, which enables us to leverage our unique laboratories and facilities for training and capability development.

About the Internship

We are always looking for bright, motivated interns who are interested in becoming computer scientists, engineers, and mathematicians to help us deliver innovative and creative technical solutions. NSWCDD provides interns with opportunities to participate in research, development, test and evaluation, analysis, systems engineering, integration, and certification of complex naval systems associated with surface warfare and strategic combat and weapons systems. We work with and support vessels such as aircraft carriers, submarines, small crafts, and minesweepers, as well as provide engineering for unmanned aerial, land, and sea vehicles. Our work is focused on providing engineering, acquisition, and logistical support to Navy, Special Warfare, Coalition, and Joint Forces.

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; and networking with other interns and STEM professionals.

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

The primary fields of interest in are:

  • Aeronautical Engineering
  • Applied Mathematics
  • Biology
  • Chemical Engineering
  • Chemistry
  • Computer Science
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Electronics Engineering
  • Engineering
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Physics
  • Programming
  • Systems Engineering

What will I learn as an intern at this lab?

As a part of the internship, you will work alongside your mentors to conduct RDT&E for the Department of Navy to discover, develop, transition, and field technologically superior naval warfighting capabilities. You will be able to explore the worlds of cyber warfare, advanced electronic warfare, weapon control and integration, directed energy, modeling and simulations, threat engineering, combat systems readiness and more.

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

Currently, interns participate in projects such as our SPA-X Radar System GUI, AEGIS Combat System Hazard Analysis, and developing our Data-Driven Automatic Testing Framework.