A Missouri S&T Team Innovation Project (TIP) gave Dylan Fritz the opportunity to tackle a difficult business challenge, collaborate with students across the world and launch his career in artificial intelligence with an internship at Apex Systems.

Fritz, a senior in computer science from St. Louis, who is also minoring in computer engineering, joined a TIP project sponsored by Apex Systems, an international technology company. 

“This is a great opportunity for Dylan and a phenomenal testament to the caliber of our TIP-participating students in the eyes of our corporate sponsors,” says Dr. Shou Wong, director of corporate sponsorships for the Kummer College of Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Development.

The project paired S&T students with students from Insper University in Brazil to research how companies can modernize aging mainframe computer systems.

“I’ve always been interested in low-level computing and older computer systems, so the idea that I could learn about mainframes and help solve a real-world problem appealed to me,” Fritz says.

Solving an age-old problem

Working with fellow S&T students Sean Chew and Samantha Chigwanda, as well as three students from Insper University: Bruno Zaltberg, Leonardo Aragao and Julia Zanini, Fritz helped produce a 36-page white paper examining the challenges companies face when modernizing decades-old computer systems.

Many organizations, including banks and government agencies, still rely on mainframe systems running software that has been continuously modified over decades. As the number of professionals familiar with older programming languages decreases, companies face growing challenges maintaining and updating these systems.

While AI can help translate older code into modern programming languages, Fritz says the team’s research found that understanding how these systems support business operations remains one of the biggest challenges.

“The biggest issue is making sure you understand the system before you try to modernize it,” he says. “It’s not just a technology problem, It’s a systems problem and a human problem.”

Fritz served as one of the primary contacts with Apex Systems throughout the project. He helped communicate with global company representatives, while also helping guide the research and writing portions of the final report.

A new opportunity

The team’s work caught the attention of Apex leaders. During his interview, Fritz discussed both the TIP project and his personal research interests in artificial intelligence, including how AI systems can develop long-term understanding through interaction with their environments.

Shortly afterward, he received an offer to join Apex Systems as an AI and innovation intern. He started the internship on June 2 and has worked on AI research and projects that support the company’s offerings.

“I’ve been given a problem space and I have to design the problem and architect the solution with AI myself,” he says.

Fritz is researching and developing an AI-based solution while collaborating with Apex employees across the company. He says the experience has allowed him to explore the same areas of AI and embedded systems that interest him in his own research.

TIP leads to success 

For Fritz, the opportunity demonstrates the impact of S&T’s TIP program, which connects students with industry partners to solve challenges.

“This opportunity would not have existed if it weren’t for Team Innovation Projects,” Fritz says. “The program helped connect us with the company, provided structure for the project and gave us access to mentors who could help guide us through the process.”

Through the experience, Fritz gained skills in project management, client communication and problem-solving that have already translated into his internship.

“Projects like this prepare you for industry because you’re working on real problems where everything isn’t already mapped out for you,” he says. “You have to figure things out, work with a team and deliver something meaningful.”

As he looks ahead to graduation, Fritz hopes the internship will help launch a career focused on AI.

“I’ve only been here a few weeks, but it feels like a dream job,” Fritz says. “The work aligns closely with what I’m interested in, and it’s shown me how much can come from taking advantage of opportunities like TIP.”