Innovate in the Wild: Partner with Carnegie Mellon INI as a 2022 Practicum Project Sponsor
By Deana Lorenzo
Carnegie Mellon University's (CMU) Information Networking Institute (INI) announces its open call for project sponsors for the Fall 2022 Practicum.
Through this capstone experience at CMU, sponsors work with brilliant and creative students to develop and improve ideas. The INI Practicum is a cornerstone of our two bicoastal programs: the M.S. in Information Technology – Information Security (MSIT-IS) and the M.S. in Mobile and IoT Engineering (MSMITE).
What is Practicum?
Practicum is a hands-on, immersive experience in which teams of INI students tackle problems, pilot new ideas and establish proof-of-concept for project sponsors. Projects can span a variety of topics in computing, mobile systems and security, and range from fundamental research to software development.
Why sponsor a Practicum Project?
Guided by faculty from the College of Engineering, INI bicoastal students help develop novel approaches to a project that will have a meaningful impact on their sponsor's organization.
Sponsorship is a fantastic recruitment opportunity, granting companies early access to exceptionally qualified INI students. Companies who are searching to hire talent use practicum projects to fill the gap for their short term needs. Other reasons to sponsor:
- Help move projects forward during a labor shortage
- Find highly qualified Interns
- Connect with top students for full-time employment after Practicum
- Practicum projects often reach a wide audience in the form of a published research paper or continued collaboration after the semester has ended.
3-6 Students per Team: The INI matches 3 to 6 master's students to each project team according to their skill sets and interests.
14 Weeks: The INI's practicum takes place during CMU's fall or spring semester, which is typically 14 weeks.
1400+ Hours of Work: On average, teams of 5 log approximately 1400+ hours of work on the practicum project.
Financial contribution:
$40k for-profit entities
$36k CyLab Partner
$25k small businesses (as defined by SBA)
$0 government organizations and non-profits
“From a sponsor's perspective, the value of the practicum is influence. Sharing the Cisco brand and culture, inspiring the next generation, giving back - all while improving our recruiting pipeline,” said Chris Dorros, a 2012 alumnus of the bicoastal information security program.
Who can be a sponsor?
We welcome proposals from corporate, government and research sponsors. Want to learn more? Visit our sponsor webpage to view recent sponsors and project summaries, as well as how to submit a proposal.
Sponsorship of INI Practicum is conducted under the CMU Educational Project Agreement and requires a financial contribution to offset the project cost; the amount is dependent on the type of sponsoring organization.