- CURRENT PENN STATE EMPLOYEE (faculty, staff, technical service, or student), please login to Workday to complete the internal application process. Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday.
- CURRENT PENN STATE STUDENT (not employed previously at the university) and seeking employment with Penn State, please login to Workday to complete the student application process. Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday.
- If you are NOT a current employee or student, please click “Apply” and complete the application process for external applicants.
Approval of remote and hybrid work is not guaranteed regardless of work location. For additional information on remote work at Penn State, see Notice to Out of State Applicants.
JOB DESCRIPTION AND POSITION REQUIREMENTS
We are searching for undergraduate students to join our Applied Communications Department of the Applied Research Laboratory (ARL) at Penn State as RF/Sensor Engineering Interns.
ARL is an authorized DoD SkillBridge partner and welcomes all transitioning military members to apply.
You will:
- Research and summarize information about the device and use cases for it
- Design and build a hardware circuit
- Develop/adapt sample code to apply to your device
- Test and evaluate your design and code
- Create a documentation package in the form of schematics and assembly drawings with notes, source code with comments, pictures, and a concise description of the device operation
ARL is an authorized DoD SkillBridge partner and welcomes all transitioning military members to apply.
Preferred skills/knowledge:
- Understanding of electrical schematics
- Desire for hands-on work
- Interest in RF Communication
- Arduino hardware and software
- Microcontrollers (PIC, Atmel, etc.)
- Raspberry Pi, C, C++, and/or Python
- Soldering
- General lab instrument use
- Electrical bread-boarding
Your working location will be fully on-site and located on the University Park Campus. You should be a sophomore or junior in a related engineering field and will work up to 10 hours per week during the spring and fall semesters and up to 40 hours per week during the summer.
ARL/Penn State’s purpose is to develop innovative solutions to challenging national problems in support of the Navy, DoD, and Intel communities engineering and technology needs. Student projects will implement, program, and test various RF, Sensor, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION on ARL, visit our web site at www.arl.psu.edu.
BACKGROUND CHECKS/CLEARANCES
Employment with the University will require successful completion of background check(s) in accordance with University policies.
Notice regarding employment at the Applied Research Laboratory (ARL): Employees must be eligible to obtain a government security clearance, participate in the ARL drug testing program, and comply with electronic and physical monitoring requirements applicable to federal contractors. ARL operates in a secure information environment involving Unclassified, Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), and Classified information. Personal electronic devices brought onsite must be registered and may be restricted from certain areas. You must be a U.S. citizen to apply.
CAMPUS SECURITY CRIME STATISTICS
Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act and the Pennsylvania Act of 1988, Penn State publishes a combined Annual Security and Annual Fire Safety Report (ASR). The ASR includes crime statistics and institutional policies concerning campus security, such as those concerning alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, sexual assault, and other matters. The ASR is available for review here.
EEO IS THE LAW
Penn State is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. If you are unable to use our online application process due to an impairment or disability, please contact 814-865-1473.
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Skills Required
- Current undergraduate student in a related engineering field
- Sophomore or junior standing
- U.S. citizenship
- Eligibility to obtain a government security clearance
- Successful completion of required background checks
- Participation in the ARL drug testing program
- Understanding of electrical schematics
- Hands-on work experience or interest
- Interest in RF communications
- Experience with Arduino hardware and software
- Experience with microcontrollers such as PIC or Atmel
- Experience with Raspberry Pi, C, C++, or Python
- Soldering experience
- General laboratory instrument experience
- Electrical breadboarding experience
Penn State University Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Penn State University and has not been reviewed or approved by Penn State University.
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Retirement Support — Employer contributions to SERS and the TIAA Alternate Plan are described as significant, with supplemental retirement options available. Feedback suggests these choices and contributions create strong long‑term value.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Full‑time employees accrue over 24 sick and vacation days annually, with additional university holidays and a winter break. Feedback suggests this depth of leave supports work–life balance.
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Inclusive Benefits Coverage — A 75% tuition discount extends to employees, spouses, and dependent children up to age 26 across resident instruction, World Campus, and Penn College courses. Feedback suggests this broad eligibility meaningfully enhances total rewards, especially for families.
Penn State University Insights
What We Do
There’s a reason Penn State consistently ranks among the top one percent of the world’s universities. Across 24 campuses, our nearly 88,000 students and 17,000 faculty and staff know the real measure of success goes beyond the classroom—it’s the positive impact made on communities across the world. From access to state-of-the-art resources to interdisciplinary pursuits in collaborative atmospheres, a Penn State degree is more than an education. The experiences and knowledge gained here will form the foundation for the lives our students build. Their contributions to the world begin with a Penn State degree. We Are Penn State.
