James Madison University Wordmark

ISAT

Department of Integrated Science and Technology Affiliate Program

The ISAT Innovative Alliance

The ISAT Innovative Alliance is a Department of Integrated Science and Technology (ISAT) program designed to provide economic benefits through research, education projects, and outreach programs that involve companies, faculty and students at James Madison University (JMU).

Our mission is to develop creative and innovative partnership opportunities to enhance the educational experience of ISAT students, further the professional development of ISAT faculty and provide real, tangible benefits to partnering organizations through research, education projects, and outreach programs.

The ISAT Innovative Alliance formalizes mutually beneficial partnerships between James Madison University and industry partners, government agencies, and non profit organizations. The following are the four partnership levels within the Alliance:

Affiliate Level:
Affiliates are organizations active with ISAT and have no monetary commitment. The type of interaction between the organization and ISAT could include student opportunities (summer internships for students) or corporate expertise (employees of company coming to JMU to speak, guest lecture, etc.)

Sponsor Level:
Sponsors provide funding to seed innovative research, such as senior projects or faculty research, through the Office of Sponsored Programs. Participants at the Sponsor level understand each others’ capabilities, needs, and innovation potential to collaborate on grant, RFP, SBIR, and BAA opportunities.

Contributor:
Contributors support the ISAT program by making monetary donations to the JMU Foundation in unrestricted support of the ISAT program. Funds are used for unrestricted program support, student scholarships, faculty development, laboratory operations, and other activities.

Partner:
Partners interact with ISAT at one more of the Affiliate, Sponsor and Contributor levels.

The ISAT Alliance is essential in providing the type of experiential learning opportunities that are a critical part of the ISAT student experience. This includes internships, senior projects, and faculty/student research. Our faculty and students are exposed to the ever changing opportunities in the world of work by affiliating with key partners to provide real world experiences. Additionally, our Alliance partners are exposed to ideas, enthusiasm, and expertise of our ISAT students and faculty.

Senior projects are a vital part of the ISAT program and the ISAT Alliance. Students form into teams to work on a problem that is provided by industry, government, or non-profit organizations. Each student works independently on a particular aspect of the problem. In this manner, students are presented with the opportunity to solve a real-world problem, receive work experience in an industrial setting, and become directly acquainted with a particular organization. The students are required to provide a technical report on the problem, both in written format and in the form of an oral presentation to the faculty, their student peers, and industry representatives.

What are the Advantages of becoming part of the ISAT Innovative Alliance?

  • Premier hiring opportunity with seniors and early contact with underclassmen
  • Summer internships
  • Advance senior project sponsorship
  • Faculty and student expertise
  • Use of laboratory testing facilities
  • Research grant partnership opportunities
  • Acknowledgement on ISAT Alliance website
  • Invitation to participate as guest lecturer
  • Networking opportunities among Alliance members
  • Annually highlight outstanding organizations at our Annual Senior Symposium, and in the media