ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. -- A student at the University of Maryland, College Park, joined the Army’s fundamental research laboratory this summer to gain insight and support the lab’s mission through her work to transform the design process of future Army systems.
Jenna Amrhein, a mathematics major and data science minor, spent her summer translating complex thermodynamic equations into interactive visual tools as an intern at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, known as DEVCOM, Army Research Laboratory.
Participating in the Acquisition Talent Base, or ATB, program within the lab’s Research Business Directorate as one of 250 summer student interns, Amrhein focused her efforts on modernizing the design process for high energy laser, or HEL, systems.
The purpose of ATB is to bridge the gap between the next generation of talent and the Department of War acquisition workforce. ATB prepares the next generation of civilian acquisition talent with the competencies DoW needs to meet evolving threats.
“My project focuses on transforming static diagrams of HEL systems into a dynamic, interactive power app," Amrhein said. “I invented a tool that translates raw thermodynamic and engineering equations into an immediate, intuitive visual footprint.”
When designing HEL systems, complex mathematics can make it difficult to quickly gauge how specific design choices affect the physical system. Amrhein’s application allows stakeholders and acquisition professionals to tweak variables like efficiency and power density to immediately see the ripple effects on a system's size, weight and power footprint.
“This replaces slow, manual calculations with a visual tool to quickly find the best designs for future Army systems,” she said.
According to Amrhein, stepping into an environment focused on HEL systems without any prior background in lasers or thermodynamics was a challenge at first. To navigate the complex subject matter, she teamed up with Dr. Michael Fish, DEVCOM ARL research mechanical engineer, to extract the core equations.
With Fish’s guidance, Amrhein successfully mapped the moving parts so that changing one input would accurately update the entire model in real time. She also taught herself the Power Apps platform from scratch, finding custom workarounds to fit the complex trade-offs into a clean, user-friendly interface.
Amrhein cited the moment her application finally worked as a highlight of the summer.
“After dealing with a lot of platform limits, I got to watch the visual blocks scale and change size on the screen in real-time as you adjusted the inputs,” Amrhein said. “Seeing the math translate instantly into a working visual tool was incredibly rewarding.”
Amrhein also credited her mentor, ARL Chief Data and Analytics Officer Sheilah Simberg, with shaping her approach to the research. Simberg encouraged her to use modern tools to work smarter and accelerate her learning.
“Whenever I brought her my ideas, having an experienced leader agree with my design choices gave me a huge confidence boost and helped me trust my own instincts,” Amrhein said.
Beyond the laboratory, the internship provided Amrhein with a unique window into civilian career paths within the DoW. She pointed to a Greening Course experience on the range for weapons familiarization as a defining moment of her summer.
“It deeply connected my day-to-day data work at a computer screen back to the Soldiers who are the ultimate end-users of our power and energy systems,” she said.
Moving forward, Amrhein plans to pursue civilian roles within the defense ecosystem where she can directly apply her mathematics and data science skills to national security.
For students or cadets applying to ARL programs next year, Amrhein emphasized that adaptability and a willingness to learn are crucial strengths.
“Leverage your unique perspective to bridge gaps, work closely with the subject matter experts and be proactive about self-teaching,” Amrhein said. “If you are eager to learn and grow, you can easily turn a lack of initial domain knowledge into a powerful opportunity to collaborate and thrive.”
For further information on internships at ARL, please visit https://arl.devcom.army.mil/careers/students/.
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DEVCOM ARL is the Army’s sole fundamental research laboratory serving as the nexus of science between the military, academia and industry. Operating under U.S. Army Futures and Concepts Command and the U.S. Army Transformation and Training Command, ARL executes globally recognized research to accelerate delivery of war-winning, disruptive technologies for tomorrow’s Army.
For information, visit the Army Research Laboratory website.
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