Co-op Opportunities

The Allegheny Lab for Innovation & Creativity Co-op gives Allegheny Gators the skills required to be emerging leaders capable of making transformational contributions to their organizations. From building technical skills informed by the best creative and critical thinking abilities that the Liberal Arts have to offer, to connecting with employers, alumni, and unexpected mentors, our co-op sets Allegheny students up for personal and professional success. Students enter the workforce with a world-class Allegheny education backed by the technical skills to make an immediate impact the moment they arrive.

We partner with industry leaders in identifying technologies, ideas and tools that they deem vital to their operations, and train Allegheny students in their use through low-stakes pass/fail, 2-credit, half-semester courses taught by our industry partners. These courses are pathways for our partners to hire interns and employees that are already up to speed.

Contact Byron Rich, Assistant Provost for Academic Innovation, for info.

Spring 2024 Module A and B Courses

Building a Culture of Change Through Community Planning – EXL 100.A2
M/W 5:30-7:00 pm Spring Mod A
Zach Norwood – Crawford County Planning Director

A study of what makes a place great to live, work, and play. Through a combination of independent and group activities, students learn how the field of community planning has changed the landscape of American communities. The classroom experience, where students discuss planning events and theories, is supplemented with speakers working in the field.

Creative Technology in Advertising – EXL 100.B1
M/W 4:00 – 6:00 Spring Mod B
Matthew Pegula – Founding Engineer at Sizzle AI

Explores the ways engineers, designers, and artists come together to use technology as creative marketing tools. Students investigate emerging technologies and how they are integrated into contemporary marketing practices through a series of hands-on projects. No prior experience required.

Displaying History & House Museums – EXL 100.B2
T/Th 4:00-6:00 pm Spring Mod B
Josh Sherretts – Executive Director of the Crawford County Historical Society

A seminar examining the complexities of curating and managing public history sites and museums using assets of the Crawford County Historical Society as models. Students will investigate the intricacies of historic house museums, adapting to an exhibit gallery that is less flexible and more challenging than a traditional museum. Students will address multiple layers of museum management including planning, label scriptwriting, exhibit opening planning, sponsorship and budgeting, marketing, and artifact handling. Some classes may be off-campus at the Baldwin-Reynolds House Museum.

Upcoming Co-op Experiences

Open-Source Software Maintenance
An introduction to the processes and challenges of maintaining large, open-source software. Students
also investigate open source project management techniques. The course is taught by an experienced
maintainer of an open-source software system.

Industry-Oriented Software Development
An introduction to the processes and challenges of developing proprietary software. Students also
investigate proprietary project management techniques. The course is taught by an experienced
developer of proprietary technology. No prior experience required.

Past Co-op Experiences

Industry-standard 3D Design

An exploration of the fundamentals of designing products and components. Students learn the
fundamentals of using industry-standard design software for aerospace and industrial design
applications through a series of critical and creative projects. No prior experience required.

(Will be offered again in Fall 2024)

Non-profit Grant Writing

An introduction to the craft of writing grant applications for non-profit organizations. Students will learn
how to identify grants applicable to their non-profit, and how to craft successful applications through a
series of workshops and hands-on experiences with non-profit leaders from our region. No prior
experience required.

(Will be offered again in Fall 2024)

Cinematic Music Composition

Experience the ins and outs of the modern music industry for cinematic composers, and how to implement the tools available to bring your musical ideas to life using Presonus Studio One.

(Will be offered again in Fall 2024)

Student Feedback:

Acutec Precision – Solidworks

The Acutec internship provided me with a unique opportunity of using industry-standard software, and developing a basis of motor skills in terms of understanding a project and being able to replicate it using tools while under the guidance of a professional engineer who is active and involved in making you better. From an interdisciplinary perspective, this internship not only provided me confidence that I am able to research machinery in order to fix/solve problems actively, but it also drew my interest into finding more projects to learn about and craft on my own. For instance, over break, I designed and crafted models for various furniture I designed, built and understood the components of my own personal computer, and now I am looking into modifying my car. Design and engineering are core components to how we view the world and going along with the social awareness I develop in other Allegheny classes and readings, I am able to bring this perspective into crafted designs. I make this point not to achieve some moral high ground of what I do, but to emphasize that this class is beneficial professionally and caters to the critical thinking Allegheny student.
– Finn Dugan, 2022