Cultivating the Next Generation of Industry Leaders through Internships | Part 1

Kevin Boodoosingh September 26, 2023

At Florida Tech, the pursuit of greatness extends well beyond the confines of lecture halls and textbooks. It’s a university that understands that the bridge between classroom knowledge and real-world success is often built through hands-on experience.

Below, learn about some of Florida Tech’s dynamic students from the College of Engineering and Science and College of Aeronautics who have all secured coveted internships that not only helped open doors to invaluable professional experience but served as stepping stones to promising careers.

Florida Tech makes it a priority to meet the needs of students and employers by offering unique degree programs, hands-on experiential learning and important resources that help students secure internships and get a head start to their dream jobs.

1. Meet Matthew Ninesling

Matthew Ninesling, is an ocean engineering rising senor with a minor in sustainability who, spent summer 2023 in New York City working as a coastal engineering intern at Jacobs. — Matthew Ninesling, is an ocean engineering senior earning a minor in sustainability who spent summer 2023 in New York City working as a coastal engineering intern at Jacobs.

Internship Host: Jacobs
Major: Ocean Engineering; Sustainability Minor

“At my internship, I worked with professional coastal engineers on various projects. I’ve gotten involved in pier redesign and port electrification projects, and I’ve been able to expand my computational fluid dynamics (CFD) knowledge by working with professional CFD engineers. Florida Tech prepared me for this experience by providing countless opportunities to get involved in research. Working in the [university’s] coastal engineering lab allowed me to learn more about my discipline and provided me with the opportunity to work with CFD modeling software. My involvement in research certainly made me stand out against other applicants and gave me strong talking points during my interview. I currently plan on becoming a coastal engineer after graduation, and had I not been at Florida Tech, I would not have discovered my passion for coastal engineering. There simply are not enough ocean engineering students in the United States as there are job opportunities. The knowledge you gain within the program is valuable due to its scarcity in the workforce,” he says.

Dylano Manohar, is an aerospace engineering senior and gained practical experience in the field during summer 2023, as an integration & test engineering intern. — Dylano Manohar is an aerospace engineering senior who gained practical experience in the field as an integration & test engineering intern this summer.

2. Meet Dylano Manohar

Internship Host: L3Harris Technologies Inc.
Major: Aerospace Engineering

“My role involved rigorous testing and seamless integration of advanced aerospace systems, ensuring optimal performance and reliability along with creating test solutions for products that meet stringent quality standards and perform flawlessly in real-world scenarios. Career Services played a crucial role in helping me secure this internship. Networking events, such as the career fair, allowed me to connect with industry professionals. Furthermore, Career Services provided a myriad of workshops, such as résumé-building and mock interviews, which aided in my preparation to stand out as a candidate. My advice for fellow students seeking internships is to utilize the university’s career resources. Attend networking events, build relationships with professors and stay updated on internship opportunities. Volunteering on projects early on in college that align with your field is important, as it allows you to gain practical knowledge. After graduation, I intend to pursue a career in the aerospace and defense industry, focusing on flight test engineering. Florida Tech has been instrumental in preparing me for this career path through rigorous coursework and practical experiences, making me well-equipped to tackle complex engineering challenges. The university’s emphasis on practical learning, combined with small class sizes, allows students to engage with professors and industry experts, which creates a collaborative environment that fosters students’ success,” he says.

3. Meet Colby Scott

Colby Scott is a rising senior majoring in ocean engineering and aims to pursue a career in ship design. Over summer 2023, he became one step closer to that goal, as he secured an internship with the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division. — Colby Scott is an ocean engineering senior who aims to pursue a career in ship design. Over summer, he got one step closer to that goal, as he secured an internship with the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division.

Internship Host: Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division
Major: Ocean Engineering

“I worked in the Center for Innovation in Ship Design, where teams of interns design future ship concepts based on pre-prepared concept descriptions. My team’s project is to design a replacement for a class of Coast Guard boats and then make a Navy ‘variant’ of the design. I found out about this internship through the Society of Ocean Engineers club on campus. Florida Tech’s ocean engineering program in particular is really good at preparing students for career success, with courses in various subdisciplines and professors who are visibly excited to teach the next generation of ocean engineers. For any Florida Tech student seeking internship opportunities, the key is just to talk to people! There are so many people who can help. Florida Tech may be a smaller school, but its recognition reaches far,” he says.

