As an eight-week internship with Defense Logistics Agency Research and Development comes to an end July 25, college students Peyton Coleman and Reuel Florendo learned the importance of proper data collection through an agency project aimed at reducing waste and repurposing materials found in excess Defense equipment turned in to DLA.

Coleman, a graduate student at Virginia Tech, and Florendo, a rising senior at the University of Arizona, spent their summer interviewing DLA government and contractor personnel and visiting DLA Disposition Services’ sites to better understand the issues and tools needed for a reuse, recycle, repurpose, refuse and reduce project.

“One of key takeaways for me was recognizing how important it is to correctly identify the problem so that you address what really needs to be solved and not what you think the issue may be,” Coleman said, emphasizing the need for verifying data with the right sources.

The 5R program focuses on using a circular economy regenerative approach that makes the best use of resources rather than the traditional “use and discard” model. The students also worked with Don Helle, a process engineer with DLA Disposition Services who helped champion the project, and visited its facility at Fort Meade, Maryland, where they saw firsthand how elements, like magnets, could be extracted from excess material.

“I realized that the circularity in the raw materials we were analyzing wasn't just a buzzword. It was a strategic approach to supply chain resilience,” Florendo said.

R&D Program Manager Senthil Arul explained that DLA has multiple goals for the project, including improving warfighter readiness, cost effectiveness and environmental stewardship in a rapidly changing global environment.

“A key part of the project is also reducing our reliance on foreign support through recovery and reuse of critical elements from excess materials for national security purposes, such as rare earth metals,” he said.

The interns found their way to DLA through the Defense Civilian Training Corps, a competitive two-year scholarship-for-service initiative that prepares college students for acquisition-related civilian careers in the Defense Department. In exchange for the scholarships, students – also known as scholars – work for DOD for at least two years after graduation.

During the program, students participate in four two-credit classes that focus on defense acquisition and the fundamentals of government service, hands-on experiences, a project-based summer internship with a DOD organization and end with a capstone project.

“We were eager for the chance to get a couple of these high-quality students to join our team,” said Dawn Sutton, a recruiter in DLA Information Operations. “Both Peyton and Reuel are educated in acquisition-related fields that are well suited for DLA, and we knew the agency and our mission would benefit from this next generation talent.” 

Sutton already knows DLA is interested in participating next year.

“When the time comes, we’ll work with our leaders and program managers to submit competitive project proposals to make sure DLA remains a top destination for the next group of interns,” she said. “DCTC is a powerful pipeline, and we’re excited to expand its reach so future students can experience the same growth and opportunity.”

As a civil engineering student with an emphasis on water resources, Florendo was interested in the circular economy project because of a passion for sustaining the environment and creating disaster-resilient infrastructures. While she enjoyed learning these principles during her internship, she says that having an open mind was central to her time at DLA.

“At school, I study soil, water and roads, so coming into an information operations internship with the ability to be receptive, to actively listen and to be open to new ideas was key,” she said.

She acknowledges that others in her graduating class might not consider the government as their first choice for a career, but her time at DLA has helped her see its value.

“It was easy for me to see from day one that DLA truly cares about its mission and its people,” she said, adding that leaders in DLA R&D showed that they believed in her and wanted to help her achieve her goals.

“That changed my perspective for the better,” she said.

Coleman began a one-year master’s program this summer to obtain a degree in business administration with a concentration in business analytics. With her family connections to the military, working for the DOD was always something she considered for a career.

“I knew I’d be excited to show up to work and feel like I was making a real impact,” she said. “This experience has reinforced that belief as I see people on my team with that same drive to support the mission. Their top priority always goes back to the warfighter, and it’s been great to see that in action.”

While the exact next steps after graduation are still being worked out, the interns may have the opportunity to return to DLA as part of its Pathways to Career Excellence program which provides on-the-job assignments, cross-training, rotational assignments and formal training.

“We’re actively exploring options for these interns to transition into meaningful roles at DLA,” Sutton said. “Their skills, energy and drive are exactly what the agency needs moving forward.”

Arul was one of the leaders who worked with and mentored the interns along the way. He recognizes that having them in R&D was a perfect fit as the organization sees itself as DLA’s in-house innovators.

“It’s important for these students to come in and not be afraid to be a ‘change agent’ for DLA and DOD,” he said. “That’s what we need them to be and hopefully they felt that way during their time with us.”