Work Schedule Type:

On-site (The internship will be performed entirely at the lab)

Student Requirements:

Interns must be solely U.S. citizens. (Dual Citizens and permanent residents are not eligible.) Students must have their own transportation to the internship site.

Mission

To sustain the readiness and superiority of our undersea warriors through innovative health and performance research.

About the Lab

The Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory (NSMRL) delivers research solutions to promote the health, welfare, and performance of undersea warfighters. NSMRL's focus is to ensure the readiness and lethality of submariners and divers operating aboard the most medically challenging platform in the U.S. Navy, the submarine, as well as in one of the most challenging operational environments, the undersea battle space. The laboratory is staffed by a diverse group of psychologists, audiologists, physicians, physiologists, and engineers. NSMRL’s mission essential assets include an on-site military dive locker, the Genesis hypo/hyperbaric chamber, and a large anechoic chamber. Areas of research include: health and performance, bioeffects of underwater sound and blast, submariner psychological fitness, human systems integration, diving and hyperbaric research, safety of the submarine atmosphere, epidemiology, and hearing conservation.

What is unique about this lab?

NSMRL is the only submarine focused Medical Research command. Its research is uniquely interdisciplinary and includes work in Biomedical Engineering, Psychology, Human Factors, Signal Processing, Electrical Engineering, Diver Physiology, and more. In addition, we are uniquely located on Submarine Base New London with access to two submarine squadrons, Naval Submarine School, Naval Submarine Support Center, Naval Undersea Medical Institute, Undersea Warfighting Development Center, and the U.S. submarine builder, General Dynamics Electric Boat.

About the Internship

We are seeking to provide motivated high school students a project-focused research experience that aligns with their future professional goals. Students will get hands on experience managing their own projects, developing their skills in related STEM fields, as well as discussions to provide students with background on the philosophy of science. Students will also gain experience working with experts in their related fields and presenting their work to the surrounding research community.

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; networking with STEM professionals and other interns; group mentoring sessions; and joining team building workshops.

WHAT SUBJECTS SHOULD STUDENTS BE STUDYING TO BE A GOOD FIT FOR INTERNING AT THIS LAB?

The primary subjects of interest include:

• Biology
• Engineering
• Epidemiology
• Computer Science
• Mathematics
• Marine Biology
• Medicine/Health
• Physiology
• Programming
• Psychology

What will I learn as an intern at this lab?

As part of the internship, you will get hands on experience designing and implementing a research focused STEM-based project. Your project will have a focus in a field such as Biomedical Engineering, Psychology, Human Factors, Signal processing, Electrical engineering, or Diver Physiology. You will learn about how experts in those fields engage in research, obtain a background on the philosophy of science, and gain general experience in the field of science.

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

The following are examples of projects to which interns may be assigned:

Survival Systems: Researchers conduct basic and applied research and development in the biomedical and bioengineering aspects of submarine casualties by developing equipment, procedures, and guidance to optimize submarine disaster survival. The researchers serve as subject-matter experts on submarine rescue and escape for the operational fleet, policy makers, and industry.

Diving and Environmental Simulation: These efforts focus on ways to optimize the safety and performance of Navy divers by investigating diver performance for a variety of environmental factors including sound exposure, thermal stress, and breathing gas conditions. Underwater noise can impact a diver through damage to hearing and internal organs, such as the lung and brain. Applied research includes reducing workplace hazards, providing underwater noise-protection tools, and developing underwater force protection. A critical part of the program is the on-going direct fleet support regarding guidelines for operational limits due to underwater noise and direct support of the U.S. Navy's Force Protection efforts in diver deterrence/protection. These guidelines are developed directly from the basic research data collected by the laboratory.

Human Systems Integration (HSI): Sailors are required to process increasingly complex information, make advanced decisions, and operate complicated equipment. Taking a Human Systems Integration (HSI) approach, NSMRL researchers are developing tools to enhance information display, assist in decision making, and facilitate the use of hardware and software technologies. Using HSI to combine knowledge of human capabilities with systems development, NSMRL is developing and improving submarine systems that promote enhanced performance and readiness. This program also seeks to predict and mitigate degradation in performance through non-invasive monitoring of physiological measures (e.g., heart rate, eye tracking, etc.).

Computational Auditory System Tools for Listening in Environments (CASTLE): The CASTLE program looks to develop machine learning based approaches to analyze information in different acoustic environments to appropriately communicate relevant information to the Warfighter. This program combines elements of Electrical Engineering, Signal Processing, Human Factors, and Cognitive Modeling to create computational models of attention and hearing.

Undersea Physiology & Performance Enhancement Research (UPPER): The UPPER division employs physiological and biochemical methods to increase performance and health for warfighters in the undersea environment. Current efforts aim to provide insight into the biomarkers of oxygen toxicity, decompression sickness, wearable physiological monitoring systems, and thermal responses to diving. This research program employs lab techniques ranging from basic biochemical assays to systems physiological approaches. Biochemical lab methods involve techniques such as: assay analysis, pipetting, sample organization and storage, and blood processing. Interns will also be exposed to physiological monitoring and analysis of respiratory, cardiovascular, and thermoregulatory variables. As a human physiology lab, additional methods involve subject recruitment methods and professionalism with human subjects.

Undersea Health Epidemiology (UHERP): The UHERP team focuses on improving military readiness by examining and characterizing the health effects of the submarine and diving environments. The team maintains an epidemiological database linking and cross-referencing DoD and Navy data sources (with over 15 years of data on more than 100K Service Members). UHERP's primary objectives are to identify environmental or occupational exposure risks that correlate with negative health outcomes, premature separation from military service, and medical evacuations. Additionally, UHERP focuses on improving the health and warfighting effectiveness of the undersea warfare community by harnessing information from "big-data" platforms.

Submariner Psychological Fitness & Resiliency: The submarine environment can be mentally challenging. As such, a submarine's mission success is dependent on the optimal psychological readiness of embarked submariners. NSMRL's psychological screening and fitness program is dedicated to improving the psychological readiness of prospective submariners for submarine service suitability, prediction of unplanned losses from operational units, and individual and team resilience. NSMRL conducts studies to define the ideal psychological profile for successful service in the U.S. nuclear-powered fleet and supports the psychological fitness of submariners by providing mental health support tools.