Meeting the 4th Industrial Revolution Head-On
The mission of the Institute for Interdisciplinary Science (i4) is to build capacity in interdisciplinary sciences, informatics and emerging technologies as we increase students’ readiness for the 4th Industrial Revolution.
The institute is an educational and professional framework that fosters cross-sector partnerships and interdisciplinary collaborations. To this end, the Institute:
- Organizes cross-sector cooperative agreements with public and private entities around the Austin, Texas, area and beyond.
- Exposes STEM majors to the postgraduate landscape by networking them with employers and graduate programs through guaranteed paid internships.
- Funds faculty professional development by offering awards to faculty for applying for large and small external grants.
- Catalyzes faculty advancement, interdisciplinary collaborations, and innovative research through the presentation of research opportunity awards.
Together, these activities prepare students for the 4th Industrial Revolution, which is a recently embarked era where biological, digital and physical systems coalesce to connect people, objects and disciplines.
The consensus among world leaders and prominent academics is that interdisciplinary education, industry-academia cross-talks, data science and informatics, and the development of adaptive STEM graduates who can innovate in a climate of change are pivotal for success in the 4th Industrial Revolution.
i4 Latest News
16 Students Awarded Internships
Congratulations to our 16 NSCI students who were awarded an i4 internship opportunity at 7 industry partners during Summer 2024. We cannot wait to hear back about your experience.
Keynote
Watch the i4 keynote speech at the NSCI Senior Symposium by Kurtis Minder about "Cybersecurity: More than a Career, a Purpose". Available here, also available in 360 view here.
i4 Summer Internships
i4 interns, Saray AlSaffar ’23 (Bioinformatics), Jacob Brandis ’23 (Computer Science), and Madison Pierre ’23 (Computer Science), were featured in a St. Edward’s University online news article sharing their internship experience during Summer 2022: Launching Students into STEM Careers.
i4 Internship Leads to Job Offer
i4 student Sabur Khan ’22 featured in the St. Edward's University Magazine talks about his experience interning at VMware, an opportunity made available through i4. The internship ultimately led to a full-time job offer with VMware. Congratulations Sabur. Read the full story: A Day at St. Edward's with Sabur Khan
We Prepare Next-Level STEM Graduates
STEM graduates who can adapt and innovate in a climate of change are pivotal for success in the 4th Industrial Revolution. Our National Science Foundation-funded Institute for Interdisciplinary Science (i4) focuses on preparing students for this global revolution brought on by smart technology. Students can tap into paid summer research internships, tuition awards for STEM courses not offered at St. Edward’s; events and keynote speakers; and more.
What is the 4th Industrial Revolution?
| Listen to our SEU to You podcast as Associate Professor of Computer Science Bilal Shebaro shares opportunities for internships, micro-certifications and events offered by the Institute for Interdisciplinary Science (i4 Institute) to prepare students for this very exciting time in which we live |
Explore i4 Opportunities, Events and Funding
Paul Savala, PhD
Co-Director of the Institute for Interdisciplinary Sciences (i4) and Associate Professor of Mathematics
psavala@sanmingzhi.net
512-448-8547
John Brooks Williams South 377
Rebecca Thompson, PhD
Co-Director of the Institute for Interdisciplinary Sciences (i4) and Assistant Professor of Chemistry
rthomps7@sanmingzhi.net
512-637-1985
John Brooks Williams North 113
Previous Leadership Team:
- Andrea Holgado (Former i4 director 2018-2020)
- Bilal Shebaro (Former i4 director 2020-2024)
- Paul Walter (Former i4 team member)
- Charles Hauser (Former i4 team member)
- Meredith Claire Edwards (Former i4 team member)
- Raychelle Burks (Former i4 team member)
- Laura J Baker (Former i4 team member)
For more information about i4 programs and initiatives, please contact us at i4_institute@sanmingzhi.net
OVERVIEW
The Institute for Interdisciplinary Science (i4) coordinates PAID summer internships for NSCI students interested in working at nonprofit or for-profit partner sites. These in-workplace or "remote" training opportunities are designed to expand the preparation of STEM students as they engage in research and development (R&D) projects in a high-paced and competitive setting. Additionally, these experiences allow students to learn about the professional expectations from an employer regarding job responsibilities, firm deadlines, budgetary constraints and technical knowledge needed for a particular R&D project.
Internships are available that are appropriate for any NSCI major, and the internship spots are reserved exclusively for SEU students. Our list of industry partners changes year to year. If you have suggestions for a local industry partner that you’d like to work for, feel free to send suggestions to the i4 team at i4_institute@sanmingzhi.net.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
Historically, internship program applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents who are currently enrolled at St. Edward’s University in the School of Natural Sciences and will be entering their junior or senior year in Fall 2025. We cannot accept applications from graduating seniors (May 2025). We are, however, currently discussing options for international students - please check back in early 2025 for updated information.
INTERNSHIP INFORMATION
- Pay: Interns will be paid at least $650/week for full-time (40 hours/week) work.
- Internship Period: Depending on the industry partner, internship time lengths may vary between 8 and 12 weeks during Summer 2025.
- Application Deadline: Applications will open for Summer 2025 in February 2025 and will be due on March 1st, 2025.
Summer 2024 Call for Industry Partners, see: Call for Industry Partners.
Summer 2024 Internship Guidelines, see: Internship guidelines.
Summer 2024 Internship Industry Partners and Projects, see: Partners and Projects.
Internship application for Summer 2025 opens in February 2025 and will be due on March 1st, 2025.
