My name is Alicia O'Brien and I work in the IPv6 Consortium. I am a senior Computer Science major at the University of New Hampshire (UNH). This past spring I decided I no longer wanted to give out UNH parking tickets (and be public enemy #1) and I needed a Computer Science related job. I had taken a tour of the University of New Hampshire InterOperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL) during my Introduction to Computer Science class. I wasn't sure if I had the right skill set for the job until my Computer Science friends told me that a position at the UNH-IOL did not require any prior networking knowledge. I was informed that the UNH-IOL staff would teach me everything I needed to know. When I applied and eventually was hired into the IPv6 Consortium, I had no idea what IPv6 even stood for and promptly Googled the unfamiliar acronym.
IOL Blog: General News
From Intern to Employee
By Evice Bolton - July 31, 2012
Hello, my name is Evice Bolton and I am a freshman pursuing an Electrical Engineering degree. I was introduced to the University of New Hampshire InterOperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL) the summer before my senior year of high school as an intern in Serial Attached SCSI (SAS). Going into that internship I wasn’t sure what I wanted to major in, I was leaning towards Mechanical Engineering, but thought that Electrical Engineering might also be interesting. When I first started as an intern, it was incredibly overwhelming and everything was new to me! Nonetheless, everyone was really nice and helpful, they took the time to teach me the testing and answered the many questions I had. There were trips to some really amazing companies, where we got to learn more about the real world uses of the products that are tested in the lab and how technology continues to advance. The UNH-IOL not only functions as a place where vendors can get their products tested, but it’s also a wonderful resource for providing students with pertinent information for their future career fields.
Ladies in the Lab
By - July 24, 2012
When telling people that I'm a Computer Science major, I'm often asked how I like being a woman in this field. I have yet to think of a satisfying answer to this question; I have never wanted to do anything else. The new Engineering and Physical Sciences building, Kingsbury Hall was just being completed when I arrived at the University of New Hampshire (UNH). Move-in day found me, with my Computer Engineering Dad by my side, poking our heads into empty classrooms and offices and gawking through windows into locked rooms filled with equipment.
Transitioning from Administrative Assistant to Operations Manager
By Kerry Munson - July 17, 2012
In August 2009, I was hired by the University of New Hampshire InterOperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL) as the Lab’s receptionist. My background consisted of only basic computer and technical skills that I had obtained throughout my three years earning an Associate’s degree in Liberal Arts as along with prior experience growing up with a computer. A technical background was not as imperative in an administrative position as it would have been if I was hired into the lab as a technician in one of the consortiums. Over the next three years, I expanded my day to day responsibilities from answering phones and greeting visitors, to creating invoices, becoming an expert shipper, assisting with the hiring process and much more. Still after three years, I only had an elementary understanding of what the different consortiums did here at the lab.
Tale of a Civil Engineer
By Jessica Constant - July 11, 2012
Hey everyone its Jessica Constant from the Digital Living Consortium (DLC)! I am a junior Civil Engineering major at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) and I would like to share with you my experience coming into the UNH-IOL as a Civil Engineering major. Most of the gentlemen in the DLC have majors that relate to computer sciences, such as Information Technology (IT) and Electrical Engineering (EE). Luckily, they are very patient and take the time to teach certain technical details, such as counting in binary. Coming into the lab was intimidating for me, knowing almost all of my coworkers had a computer science background.
Recap of First Quarter Test Events
By Samantha Martell - June 15, 2012
The UNH-IOL has a 7,200 square-foot facility to support test events, holding up to 60 companies at a time. UNH-IOL hosted events allow both member and non-member companies to accomplish detailed, thorough testing with industry partners. These events typically focus on fostering the interoperability of a particular technology, often when the technology is in its first stages of implementation. Industry Forums and individual customers benefit from these events by gaining early access to unreleased products in new technology spaces, finding problems before their customers do, and obtaining feedback to draft standards.
A New Team Member Point-Of-View
By Dan McGloughlin - June 7, 2012
As the end of the Spring 2012 term was coming to an end, I knew I was going to need a summer job. My Intro-to-Industry (I2I) internship here at the UNH-IOL was going to finish a few weeks before the end of the semester and the experience was a blast. I thought, why not apply for work at a place where I’ve been learning so much and having a good time? So, that’s what I did.
Energy Conservation, transportation at core of student-designed Android App
By Jonathan Noyes - May 16, 2012
My name is Jonathan Noyes and I am a senior at the University of New Hampshire in the Computer Science (CS) Department and student technician at the UNH-IOL. For my senior project I worked with two other CS students developing a mobile application for the UNH Sustainability Academy.
Recent Student Grad
By Pamela Woodland - May 10, 2012
As graduation nears, I begin to reflect on the experiences I have had throughout my college career, as well as my employment with the University of New Hampshire InterOperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL). Come the end of this month, I will have been employed with the UNH-IOL for three years and at that time I will be seeking employment within the healthcare field. Despite the fact that the UNH-IOL has not provided me with experience in regards to healthcare, it has given me a solid foundation as I go on to become a young career professional.
UNH-IOL: A Unique, Hands-on Education for Graduate School
By Mike Hagen - May 1, 2012
The UNH-IOL offers an opportunity that most graduate students never get to experience: hands-on learning with cutting edge technologies. More so than with undergraduate studies, the realm of graduate research is typically entirely theoretical. Complementary to the classroom, here at the lab, students have the opportunity to perform research on actual devices. Staffed by full-time employees and graduate students, we are able to forge relationships with vendors that most graduate students never get exposed to. This affords the benefits of accessing prototype hardware and software that may not be available outside of our special relationships for years in some cases.