Undergraduate students participate in the Notre Dame Turbomachinery Laboratory's 10 week summer internship program.
Eleven undergraduate students from the University of Notre Dame and surrounding region are participating in a summer internship program offered by the Notre Dame Turbomachinery Laboratory (NDTL). Interns are assigned an NDTL mentor for 10 weeks and engage in various research and development projects that provide real-world engineering experience.
“The NDTL internship program is focused on experiential learning and creating opportunities for students to work with our industry partners and global experts in the fields of aerospace and mechanical engineering,” said Joshua Cameron, director of NDTL and assistant research professor in the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering. “We want NDTL interns to have a rewarding and valuable experience that will translate into skills and knowledge they can bring to their future jobs or graduate studies.”
The list of 2019 NDTL summer interns are:
- Jonathan Austin, an undergraduate student at Notre Dame, is mentored by Chiara Bernardini, senior research scientist.
- Connor Bert, an undergraduate student at Notre Dame, is mentored by Scott Thompson, program development engineer, and Albert Cerrone, visiting assistant professor.
- Jack Gorman, an undergraduate student at Notre Dame, is mentored by Joshua Szczudlak, senior turbomachinery engineer.
- Loren Hahn, an undergraduate student at Notre Dame, is mentored by Ryan Kelly, research scientist.
- Nick Haymond, an undergraduate student at Notre Dame, is mentored by Chiara Bernardini, senior research scientist.
- Marc Johnson, an undergraduate student at Notre Dame, is mentored by Scott Thompson, program development engineer, and Albert Cerrone, visiting assistant professor.
- Erin Joyce, an undergraduate student at Notre Dame, is mentored by Fredrick Fuller, senior test engineer, and Rich Osgood, project manager.
- Noah Martin, an undergraduate student at Notre Dame, is mentored by Scott Thompson, program development engineer, and Albert Cerrone, visiting assistant professor.
- Kyle Neill, an undergraduate student at University of Dayton, is mentored by Vicente Jerez Fidalgo, research scientist, and Tamuto Takakura, turbomachinery testing manager.
- Joseph Sutton, an undergraduate student at Notre Dame, is mentored by Jeongseek Kang, senior research scientist.
- Grant Wilson, an undergraduate student at Purdue University, is mentored by Chiara Bernardini, senior research scientist.
The internship program is coordinated by NDTL team members Tamuto Takakura, turbomachinery testing manager, and Cassidy O’Block, business coordinator. As a part of the program, interns participate in one-on-one meetings with Takakura. The goal of these meetings is to ensure that students are not only exposed to the aerospace industry but obtain work experience that can be applied to their desired career field as well.
Notre Dame undergraduate student Erin Joyce works at the Notre Dame Turbomachinery Laboratory for her internship.
“When I began looking at internships, it was clear that the NDTL program was different than other opportunities,” said Erin Joyce. “NDTL let us get inside the test cells to see the results of our work and be a part of the collaborative environment, while also tailoring our individual experiences to the type of jobs we are considering after graduation.”
For example, Connor Bert is working on developing a high temperature test facility. With his mentors and other NDTL team members, Bert is designing a facility capable of testing materials at high temperatures for hot section engine components in order to understand their performance capabilities and limitations. Bert said that overall, the internship experience is allowing him to apply concepts he has learned in the classroom and think more actively about his future.
“Everyone at NDTL is ready to help us and willing to answer our questions beyond the projects we are working on,” said Bert. “Talking with the mentors who have been in the industry for so long and learning about their career paths and hearing their advice, it has really helped me think through the next steps I want to take for my own career.”
Students can apply for the program starting in the fall with internships beginning at the end of the following May.
The Notre Dame Turbomachinery Laboratory (NDTL) is a gas turbine research and development facility supporting the major original equipment manufacturers in the aerospace propulsion and power industries. The Laboratory works on the leading edge of component aerodynamics, structural dynamics, instrumentation, and computational methods. The NDTL team supports the transition of advanced technologies required for the next-generation of gas-turbine engines through early-stage research onto the products of its customers. For more information, visit turbo.nd.edu.
Contact:
Jasmin Avila / Communications Program Manager
Notre Dame Turbomachinery Laboratory / University of Notre Dame
javila4@nd.edu / 574.631.1821
About Notre Dame Research:
The University of Notre Dame is a private research and teaching university inspired by its Catholic mission. Located in South Bend, Indiana, its researchers are advancing human understanding through research, scholarship, education, and creative endeavor in order to be a repository for knowledge and a powerful means for doing good in the world. For more information, please see research.nd.edu or @UNDResearch.