School of Computing Alumni Connect at Summer DOE Internship

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Posted on August 30, 2024

Lance Crawford

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University of South Alabama doctoral student Tristan Clark and Research and Development Associate Dr. Tristen Mullins share more than just a first name. They both graduated from the School of Computing in May 2022 and worked together over the summer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The federally funded research and development center is the largest science and energy national laboratory in the U.S. Department of Energy system.

Clark received a bachelor’s degree in computer science and is now in his third year of South’s Ph.D. program. Mullins, who has a Ph.D. in computing, has been working at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory since 2022. An internship this past summer brought them together. 

Mullins considered teaching as a career before finding a passion for research. “I got involved with the internship program at Oak Ridge because I enjoy mentoring students and guiding them through their research experiences,” she said. Over the summer, she mentored four students from various colleges and disciplines. Clark was the only Ph.D. student and the only intern from South. 

“The best thing about the internship is meeting new people who can teach me many different types of skills and have experience in the field,” he said. “It’s also an introduction to real-world research and learning skills that will be invaluable for my future career in cybersecurity.” 

Clark and Mullins are involved in research with the Department of Energy’s Omni Technology Alliance Internship Program, which focuses on cybersecurity and information technology. 

“I have the students working on two cybersecurity projects that test the vulnerability of devices,” Mullins said. “One project assesses the security of a satellite modem and the other is testing access control systems.” 

She has had an interest in side-channel research since her days as a doctoral student at South. 

Another connection between the two is that Clark and Mullins are both recipients of a CyberCorps Scholarship for Service, a program funded by the National Science Foundation and supported by the Department of Homeland Security. This program provides scholarships in exchange for a commitment to work in a government position upon graduation. 

 “A major reason I applied for this internship was the opportunity to join a network of other students and researchers within the program,” Clark said. “Not only do we get access to an exclusive job fair in Washington D.C., but the program is also highly recognized by government employers. I’m pursuing a career in a national lab or other agency because that is where the crucial work in securing the nation's infrastructure happens.”  

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