EAST LANSING — One is conducting materials science research at the DuPont Experimental Station in Delaware; another has returned to his internship in Detroit; two others are working in Michigan State University’s advanced composite materials research labs in East Lansing.
Four Spartan Engineering students are among the largest class of interns ever hosted by the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI). In all, 43 interns are working at 19 locations as part of IACMI’s mission to develop the advanced manufacturing workforce.
The MSU students are:
• Christopher Cugini, a senior in chemical engineering, who is working with University Distinguished Professor Larry Drzal in MSU’s Composite Materials Structures Center.
• Justin LaBelle (pictured), a junior in chemical engineering, who has returned to the IACMI Scale-Up Research Facility in Detroit’s historic Corktown.
• David Lambert, a junior in mechanical engineering, who is working with MSU Assistant Professor Mahmoodul Haq at the Composite Vehicle Research Center.
• Erik Stitt, a PhD student in materials science and engineering working at the DuPont Experimental Station in Wilmington, Delaware.
Also, Western Michigan University student Tim Cieslinski will intern at DuPont. Also interning in Michigan are Elizabeth Michaud of the University of Tulsa and Jordan Langness of Winona State University.
Other interns hail from Johns Hopkins University, the University of Colorado, Pennsylvania State University, the University of Tennessee, Clemson University, the University of North Carolina, the University of Alabama, Brigham Young University, Purdue University, West Virginia University, Vanderbilt University, the University of Massachusetts, and elsewhere.
Uday Vaidya, IACMI’s CTO, said this year’s internship class is diverse and includes U.S. veterans, community college students, and more than double the national average of women in engineering.
“Thirty-eight percent of this year’s class is female, which is more than double the national average of women in engineering at 15 percent in 2015,” he said. “By increasing the diversity of internships and candidates to fill these internship positions, IACMI is better able to support a well-rounded workforce and reach students who are likely to enter an immediate workforce market.”
Each IACMI intern is working with mentors to gain hands-on experience with composites research and production in automotive; wind; compressed gas storage; design, modeling, and simulation; and materials and processing.
This is the third year of the IACMI internship program, which has placed more than 75 students at internship locations.
IACMI is currently creating a video featuring its interns to showcase the variety of jobs and opportunities available.
See the list of all 43 interns: https://iacmi.org/2018/07/20/2018-iacmi-internship-news-release/.
The Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI), managed by the Collaborative Composite Solutions Corporation (CCS), is a partnership of industry, universities, national laboratories, and federal, state and local governments working together to benefit the nation’s energy and economic security by sharing existing resources and co-investing to accelerate innovative research and development in the advanced composites field. It was established by the University of Tennessee Research Foundation and is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy and industry partners.