Hundreds of college and university students apply for 21 coveted positions
KNOXVILLE, TN (July 19, 2017) – As part of its ongoing mission to foster interest in low-cost, energy-efficient manufacturing technologies, and to nurture talent among the next generation of technology leaders, IACMI – The Composites Institute (IACMI) recently announced fourteen members of its 2017 class of interns.
The graduate and undergraduate students have been selected from among hundreds of applicants to fill 21 available slots. The remaining seven appointments will be announced in the fall. Each intern will spend the equivalent of ten weeks conducting research at various partner locations across the United States, sites that align with IACMI’s shared research, development, and demonstration areas: Composite Materials and Process; Compressed Gas Storage; Design, Modeling and Simulation; Vehicles; and Wind Turbines.
“The IACMI Internship Program offers students national exposure, hands-on access to state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment, and academic interaction with high-level scientists and engineers working in the advanced composites and manufacturing fields,” said Bryan Dods, IACMI’s chief executive officer. “By exposing these bright, talented individuals to leading-edge composites technology research, the program provides an unparalleled opportunity for students to become engaged in, and contribute to, activities relevant to the composites industry.”
The students’ collective research efforts are in response to the industry’s continuous need for faster, and more cost- and energy-efficient composites manufacturing. Paired with a mentor, the students’ focus will range from composites fabrication and characterization to computer-based modeling and sample testing.
The initial group of 2017 IACMI interns include:
- Brayden Aller, a rising junior at Vanderbilt University, who is interning at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee;
- Alix Ambrose, a rising senior at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, who is interning at RMX Technologies in Knoxville, Tennessee;
- Alejandra Castellanos, a Ph.D. student at the University of Texas – El Paso, who is interning at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana;
- Emily Esther, a rising senior at the University of Tulsa in Tulsa, Oklahoma, who is interning at the IACMI Vehicle Scale-up Facility in the Corktown area of Detroit, Michigan;
- David Gardiner, a rising junior at Virginia Tech, who is interning at Local Motors in Knoxville, Tennessee;
- Cody Knight, a rising junior at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, who is interning at the IACMI Materials and Processes Lab at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility;
- Justin LaBelle, a rising sophomore at Michigan State University, who is interning at the IACMI Vehicle Scale-up Facility in the Corktown area of Detroit, Michigan;
- Jessica Lavorata, a rising senior at Winona State University in Minnesota, who is interning at the National Wind Technology Center and Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colorado;
- Hannah Maeser, a rising senior at Clemson University in South Carolina, who is interning at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville;
- Andrew Muno, a rising junior at the University of Dayton in Ohio, who is interning at the University of Dayton Research Institute;
- Ryan Ogle, a rising junior at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, who is interning at the IACMI Materials and Processes Lab at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility
- Christina Paris, a rising sophomore at the Georgia Tech, who is interning at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville;
- Susan Schickling, a rising junior at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, who is interning at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tennessee;
- Lindsay Schurbon, a post-graduate student at the University of Colorado – Denver, who is interning at the National Wind Technology Center and Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colorado;
Now in its second year, the internship program is helping to develop a pipeline of technology talent and leadership for the future composites industry. “At IACMI,” Dods said, “we remain committed to building an educated and experienced workforce to support the anticipated growth in composites manufacturing coming to the automotive, wind, compressed gas, aerospace, energy, and defense fields.”
The IACMI Internship Program is managed by Oak Ridge Associated Universities. Supportive collaborations with IACMI partners, including the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing Office, continue to lend a diverse experience to the program for recruiting students of high quality and exceptional technical aptitude. For more information, or to read more about each intern, visit IACMI.org.
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About IACMI:
The Composites Institute: 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 development and commercial deployment of advanced composites. CCS is a not-for-profit organization established by The University of Tennessee Research Foundation. The national institute is part of the Manufacturing USA network and is supported by a $70 million commitment from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing Office, and over $180 million committed from IACMI’s partners. Find out more at IACMI.org.