Rolling Meadows firm helping today’s students be tomorrow’s engineers

Wanting to inspire the next generation of American engineers, Rolling Meadows-based global security company Northrop Grumman is helping suburban students explore what it takes to bring an innovative idea to life.

When Daniel Shriber took an introduction to engineering course at Wheeling High School his interest was sparked, but the 17-year-old said that it was his two-year internship with Northrop Grumman that made him realize he wants to be an engineer.

Through Northrop Grumman’s WORTHY program, (Worthwhile To Help High School Youth) Shriber and other local students work with company mentors once a month to design and develop a project from concept to prototype before presenting it to Northrop’s senior management team.

“This is a great opportunity for exposure to the corporate environment,” said Shriber, who said he learned a lot about deadlines, project budgets and what to do after you have a great idea.

Shriber’s project is a wireless iPod transmitter, so users could listen to their iPod music without having to plug headphones into the device.

Students spend time at the company’s Rolling Meadows office learning about what it’s really like to work in the engineering industry.

Students, mentors, parents and employees from Northrop Grumman came together for a reception on Tuesday to recognize successes and projects of the past year.

“We want to get kids fired up and excited about engineering,” said Janice Nyre, vice president of radio frequency combat and information systems and the keynote speaker at Tuesday’s reception.

Nyre said the program is often aimed as students who may not have these opportunities otherwise because of family or financial reasons.

The WORTHY program is in its fifth year and as students graduate they are eligible for a 4-year scholarship from Northrop Grumman to pursue their engineering career at the college of their choice.

Monica Delgado’s project is inspired by a cousin who is going blind.

Delgado, 17, and a junior at Dundee Crown High School, designed a situationally-aware cane that has sensors to detect objects so people using it won’t bump into things while walking.

Delgado wants a career where she can combine engineering with her desire to help others — possibly a double major in nursing and biomedical engineering.

“This program made me want to be an engineer. I never really knew what an engineer was but this opened my eyes to it,” she said. “I like having problems and being able to find the solutions.”