About DISC

Program Summary

DISC’s mission is to recruit and prepare cohorts of early undergraduate STEM students for careers in the Portland Metro Area (PMA) semiconductor-microelectronics technology sector (semi-micro industry). DISC Interns will receive:

Paid internship with DISC’s industry partners in the Portland Metro Area (9 months; 10-12 hrs/wk)
Professional development (30 hours)
Mentoring (peer, faculty, and industry mentors)

Student Financial Support

DISC Internships are paid opportunities supported through grants and companies. Interns will receive compensation for three terms. Rates may vary slightly between placements but total compensation will be between $9,000 and $11,000 for the academic year.

Program Timeline

The DISC Program is a one-year program during the academic year (October to June).

Internship Application (October)

Applications will be open Oct 1-31.

Internship Matching (November)

A number of DISC Applicants will be selected to interview with our industry partners. During this virtual event, potential Interns will have the opportunity to have one-on-one interview conversations with industry partners and participate in professional development skill-building. After the event, the potential Interns will provide their feedback and preferences regarding the internship projects. This information will then be used to match interns with industry partners and to make final admittance decisions.

Onboarding (December)

In early fall, Interns will be on-boarded to the program and their internship. During this time DISC Interns will:

Learn more about the program elements.
Get to know their three Mentors: Peer, Faculty, and Industry Mentors.
Start building community with their fellow Interns.
Work with their Industry Mentor to develop the goals for the internship.

Internship (Fall, Winter, and Spring terms)

DISC Interns will be responsible for completing 10-12 hours a week in their internship. During this time Interns will:

Enact their project tasks.

Pursue the defined learning objectives.

Receive mentoring from their Industry Mentor.

DISC Learning Community - Cohort (Fall-Spring Terms)

During their time in the program DISC Interns will complete about 30 hours of professional development and mentorship outside of their internship. This will include:

Develop relationships within their cohorts.
Sharing the results of their internship with their peers.
Professional Development skill development and workshops.
Networking skill building and networking opportunities.

Semi-Micro Career Symposium (Culmination of Program)

At the end of the school year Interns will participate in a formal end-of-year celebration - the Semi-Micro Career Symposium. At the Symposium Interns will:

Share their project progress, contributions, and learning with the broader DISC community.
Participate in a career fair.
Present a poster session to highlight the work they accomplished in their internship.
A career panel with semi-micro industry representatives.

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