ENGAGED receives $400,000 to support autistic students

Thanks to a $400,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, the College of Engineering expanded its award-winning internship support program for undergraduate autistic students.

Internships Designed with Engineering Autistic Students (IDEAS) in Mind will provide career resources to 45 students and employer training over the next three years. The service is part of the college’s ENGAGED programming, which serves historically underrepresented students in engineering.

It builds on the successes of the EPICS program, which placed two students with internships in 2023 – one at Raytheon and one at Texas Instruments.

BME professor Terry Matsunaga co-founded EPICS in 2022 with David Hahn, the Craig M. Berge Dean of the College of Engineering. Matsunaga saw a need for career support after watching his son’s job search.

“I didn't anticipate how he would have trouble finding employment,” the IDEAS in Mind co-principal investigator said. “I decided that I was going to try my best to fill that void for other parents who are going through the same experience.”