The Institute for Interdisciplinary Science (i4) supports a funding mechanism for the distribution of incentives for faculty to write grants. Depending on the size of the grant, faculty may either apply for an i4 Seed Grant Incentive Program, or for the NSCI Major Grant Incentive Program.
While i4 coordinates and reviews applications for both grants, only the i4 Seed Grant Incentive is managed and funded by i4. For more details on these programs, please see the following links:
i4 Seed Grant Incentive Program: Program Description and Evaluation Rubric
NSCI Major Grant Incentive Program: Program Description and Evaluation Rubric
Faculty may apply for these programs through this link.
NSCI Senior Symposium 2024 – Keynote Speaker Address
Friday, March 1, 2024, 1–2 p.m. (Carter Auditorium – JBWS 186)
Speaker: Kurtis Minder, CEO and co-founder of GroupSense
Talk Title: Cybersecurity: More than a Career, a Purpose”
Watch Kurtis Minder's keynote speech here, also available in 360 view.
Lucian Symposium 2023 (co-sponsored by i4) – 3 Keynote Speeches
Keynote Talk 1: “Optimizing pediatric cancer treatment and survivorship” – Dr. Joya Chandra
Keynote Talk 2: “Youth-onset type 2 diabetes: Epidemiology, pathophysiology, and implications for health” – Dr. Elizabeth Jensen
Keynote Talk 3: “Using immunotherapeutic strategies to combat tumors” – Dr. Todd Triplett
NSCI Senior Symposium 2023 – Keynote Speaker Address
Speaker: Dr. Brad Hayes, Assistant Professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, Director of the Collaborative AI and Robotics Lab, and the CTO of the Circadence Corporation
Talk Title: “Making Our Future with Artificial Intelligence into One We Want”
Watch Dr. Hayes's keynote speech here, also available in 360 view.
Documentary Screening: “Coded Bias”
Watch Trailer
Lucian Symposium 2022 (co-sponsored by i4) – 3 Keynote Speeches
Keynote Talk 1: “The Art of Making Vaccines” by Dr. Alfredo G. Torres. Check out the video in 360 View.
Keynote Talk 2: “Vaccine Hesitancy: it doesn’t matter if the vaccine works if nobody gets it” by Dr. Julie Bettinger. Check out the video in 360 View.
Keynote Talk 3: “Mapping global and local trends in vaccine confidence” by Dr. Alex Dr. De Figueiredo.
NSCI Senior Symposium 2022 – Keynote Speaker Address
Speaker: Dr. Ilya J. Finkelstein, Associate Professor of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin
Talk Title: “COVID-19: Viruses, Vaccines, and Variants”
Watch Dr. Finkelstein's keynote speech here, also available in 360 view.
NSCI Senior Symposium 2021 – Keynote Speaker Address
Speaker: Dr. France A. Córdova, former NSF Director
Talk Title: “One Woman's Response to Challenges in Science Leadership”
Watch Dr. Córdova's keynote speech
Documentary Screening: “Picture a Scientist”
Watch Trailer
Watch Movie (SEU credentials required)
You can also scan this QR code with your mobile device’s camera to watch it on your smartphone or tablet.
Global Health Challenges Symposium 2020
Speaker: Juliano Calil, MESM, PhD., Co-Founder and Chief Scientist, Virtual Planet Technologies
Talk Title: “Using Virtual Reality in Climate Adaptation”
NSCI Senior Symposium 2020 – Keynote Speaker Address
Speaker: Thong Nguyen, Tech Entrepreneur, Business Leader and TEDxMinneapolis Curator
Talk Title: “Out of Our Minds: Creating Futures That Don't Exist Yet
Watch event in 360 View (for best results, watch with VR Goggles)
”
Documentary Screening and Panel Discussion: “Human Nature”
INFO SESSIONS
Want to know more about i4?
The i4 Team is available to speak to faculty and students regarding upcoming i4 funding opportunities. These include Tuition Awards, Internships, and Faculty Research Opportunity Awards (ROAs), and Professional Development Grants (PDGs) for tenured and tenure-track NSCI faculty. Please email us at i4_institute@sanmingzhi.net to schedule a meeting or presentation with us.
i4 interns, Saraya AlSaffar (Bioinformatics ’23), Jacob Brandis (Computer Science ’23), and Madison Pierre (Computer Science ’23), were featured in the St. Edward's news article sharing their internship experience during Summer 2022.
Launching Students into STEM Careers
i4 student Sabur Khan ’22 featured in the St. Edward's magazine who talked about his experience interning at VMware, an opportunity made available through i4. The internship ultimately led to a full-time job offer with VMware. Congratulations Sabur.
A Day at St. Edward's with Sabur Khan
i4 student Ruvi Jaimes '22 representing St. Edward's University at an HSI Roundtable with Texas Senator John Cornyn
Central Texas universities highlight federal support for Hispanic students
i4 leadership team member Dr. Andrea Holgado and i4 student Ruvi Jaimes interviewed by CBS Austin: Hispanic Heritage Month: Latinas in tech community grows in Austin
Hispanic Heritage Month: Latinas in tech community grows in Austin
The Institute for Interdisciplinary Science (i4) is among the Top 10 Reasons for Hilltop Pride
St. Edward’s Is Ranked a Top 10 University in the Western Region, again
Summer 2021 Intern Student Highlights:
Interns’ highlight videos sorted by industry partner:
VMware | TCEQ | USDA-GTAC NEON | Macromoltek | The Nature Conservancy
Summer 2020 Intern Student Highlights:
Interns Interview Video (2020)
Summer 2019 Intern Student Highlights:
Interns Interview Video (2019)
Hilltop Views - "Human Nature" November 2019:
Professionals, students talk upsides and downfalls of DNA editing through CRISPr