Internships at SAP Research in Palo Alto

SAP is a member of Boston University's Sensor Network Consortium (SNC).
Project areas for 2006 Student Internships at SAP Research Palo Alto:

Interested students are encouraged to submit a resume (or CV) along with an information sheet to SAP Labs HR Recruiting representative Ruth Embaie (ruth.embaie@sap.com). Note- While they prefer to have students here for 6 months, and can be flexible with the start and end dates, students looking for a three-month summer position are also welcome to apply.

1. Smart Items: Machine to Machine
The goal of this project is to produce embedded software and refinements by identifying design objectives and issues. Tasks include researching and developing embedded systems engineering techniques and approaches, verifying designs, and maintaining documentation. Expected end goals are the development of a prototype application for RFID/sensor networks applications based on SAP's Enterprise system, and execution of a feasibility/usability study of the prototype application.
2. Netweaver/ESA (Enterprise Services Architecture) Optimization
ESA is based on a number of very general but not very optimal messaging formats and protocols. The goal of this project is to develop a tool or set of tools to minimize the communication overhead while producing the semantically equivalent output, thereby improving enterprise services performance.
3. Context-aware realization of cognitive support
In this project, SAP Research wishes to explore content structuring and delivery to mobile devices. Questions to be answered include how knowledge-based user support can be optimized on platforms which do not always have connectivity to large repositories, and how user context and anticipatory strategies can be used to determine content for preemptive caching
4. Federated interaction for the "business iPod"
The current focus on federation has come from Intel's Personal Server, and looks at devices. SAP Research's focus is on the processes that are afforded or made easier in the federated context. For example, can we make it easier for mobile workers to conduct business and manage their itineraries by reducing the size of the device they must carry and leverage other computing resources in their vicinity? Or, can factory or warehouse workers be more productive by using a combination of mobile and ambient computing resources?
5. Data/metadata management for a real-world aware application
platform
Automatic real-time data acquisition promises to support a great variety of enterprise business applications. To make this promise a reality, a generic middleware layer is required that bridges between different business applications (like logistic execution systems, or asset management) and possibly a great diversity of data collection channels (e.g., RFID, sensor networks, and embedded systems).
In this project we will take a more data-oriented view on such a real-world aware application platform, to identify functional and non-functional requirements for the management and processing of data, and to evaluate different technologies to address these requirements at the different system layers.

An applicant for an internship for this project should have a solid background in data management and storage concepts, as well as good Java, J2EE and possibly C++ programming skills. In addition, good communication and team working skills are essential.

In addition, the following broad focus areas are being considered for investigation, and are potential topic areas for intern students:

1. Business integration of sensory networking
We would like to investigate various projects in the space where "atoms meet bits." The applications designed in this space should leverage real-world awareness to add or improve user functionality.
2. ESA, Composites, and Model-Driven Applications
3. Web 2.0 for SAP
4. Study of open source enterprise applications
Based on (potentially disruptive) competition from open source enterprise vendors, SAP Research would like to understand what enterprise software is available open-source. Also, what part might SAP wish to play in the open-source arena?