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Student Trainee (Engineering)

Department of Commerce
National Institute of Standards and Technology
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This is a Student Internship opportunity under the Pathways Program.

NIST works with industry and science to advance innovation and improve quality of life. We're looking for a Student Trainee (Engineering) to join our team!

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
05/19/2023 to 05/25/2023
Salary
$32,589 to - $63,523 per year
Pay scale & grade
ZP 1
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Gaithersburg, MD
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Temporary - One year
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
EL-732-23-11977241
Control number
726782500

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Student/Internship program eligible

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Duties

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The Indoor Air Quality and Ventilation Group develops and applies computer simulation programs and measurement procedures to better understand the phenomena of air and contaminant transport in buildings. This research supports industry efforts to improve environmental conditions in buildings in a cost-effective manner and provide reliable methods towards evaluating ventilation characteristics and indoor pollutants.

If selected, you will support staff on research projects related to indoor air quality and ventilation in buildings. You will perform basic laboratory and computer simulation studies of airflow in buildings, chemical emissions from building materials and control technologies. Work will support research efforts within the Division as it relates to improving air quality in buildings.

Laboratory responsibilities include:

  • Assembling and calibrating laboratory equipment.
  • Collecting and analyzing data.
  • Assisting in the preparation and reporting of data to project sponsors.
Computer simulation responsibilities include:
  • Conducting simulations that study the interactions between building design, building activities and ventilation system performances as they relate to contaminant levels in indoor air and on building energy use.
  • Learning new software tools.
  • Analyzing data.
  • Reporting data in reports and/or articles.
The use of computer programs, e.g., Excel, Mathematica, Matlab, or other programming languages, to collect and analyze data is preferred, though choice of software is up to the applicant's ability.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. citizenship
  • Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service
  • Suitable for Federal employment
  • You must be at least 16 years of age
  • Must be enrolled at least half time at a qualifying institution
  • Must possess a grade point average (GPA) of a 3.0 or higher out of a 4.0
  • Bargaining Unit Position: No

Qualifications

Basic Requirements:

Applicants must be currently pursuing a degree in Engineering.
To be acceptable, the curriculum must: (1) be in a school of engineering with at least one curriculum accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) as a professional engineering curriculum; or (2) include differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced than first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas of engineering science or physics: (a) statics, dynamics; (b) strength of materials (stress-strain relationships); (c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics; (d) thermodynamics; (e) electrical fields and circuits; (f) nature and properties of materials (relating particle and aggregate structure to properties); and (g) any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done. We will credit all qualifying volunteer experience in your application.

The qualification requirements in this vacancy announcement are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook.

Applicant Reconsideration

Education

All applicants must be a student accepted for enrollment or enrolled and seeking a degree (diploma, certificate, degree) in a qualifying educational institution, on a full or half-time basis (as defined by the institution in which the student is enrolled). In addition, you must be enrolled in school for the duration of the appointment. You will be required to provide documentation to support your eligibility for the program.

Applicants must possess a grade point average (GPA) of a 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0. Grade-point averages are to be rounded to one decimal place. For example, 2.95 will round to 3.0 and 2.94 will round to 2.9.If you are submitting an acceptance/enrollment letter from your university you MUST also upload your last known unofficial transcript containing your cumulative GPA. If you do not provide proof of GPA, you will be disqualified from further consideration.

Applicants must meet requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Your resume must be complete (i.e., include dates of experience, salary, work schedule, etc.), detailed and relevant to the position.

PROOF OF ENROLLMENT FOR THE CURRENT SEMESTER. This may be documented on your official/unofficial transcripts, a course schedule, an acceptance letter from your university for future enrollment, or an official letter of enrollment from the university registrar's office or a university counselor, as long as your enrollment for the current semester is clearly documented. If you do not provide proof of enrollment for the current semester, you will be disqualified from further consideration.

If you are currently enrolled, but in your last semester/quarter of completing your degree/certificate requirements, you must show proof of continuing education, such as an acceptance letter, or you will be disqualified from further consideration.

This position has an education requirement. Transcripts must be submitted to validate that the education requirement has been met. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application package. However, an official copy will be required prior to a final offer of employment.

Education completed outside of the U.S. must be evaluated by an accredited organization to ensure that it is comparable to education received in accredited institutions in the U.S. Click here to view a listing of accredited organizations from the Department of Education's website. A copy of the foreign education evaluation (containing the results with a course by course listing) is required with your application.

Additional information

This position is covered under NIST's Alternative Personnel Management System (APMS). The APMS is a pay-for-performance system with excellent HR flexibilities to help NIST recruit and retain top talent. Find out more about the APMS here!

As a part of the Pathways Internship Program, the appointment may be extended until the selectee's educational program requirements have been completed.

PROGRAM COMPLETION AND CONVERSION: Program participants may be non-competitively converted to a career-conditional, career, or term position within 120 days of successful completion of the program, but there is no requirement to do so.

To be eligible for conversion, the intern must:

  • Meet the OPM qualification standards for the position to which s/he will be converted
  • Have completed academic study from a qualifying institution
  • Have completed at least 640 hours of work experience while in the Internship program; up to 320 hours may be credited from other qualifying federal Internship appointments or non-federal work experience toward the 640 hours
  • Receive a favorable recommendation by an official of the Agency
Pathways participants may be converted to a permanent or term position within any NIST career path. If converted to permanent or term position, the full performance level would be: ZP-III

More information on the Pathways Programs for students and recent graduates can be found if you click here.

You will be in a trial period throughout your entire Pathways appointment.

We may share your application package with other selecting officials at NIST with opportunities like this one. Additional selections may be made through this vacancy.

NIST strives to build a flexible and encouraging work environment to bring out the best in our employees. To help our employees balance responsibilities at home and at work, NIST offers a variety of work-life flexibilities such as:
  • Telework
  • Flexible work schedules
  • Paid parental leave
  • Paid vacation
  • Sick leave
  • Family-friendly leave
  • Child and elder-care resources
  • On-site childcare center
  • Lactation spaces
  • Wellness programs
  • Fitness center
  • Employee assistance programs

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

We will review your resume, optional cover letter and supporting documents to assess your qualifications for this position. If the minimum qualifications are met, we will compare this information to the responses on the occupational questionnaire (i.e. True/False, Yes/No, Multiple Choice questions). The application must support the responses to the questionnaire, or we may lower the score. To preview the questionnaire, click here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/11977241

Resume Guidance
Evaluation Process
CTAP/ICTAP Eligibility

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