Summer sessions offer computer engineering senior Brewer time to explore Purdue offerings
Alyssa Brewer didn’t want to fall behind.
She came to Purdue University in January 2021 with a plan to complete the Extended Co-op Certificate, offered through the Office of Professional Practice (OPP). This included five company rotations — an extra year to Brewer’s expected graduation date.
Brewer also wanted to graduate with a minor alongside a computer engineering degree. But each of these goals would almost certainly mean overwhelming the semester she was in West Lafayette.
Unless she took a summer course or two. Something most students would shy away from. But Brewer was excited for a summer full of academic opportunities once she learned about the Office of Summer and Winter Sessions.
“Summer courses have been convenient,” said Brewer, from Decatur, Indiana. “I get to do work on my own time, and although the pacing is a little bit faster, I think it's much easier when you don't have to focus on a wider array of classes.”
Focus is one of the many advantages to the summer and winter sessions. Courses during each session are offered asynchronously to allow students to work at their own pace, lighten semester courseloads and fulfill prerequisite or core curriculum requirements without impacting anticipated graduation dates. About 20% of 2025 winter session student attendees were in Purdue Engineering.
For Brewer, summer sessions gave her the opportunity to knock out two intensive electrical and computer engineering requirements without a full semester: ECE 20001 and 20002 (Electrical Engineering Fundamentals I and II, or 2k1 and 2k2, respectively).
With such a positive experience, Brewer took summer courses each year.
“It can be pretty difficult to fulfill the requirements of a minor or a certificate during just the fall and spring semester,” Brewer said. “I understand people tend to think you only take summer classes if you’re behind, but in my experience, I've taken classes to kind of get ahead.”
Spreading out course commitments over summers meant Brewer could embrace her co-op experiences at the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, during the fall and spring worry-free. From spring 2023 onward, Brewer has been an intern in the Pathways program, a co-op companion within NASA that has given her substantial work experience across five co-op rotations.
“It was definitely my dream job and internship,” Brewer said. “I’ve been wanting to work at NASA as long as I can remember.”
Summers also let Brewer to explore other interests: classics and history, Japanese, and the Innovation for Public Service Industry Knowledge Certificate, the last of which she was able to fit in her schedule because of the summer courses she took.
Brewer’s introduction to the Industry Knowledge Certificate was one of many “happy accidents” on her Purdue journey. She found ENGR 10300 (Innovation for Public Service) while scrolling through the course catalogue in fall 2025. The certificate enables students to dive into the world of policymaking with the methodology and expertise of an engineer, made possible through a partnership with NobleReach Foundation. *government work
After a quick discussion with Sue Bayley — public service co-op and internship manager — Brewer gained credit for the certificate through co-op experience. By spring 2026, Brewer was set to graduate with the certificate and made her first visit to Washington D.C. as part of ENGR 103 led by Bayley.
It was “one of the coolest weeks” of Brewer’s Purdue experience. And an eye-opening one for future engineering careers.
“Wherever we would tour (in the capital), it was a common theme among the people that there is a desire for more engineers in policy,” said Brewer. “It’s hard to envision the impacts of certain laws without having a technical background.”
After completing a summer internship with Draper Labs in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Brewer is preparing to return to NASA to complete Pathways. Her interests are still squarely within software engineering and laser communications, but public policy and serving as an expert witness are paths Brewer wants to explore.
Students of all studies who share Brewer’s interest can enroll in ENGR 39697 (Venture Meets Mission), a new course examining paradigm shifts, mission driven innovation and the method behind building ventures with public value and long-lasting success. Taught by Jim Santa, senior director of academic partnerships at NobleReach Foundation, the course equips students to provide and embody solutions to global challenges.
“(Engineering) is definitely a lot more than just coming up with a solution to a problem,” Brewer said. “It's one thing to build the system, but also asking questions like, ‘Who is this for? And how would this help them?’ are important. And I think that's a question that I hadn't really considered before my experiences at Purdue.”
More courses, both engineering fundamentals and certification-specific courses, will be offered in upcoming summer and winter sessions for interested students and introduced through the OPP website. Scholarships to support research and experiential learning are also available for students enrolled in the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Industry Knowledge Certificate.