  My name is Jonathan Noyes and I am a senior at the University of New Hampshire in the Computer Science (CS) Department and student technician at the UNH-IOL. For my senior project I worked with two other CS students developing a mobile application for the UNH Sustainability Academy.   As graduation nears, I begin to reflect on the experiences I have had throughout my college career, as well as my employment with the University of New Hampshire InterOperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL). Come the end of this month, I will have been employed with the UNH-IOL for three years and at that time I will be seeking employment within the healthcare field. Despite the fact that the UNH-IOL has not provided me with experience in regards to healthcare, it has given me a solid foundation as I go on to become a young career professional.  The UNH-IOL offers an opportunity that most graduate students never get to experience: hands-on learning with cutting edge technologies. More so than with undergraduate studies, the realm of graduate research is typically entirely theoretical. Complementary to the classroom, here at the lab, students have the opportunity to perform research on actual devices. Staffed by full-time employees and graduate students, we are able to forge relationships with vendors that most graduate students never get exposed to. This affords the benefits of accessing prototype hardware and software that may not be available outside of our special relationships for years in some cases.  The University of New Hampshire InterOperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL) is an establishment visited by vendors and visitors traveling from all over the world throughout the year for numerous reasons. Many come to test their company’s technical equipment and devices, or to learn about the services we offer to our customers and others come to learn about opportunities we have for students interested in technology. Some of our guests are here to attend what we call Plugfest events, these events entail multiple technical companies coming together and testing their products with other company’s products. Other vendors come for “in-house testing”, which is a single company of one or more representatives coming in to test their products in our lab. The other types of visitors we have are people unfamiliar with our facility that are here to tour the lab to see what we do. These people can be CEO’s from multi-million dollar corporations or high school juniors looking for potential employment and internship opportunities. As the receptionist for the UNH-IOL, I have had the privilege of having first contact with each of our guests over the past three years. From this, I have learned firsthand the importance of making a friendly and welcoming first impression. The impression our visitors have when they walk in the door will stay with them throughout their visit and long thereafter.  Spring is generally seen as a season of transition, as well as a season of opportunity. In New Hampshire, the weather gradually transitions from bitterly cold to cool and raw, finally landing on warm and sunny. The grass, trees and flowers come back to life, heralding the warm days to come. The daylight stretches out, opening doors and opportunities that were previously closed -- cooking on the grill, eating dinner on the deck, staying outside until the streetlights come on or mosquitos come out.  Are you or someone you know a high school student interested in technology? If so, the University of New Hampshire InterOperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL) has a unique opportunity for you! Each summer, the UNH-IOL recruits the brightest and most ambitious high school students for paid internships at our state-of-the-art networking facility. The UNH-IOL requires students to apply for the program by April 20, 2012. Application materials include a completed application and essay, two letters of recommendation and an official transcript. Any additional materials, such as a resume, are optional. |