Ohio Northern University teams up with Colorado company for internship program

Ohio Northern University alum Robert Lydic, BS ‘97, is now the president of Broomfield, Colorado based company Wavelynx Technologies. The company focuses on the development of mobile app authentication technology. Lydic’s love for his alma mater inspired him to take an opportunity to give back both to the school and to the students who desire to work on real world projects spearheaded by his company.

Two students front the T.J. Smull College of Engineering were selected as the first college interns at Wavelynx: Kento Akazawa, a computer science major, and Zach Krempasky, a computer engineering major.

In an article posted on Ohio Northern University’s website, Lydic was quoted about this program, saying, “I have owned and run businesses for over 20 years, and I have always ensured that I was able to contribute to ONU. However, being able to hire engineering interns for the summer was a new and amazing level of ONU association.”

Both Akazawa and Krempasky talked about how beneficial their internships were thanks to all the experience with hands-on learning. Akazawa worked on developing apps for both external and internal use, while Krempasky troubleshooted a number of systems and edited and tested lines of code.

Akazawa talked about his work, saying, “The app I was working on will be released this fall, and I think it’s awesome to get to experience that real-world work that is going to be used by actual customers.”

Krempasky talked about his desire to make a difference, saying, “When looking for an internship, I wanted a company that I felt I could have an impact on. Working with a smaller company has allowed me to work on some projects that have helped the company move forward. I also wanted to experience a different part of the country with my internship, and there was no place more appealing than Colorado.”

Lydic spoke highly of his interns, saying, “Much to the surprise of our vice president of engineering and our other staff, the students were exceptionally well prepared, were able to contribute to meaningful projects, and helped move our company forward. They worked on projects that will change the world with the Apple and Google access control Wallet credentials and the hardware that enables its functionality.”

The two students also spoke highly of the company culture at Wavelynx, noting that they immediately felt welcomed. 

“The favorite part of my internship is the people I work with. Everyone that I have met at WaveLynx is very outgoing and helpful. They did a great job making me feel like part of the team since day one,”  said Krempasky.

Both Krempasky and Akazawa noted that Ohio Northern’s College of Engineering staff and faculty were a great asset in their search to find an internship, especially College of Engineering Dean J.D. Yoder, College of Engineering Director of Corporate and Alumni Relations Laurie Laird, BSME ‘86, and Heath LeBlanc, Ph.D.

Krempasky stated this point in no uncertain terms, saying, “The engineering department is the main reason I got this internship. They sent an email promoting the opportunity, sent my résumé to Wavelynx, and even helped set up the interview.”

The success of this internship experiment has opened the door for more opportunities for other students and businesses in the future. 

Lydic highlighted this point, stating, “Our vice president of engineering told me, ‘I don’t know what they are doing at the College of Engineering at ONU, but those students were far more prepared for actual development projects than I was when I completed engineering school.’ We will absolutely provide more internships for ONU students. We had an amazing experience with the students.”

More information about Wavelynx Technologies can be found at its website, and more information about Ohio Northern University can be found at the school’s website.