Rajia Abdelaziz wants to run her own smart jewelry company – a goal that’s well within reach thanks to a research co-op and involvement with the Society of Women Engineers.

John Kilgo VI began working at MITRE Corporation more than three years ago as an intern, when he was a UMass Lowell undergraduate. Now, he’s employed there full time as a software systems engineer, while enrolled part time in the master’s program in computer science.

During his six-month co-op at iRobot, Kevin Dibble was a full-time member of the software team – and he developed an automated testing system for a universal robot controller.

Mark Micire’s unique work experience and education have been able to help people in their darkest hour. He designs robotics systems that help coordinate efforts at search and rescue sites.