Mount St. Mary’s University is the first four-year university to enter into a partnership with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Information Management and Technology, based in Silver Spring, Maryland. Under the formal memorandum of understanding (MOU), signed August 27, the FDA will offer Mount students internship opportunities, jobs and informational sessions in cybersecurity and information technology. The partnership also allows the federal agency to expand its cybersecurity and technological prowess with the assistance of the Mount’s talented students.
Megan Devlin, an incident response analyst in the FDA’s Office of Information Management and Technology who graduated from the Mount in 2015, initially suggested the partnership. “We need the help in our office, especially in cybersecurity, and I know that Mount students have the talent and skills to make a difference” said Devlin, who attended the signing ceremony along with Brianna Thezard, C’18, who works in the FDA’s information systems security office.
“This relationship will further the development of our students as well as faculty and staff who support students,” said President Timothy E. Trainor, Ph.D., who noted that he often advises students not to underestimate the difference that they can make while gaining experience as interns.
Craig Taylor, the FDA’s chief information security officer, concurred, saying that he expects the work of Mount-educated interns and employees to benefit not just local communities but also to have an “impact on the nation.” Taylor pointed to Devlin and Thezard as “examples of excellence” from the Mount, emphasizing that they not only possess technical ability but also soft skills such as communication, problem solving and leadership.
Clare Tauriello, director of the Mount St. Mary’ University Career Center, and Kraig Sheetz, Ph.D., dean of the School of Natural Science and Mathematics, worked with the FDA team for nearly a year to develop the MOU. The Career Center, which has numerous partnerships with employers throughout the area, helps students prepare for internship and job opportunities. Approximately 70% of Mount students have at least one internship during their four years at the university.