Oak Ridge internship leads to expanded opportunities

September 10, 2024

What started as a summer internship with Oak Ridge National Laboratory has been extended into another opportunity for Dakota State student Ashton Ruesch. He will be continuing to work as a remote intern for the organization this academic year.

"Oak Ridge is a massive laboratory that does a ton of research in nuclear sciences, but they also look at security for critical infrastructure," Ruesch said.

"Working in the lab is a culmination of everything I've learned in the classroom," he said.

The internship at Oak Ridge allows students to work alongside industry leaders and collaborate on projects. Ruesch and one of the researchers ended up working on the same aspect of a project, and when they talked about it in a meeting, he had an exciting realization.

"I had the same mindset and thought process as another researcher," he said with a smile. "Here's a professional that is thinking like I am, so I feel like I'm on the same track as a professional in the field, and that feels good."

In addition to working alongside other researchers, Ruesch had two mentors to assist him throughout the internship, one of whom was a DSU alumnus. Ryan Styles, who graduated with a degree in Cyber Operations in 2019, served as a technical mentor. In addition to understanding Ruesch's educational background, he also appreciated that Styles could relate to being from South Dakota.

A second mentor functioned like an advisor, sharing goals, maintaining communication, and assisting Ruesch with extending his internship.

These experiences have inspired Ruesch to pursue certifications in his areas of interest and focus on personal projects related to his interests in reverse engineering. This area of study allows for the discovery of vulnerabilities and security flaws.

He is excited to be involved with a new project as he extends his internship and looks forward to exploring other paths in the cybersecurity field.

This internship helped him discover a passion for cyber research, and it's influencing how he sees his future. Ruesch notes that it is now one of his biggest career goals to work at a national lab, preferably Oak Ridge.

His advice for future interns is, "Don't limit yourself. Even if you think you know what you want to specialize in, keep yourself open. I never expected to touch the hardware side of things, but I'm considering shifting that direction because I found a passion."

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