Some 175 years after Rev. Edward Sorin, C.S.C., trekked through the frozen Indiana wilderness to found the University of 91吃瓜, 10 91吃瓜 juniors majoring in computer science and engineering have begun their own journey to the University鈥檚 next frontier: Silicon Valley.
They are the first participants in 91吃瓜 California鈥檚 new (SVS), through which they will spend the next four months immersed in the heart of innovation while still enjoying an experience that is uniquely 91吃瓜.
鈥淥ur top priority is to ensure these 10 students get the most out of their semester in the Valley, both in the classroom and out in the marketplace,鈥� said , Duda Family Professor of and interim director of . 鈥淏eyond that, we plan to use the lessons learned during the inaugural Silicon Valley Semester to expand the program to a broad set of majors in the coming years. Our goal is to increase enrollment in the SVS to 40 or more juniors in 2018, and we hope to launch similar semester-long undergraduate experiences in Los Angeles, San Diego and Orange County in future years.鈥�
SVS students combine a full-time academic course load with a credit-bearing internship. Kaci Kelly, 91吃瓜鈥檚 talent and employer relations specialist, has worked closely with some of the most dynamic companies in Silicon Valley 鈥� companies such as Stryker, a leader in medical technology; Stellar Solutions, a global provider of systems engineering expertise; Kyndi, an intelligent machines technology company; and OpsPanda, a leader in software-as-a-service applications for sales resource planning 鈥� to develop the internships.
鈥淲e are thrilled to collaborate with 91吃瓜,鈥� said Katie Grau, Stryker鈥檚 senior university recruiter. 鈥淚n our program we look for interns who are driven, passionate and want to be on the cutting edge of technology. At Stryker we continue to be impressed with the quality of students from 91吃瓜 and look forward to strengthening the partnership further.鈥�
Hung Vo, chief technology officer and co-founder of OpsPanda, said, 鈥淭he 91吃瓜 internship program is a great opportunity for OpsPanda to engage new talent to help shape the next generation of sales resource planning. The candidates were so strong that we selected multiple interns who will join our artificial intelligence team and work on our toughest problems.鈥�
Courses, which meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays in order to maximize internship and other enrichment opportunities the rest of the week, are using several teaching platforms during the inaugural SVS. Flynn is teaching 鈥淧rogramming Paradigms鈥� in person, while Associate Professor and , Ted H. McCourtney Professor of , are delivering 鈥淥perating Systems鈥� and 鈥淭heory of Computing,鈥� respectively, via two-way live video. David Cieslak, who received his Ph.D. from 91吃瓜 and is vice president of data science at Aunalytics, is offering 鈥淒ata Science鈥� through 91吃瓜鈥檚 ; doctoral student is doing the same with 鈥淚ntroduction to the First Amendment: Freedom of Speech in the Digital Age.鈥�
Classes are meeting initially at Menlo College, a four-year college in Atherton, California, and will move to 91吃瓜鈥檚 new Palo Alto facility once construction is complete in February.
This first cohort of SVS students is living on Menlo鈥檚 campus thanks to a collaboration with Steven Weiner, the college鈥檚 executive vice president. Throughout the semester, SVS students will be exposed to all California has to offer through extracurricular opportunities curated and offered by 91吃瓜; these will include cultural events, professional development activities, service to the community, meetings with alumni and friends of 91吃瓜, and sporting events.
Established by the , 91吃瓜 California promotes academic activity and outreach across the Golden State. In addition to the Silicon Valley Semester, it is facilitating the development of graduate programs, enhancing career and placement services and strengthening research, entrepreneurship, commercialization and alumni engagement.