After years of serving as an MV-22 Osprey aircraft mechanic in the Marine Corps and later working as a commercial helicopter pilot and flight instructor, Ken Mionske wanted to learn how investigators determine the causes of aviation accidents and use those findings to improve safety.

To gain this experience, Mionske, who recently graduated with a B.S. in Aviation Business Administration from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Worldwide Campus, interned with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). At the agency’s Western Pacific Regional Office, located outside of Seattle, he inspected aircraft and wreckage, reviewed pilot and maintenance records, analyzed weather data and assisted with an engine teardown.

 “From my NTSB internship, I learned that successful investigations require patience, attention to detail and collaboration,” said Mionske who lives in Arizona.

His goal now is to become an NTSB aviation accident investigator. “This internship solidified my desire to work for the board,” he said.

Mionske was one of three Embry-Riddle students who interned with the NTSB this summer, and another interned with the U.S. House of Representatives’ Subcommittee on Aviation.

“This is a very unique opportunity for our students. These safety-focused internship opportunities with the NTSB and Congress are some of the most competitive and sought after in the field, positioning Embry-Riddle students to become industry leaders,” said Robert Sumwalt, executive director of Embry-Riddle’s Boeing Center for Aviation and Aerospace Safety (BCAAS) and former chairman of the NTSB.

A donor-supported stipend from the Boeing Center helped to cover the interns’ living expenses and other costs. Embry‑Riddle Trustee Neal Keating and his wife, Alison, helped launch the internship fund, along with several other donors. The donations help to “ensure these internship opportunities continue in the years to come,” Sumwalt said.

Audrey Dixon, who is pursuing a master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, and Embry-Riddle graduate Amanda Hoyt interned at the NTSB’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Dixon said her NTSB internship let her learn from a variety of talented people and work on projects that applied classroom learning to real-world issues.

“Going forward, I am hoping to find a role where I can interface both my engineering skills and my passion for safety,” said Dixon.

Hoyt, who earned her bachelor’s degree in Aeronautics from Embry-Riddle’s Prescott Campus and is pursuing a career in aviation safety, said the internship gave her an in-depth understanding of the NTSB. “This internship has given me so many connections and so much hands-on experience,” she said.

Also in Washington, D.C., Maya Boysen interned with the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Aviation, a congressional panel that has jurisdiction over civil aviation, including safety, infrastructure, labor and commerce. She sat in on hearings on everything from air traffic control modernization to connecting rural communities to the National Airspace System.

“I wanted to get a better understanding of the process in which rules in the aviation industry get put into place and how they work with different governmental aviation sectors,” said Boysen, a sophomore Aviation Business Administration student at the Daytona Beach Campus. “I worked in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill so I was able to meet many different professionals from a variety of different backgrounds, companies, and organizations.”

Boysen, from Satellite Beach, Florida, said the stipend she received was a critical financial help.

“It allowed me to take part in this extraordinary opportunity without the financial aspect of it weighing over my shoulders,” she said. “Living in D.C. for two months is quite expensive, and I am grateful beyond words for the BCAAS’s financial support.”

People interested in supporting these internships may do so by donating to the Center for Aviation and Aerospace Safety Internship Support fund.