COD student earns summer internship at Fermilab
College of DuPage student José Gallegos has received a research internship at Fermilab through the Community College Institute of Science and Technology.
The Aurora resident and Army veteran will begin his 10-week internship in May. He heard about the opportunity from Tom Carter, professor of physics at College of DuPage, and decided to apply.
“I didn't think I'd get in, but a month later I heard that I was accepted,” Gallegos said. “I'm pretty excited. I'll be working on a research project with scientists and engineers that will consist of assembling, operating and testing ultra high vacuum systems and high power microwave electronics.”
As a youngster, Gallegos could figure out how to fix all of his toys, and he liked math in school. But after graduating from West Aurora High School, he joined the Army.
“I just didn't know where to go, so the Army was a safe starting point,” he said. “I eventually became an electrical technician on Apache helicopters.”
Gallegos was a squad leader and a section sergeant before working in the quality assurance shop for the helicopters, where he would inspect the work of other soldiers before a helicopter would take flight. During his six years in the Army, he traveled around the world, from Ft. Campbell and Ft. Hood in the U.S. to Korea to two tours in Iraq.
In August of 2009, only a few days after leaving the Army, Gallegos began taking classes at College of DuPage.
“The Army was a good experience that I don't regret,” he said. “I'm in school because of Army benefits. And I chose COD's Engineering program because it has such a strong reputation.”
He considers physics to be his most difficult yet rewarding class. Carter, his Physics professor, is impressed with Gallegos' worth ethic.
“José is a great student,” Carter said. “Along with his excellent academic skills, he has a quiet maturity that really adds a lot to the class.”
After finishing his studies at College of DuPage in December 2011, Gallegos will transfer to study mechanical engineering. He then will pursue a master's degree, obtain a good job and start a family.
“I'd like to work with nanotechnology,” he said. “It's interesting how you take atom-sized gears and molecules and build from the bottom-up.
“I'm really just a regular guy, and school has been challenging yet rewarding in many ways. I never took physics in high school. But when I took it here for the first time, it opened up the world to me. I can see how things work, and I'm now hooked on the subject.”