Fairfax County's Thomas Jefferson High School Students Tabbed as Future CTOs
Fairfax, VA, Ottawa, ON, Canada - Mitel today reported the continuing achievements of an innovative program at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST) in Fairfax, VA.
Paul Chung and Evans Xiang were given the chance to work with some of Mitel's top talent in both its Global Headquarters in Kanata, Canada and New York. During the internship, the students met chief technology officer Jim Davies as well as Mitel's product research and development team. Each student was assigned a mentor and was provided with a tutorial on Mitel's product portfolio and the stages of research and design.
But it wasn't just guidance the company offered. Additional hands-on learning experience was provided to the students with a visit to the company's solutions showcase in New York City. Once there, Paul and Evans presented their project via video conference to the R&D team at headquarters. The students also learned to configure the technical portions of requests for proposals (RFP) and how to create sales presentations with knowledgeable Mitel account executives.
"Rather than simply shadowing a mentor, these students were given full access to Mitel programming language and source code, making them actively involved in the research and development process," said Davies. "Their abilities and contributions to the project far surpassed even our highest expectations. These exceptional students are the industry's future CTOs, and Mitel is honored to have played a role in enhancing their education."
The product the students designed is one that can easily be applied to the real world. They created an innovative application to facilitate communication between school administrators and teachers in the classroom. The application enables teachers to utilize a standard IP-based classroom telephone for rapid, private communication traditionally associated with email. Using the phone's liquid crystal display (LCD), teachers and school administrators can quickly and easily receive and transmit messages to the school's principal, nurse and other teachers. Whether they find riches is anyone's guess, but the experience will surely prove beneficial down the road.
"The summer spent at Mitel gave us a preview of what it would be like to work in a professional environment," Paul said. "After all the time spent in the classroom learning about programming, we finally got a chance to apply what we learned and attempt to contribute our skills to a defined project."
Evans was equally pleased with the project. "Given the opportunity to view and become part of the Mitel operation provided valuable insights into an area of interest we would consider as a career. Everyone was extremely generous and encouraging. We were able to interact with all levels of the company."
Mitel presented each student with a $1,500 scholarship and a certificate attesting to the successful completion of the mentorship program. Students in the TJHSST mentorship program are involved in concentrated research and/or project development at firms and laboratories throughout the metropolitan Washington, D.C. area. They plan, implement, document and present projects chosen in consultation with the accomplished scientists, engineers and other professionals who serve as their mentors. Accordingly, the program allows students to develop and refine their research and presentation techniques, problem solving, critical thinking and leadership skills.
In addition to Mitel, firms and laboratories supporting the TJHSST mentorship program include: the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Army Topographic Engineering Center, UUNET Technologies, Inc., the Naval Surface Warfare Center-Carderock Division, George Mason Uinversity, Lombardi Cancer Center, Smithsonian Institution and Orbital Sciences Corporation.
-Ends-
About Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology is a Fairfax County public school offering a comprehensive college preparatory program emphasizing the sciences, mathematics, and technology. The school serves students selected on the basis of aptitude and interest in the biological, physical, mathematical, and computer sciences and who intend to pursue college preparation in the sciences, engineering, or related fields. There are approximately 450 students each in grades nine, 10, 11, and 12.
About Mitel
Mitel is the trusted leader for voice, video and data convergence over broadband networks. With a focus on the user experience, the company delivers advanced communication solutions that are easily customized for individual business needs. Mitel solutions extend from intuitive desktop appliances and applications through to Applications and Services Gateways that enable business process integration and enhancement. Customers are provided with innovative ways to leverage their resources and migrate to the benefits of IP communications at their own pace. Mitel is headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, with offices, partners and resellers worldwide. For more information please visit www.mitel.com.
© Press Release 2006
