This summer, nearly 150 high-school, undergraduate and graduate students are working in Vicksburg, Mississippi, as interns at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC). While many have traveled from colleges and communities across the country, others are from Mississippi. Whether they came from Puerto Rico or Clinton, these students are gaining valuable hands-on ERDC experience.
Designed to prepare the next generation of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) professionals, the program immerses students into the professional environment of ERDC, while also introducing them to the culture and community of Vicksburg.
Embedded alongside world-class researchers, they tackle real-world projects across ERDC’s Vicksburg laboratories — the Information Technology Laboratory, Environmental Laboratory, Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory and Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory.
Some students return to the laboratories for consecutive summers, giving them a unique advantage – the chance to take on increasingly complex projects year after year. Lynnshelsie Antoine, a computer science senior at Florida International University, is seizing that exact opportunity. Back for her second summer at ERDC’s Information Technology Laboratory, she finds herself in an environment designed to push her limits and elevate her technical capabilities.
“The supportive environment here has been instrumental in helping me refine my craft,” said Antoine. “As a first-generation college student, the mentorship I’ve received from ITL professionals has truly helped me build my confidence.”
Similarly, Adalyn Anderson, a Vicksburg native and industrial engineering junior at Mississippi State University, is spending her third summer working at ERDC's Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory. After spending her first two summers focused strictly on lab analysis and data entry, this year introduced her to the field.
"The past two summers, I’ve been kind of processing the data or working in the lab,"said Adalyn. "But this summer, I got to get out in the field and see things firsthand—not just hear about it. I got to see how and why the data was collected, and then I got to come back to lab and filter the samples. It filled in the circle for me and helped me get the bigger picture."
"The program is important because it builds stronger relationships between the students and gives them excellent networking opportunities," said Kevin Walker, an ERDC computer scientist. "We've had several instances where the relationships the students built during the program carry over once they are hired, giving them an existing network of people they can rely on across ERDC."
For local students likeAdalyn, those networking opportunities extend far beyond peer-to-peer interactions.
"I already know a lot of the other students out here socially or from school,"said Adalyn. "But through ERDC, I have met a lot of mentors and engineers that I simply wouldn’t have had access to otherwise."
"During my first summer, it was like I had a blindfold on; I thought engineers worked on their own projects, technicians did their own thing, and research was separate,"Adalynreflected. "But this summer, my blindfold has come off. I've been able to see everything unfold. Engineers don't just work by themselves—it's a whole team of researchers, technicians, and engineers working together. I finally understand how it is all connected."
Immersing students into the workforce does more than just build technical skills — it also fosters a sense of belonging. By bridging the gap between classroom theory and real-world research, ERDC ensures these scholars are not only prepared for the future, but are also connected to the Vicksburg community and the mentors guiding their way. For many, that welcoming environment is what transforms a temporary summer experience into a permanent professional home.
"Nothing I have seen since traveling to other places has beat the southern hospitality that Vicksburg has," she said. "It was so welcoming. Coming from an urban area, I didn't feel isolated or like I was missing home because Vicksburg made it feel very at home. This has been a great experience, and I would definitely do it again."