From Classroom to Career: How Kitware Supports Future Innovators

At Kitware, we believe innovation doesn’t happen in isolation. It thrives through collaboration, education, and community engagement. As part of our ongoing commitment to fostering the next generation of scientists, engineers, and problem-solvers, members of our team recently visited Shenendehowa High School East to connect with students and share what we do, why it matters, and how they can help shape the future.

Bringing Real-World Impact into the Classroom

During our visit, we spoke with students about Kitware’s work in scientific computing, medical imaging, computer vision, and data analytics. Rather than focusing solely on the technology itself, we emphasized the real-world impact of our work. Open source software and collaborative research drive advancements in healthcare, national security, environmental science, and beyond.

One of the most engaging moments came when our engineers, Benjamin Fenelon and David DePauw, were asked about artificial intelligence. Students were curious not just about how AI works but also about how it’s being used responsibly.

Benjamin and David emphasized that at Kitware, AI isn’t about replacing people, it’s about empowering them. They shared how our teams focus on building responsible, explainable, and trustworthy AI systems designed to solve real-world problems and benefit society.

To make this concrete, they highlighted examples from our work:

• Advancing clinical AI safely: Through open source tools and rigorous engineering practices, we help bring AI into regulated medical environments where reliability, transparency, and safety are critical.
• Creating safer training data with synthetic imaging: Tools like X-ray simulation platforms allow researchers to train AI systems without exposing patients to additional radiation, making innovation both safer and more accessible.
• High-stakes decision support (DARPA ITM): Through DARPA’s In the Moment (ITM) program, Kitware is developing AI systems that help humans make critical decisions under uncertainty, such as medical triage or cybersecurity trade-offs, while remaining transparent and aligned with human values.

These examples helped students see that AI isn’t just a buzzword. It’s a powerful tool that, when developed responsibly, can improve lives and expand what’s possible.

Investing in the Next Generation of Innovators

Kitware offers a wide range of opportunities for students pursuing computer science, engineering, and related fields. Our goal is to support students at every stage of their journey and help them grow into the next generation of leaders in AI and open source software.

Open Door Scholarship

For high school students, we offer the Open Door Scholarship. This program is designed to help students who are passionate about software engineering and committed to pursuing a degree in computer science.

We recognize that many students face financial or societal barriers that can make higher education feel out of reach. The Open Door Scholarship provides both financial assistance and mentorship to help recipients succeed academically and contribute their skills, creativity, and perspective to the field.

Kitware awards one $5,000 scholarship each year to a high school senior pursuing a degree in computer science. Recipients who continue to meet eligibility requirements may renew the scholarship annually for up to four years, for a total of $20,000.

OSTP Career Development Program

For students continuing their education, the Open Source Technology Program (OSTP) offers a unique opportunity to combine graduate study with full-time, real-world experience.

Designed for recent graduates with a bachelor’s degree in computer science or computer engineering, OSTP allows participants to begin their careers at Kitware while earning a master’s degree. Participants work on challenging open source projects, gaining practical experience while advancing their education.

Internship Opportunities

Kitware internships provide hands-on experience solving real-world problems alongside our research and engineering teams. Interns contribute to meaningful work in areas such as computer vision, medical computing, scientific computing, data analytics, and software processes.

Our internships are designed to:

• Tackle cutting-edge challenges
• Contribute to foundational research and technology
• Demonstrate the real-world impact of open source software
• Provide mentorship and training from industry leaders

Our program has been recognized by the Albany Business Review as one of the top internships in the Capital Region. Interns at Kitware are not sidelined. They make real contributions and have the opportunity to stand out.

Button: Browse Internship Openings

Looking Ahead

The curiosity we saw at Shenendehowa reinforces why this work matters. By investing in education, open source, and hands-on experience, Kitware is helping prepare the next generation to drive meaningful innovation.

Whether you’re just starting out or advancing your education, there’s a place for you to learn, contribute, and grow at Kitware.

Questions? Contact us!