Internship 2020
2020 Summer Internship Showcase Event
In Fall 2019, the PoNG Center was awarded a 4-year National Science Foundation Grant to develop tools that train and prepare neurodiverse individuals looking for work. This grant includes the funding and resources to continue our full Summer Internship Program. This year we introduced the use of tech industry-standard processes, newly developed interactive training experiences, and expanded program assessment and focused outcome tracking. Additionally, with the difficult circumstances created by COVID-19, this was also the first year the internship program was offered entirely online. While the forced virtual nature of the program hampered in-person socializing, it was a unique chance to provide training in a remote work scenario (like many are currently experiencing) as well as an opportunity to foster a ‘go with the flow’ attitude.
Internship 2019
Gamified divided attention game made by 2019 summer interns.In 2019 we were challenged to create a recurring program without recurring funding. The PoNG Center managed to provide the same quality coach-based mentoring on a smaller scale for this year’s internship. This summer, 4 neurodiverse interns practiced personal, professional, and tech development skills with support from a diligent coach as well as two intern alumni. Pairing graduated interns with current interns gave each a chance to learn from the other. The former interns developed mentoring and leadership skills, and the new interns established a peer network that we hope is ever-expanding. This year’s program was small but mighty. We look forward to scaling our program for this underserved population in future years.
Internship 2018
2018 Summer Internship Game Clips
Supported by the San Diego Foundation and the Legler Benbough Foundation, we have built a summer workforce training program for 25 neurodiverse interns. These interns, who have graduated from high school with or without college experience, spent 8 weeks at RADLab and the PoNG Center working in teams to design and develop a research-based video game that includes some type of sensor. Throughout the summer, interns practiced both technical and interpersonal skills with the help of coaches. The technical skills included extracting and summarizing information from the scientific literature, designing and coding the game in Unity, writing the game narrative, developing digital art and sound assets, and project management. Each intern was also paired with a coach/mentor who helped the intern develop the soft skills needed to thrive in a mainstream work environment.