<p>What is her area of interest?</p>
<p>It sounds like she wants to focus on robotics, based on her past work in the lab. Southern California has many defense contractor and other companies that may be working on similar projects. She should look into that.</p>
<p>8/hr sounds far too low to me. Right now, talented software developers are particularly in demand and should not be working for that kind of pay. She should look into a internship type situation where she receives competitive pay and works directly under the guidance of a mentor. Have her make sure that her summer position isn’t just a chance for the company to bring in cheap student labor.</p>