Lexi Linder, a mechanical engineering senior is a three-time intern at Lockheed Martin Space, and over summer 2023, supported research and development of artificial intelligence (AI) to implement on spacecraft. — Lexi Linder, a mechanical engineering senior, is a three-time intern at Lockheed Martin Space and over the summer, she supported research and development of artificial intelligence (AI) to implement on spacecraft.

4. Meet Lexi Linder

Internship Host: Lockheed Martin Space
Major: Mechanical Engineering

“One of my responsibilities was to provide an engineering perspective to enhance the tool being developed. My classes within the mechanical engineering curricula provided the tools necessary to understand how each component within a system behaves. … What I have accomplished outside the classroom would not have been possible if it weren’t for the support of my professors. Upon graduation, I intend to work in a systems engineering role within the space industry, and Florida Tech has provided the foundational knowledge, which has helped me during interviews and throughout my internships. I was able to network myself internally to land this role. I advise that fellow students keep applying for roles. Being persistent and consistent could potentially land you a role as you gain more experience. The more experience you have, the more marketable you are for an internship. I recommend getting involved in projects/research, which increase your skill set. Network as much as possible, and always take the time to learn about the experiences of others within your discipline,” she says.

5. Meet Alyssa Campos

Alyssa Campos is an upcoming senior majoring in electrical engineering and over summer 2023, interned at Anderson Connectivity where she got practical experience board design and testing. — Alyssa Campos is an electrical engineering senior and over summer, she interned at Anderson Connectivity, where she got practical experience in board design and testing.

Internship Host: Anderson Connectivity
Major: Electrical Engineering

“I learned PCB design utilizing Altium Designer and created functional boards; I also aided in EMI pre-qualification testing for their KPSU’s that would be sent off to customers. Florida Tech’s Career Services department helped me tremendously during the résumé building process, a crucial part in preparing for the spring career fair, which is where I met Anderson Connectivity. After graduation, I plan on pursuing an electronics-based career and my previous classes helped solidify my decision in what I want to focus on in a career. The classes have made my internship experience a smooth transition, and my hope is to continue to hone my skills throughout my fall 2023 internship with Leonardo DRS, whom I also met at the spring career fair. Florida Tech provides all students a recipe for success. From Career Services to the Student Success and Support Center (SSSC), the resources are available and if taken advantage of can help students immensely!” she says.

Craig Bosworth Jr. is an aerospace engineering senior who, over summer 2023, interned on SpaceX’s West Coast Recovery team at the port of Long Beach, California. — Craig Bosworth Jr. is an aerospace engineering senior who over summer, interned on SpaceX’s West Coast Recovery team at the port of Long Beach, California.

6. Meet Craig Bosworth Jr.

Internship Host: SpaceX
Major: Aerospace Engineering

“I worked on upgrading hydraulic systems on the ‘Of Course I Still Love You’ droneship. I also finalized the design of an improved gangway for accessing the droneship that will make it safer to get on board and reduce gangway movements. I learned about this internship in July 2022 from Shelley Johnson, Florida Tech’s director of development, who was asked by Joe Bussenger ’13—director of recovery at SpaceX at the time—to find students to apply. So, I applied and got it! I intend to go into the spaceflight industry after I graduate, and I have pretty varied interests, so I’d be happy anywhere in the industry, from propulsion testing to mission design. The projects I’ve worked on at Florida Tech have been instrumental in building the base level of experience that helps you stand out on internship and full-time job applications. The aerospace engineering program, and specifically the fluid mechanics and aerospace structures classes, gave me the right knowledge to build on to be successful during my particular intern projects,” he says.

7. Meet Ava Crocker

Ava Crocker, a junior majoring in software engineering attended a Woman in Engineering conference where she met with L3Harris and was offered a Software Engineering summer internship, on the spot. — Ava Crocker, a junior majoring in software engineering, attended a Woman in Engineering conference, where she met with L3Harris and was offered a software engineering summer internship on the spot.

Internship Host: L3Harris Corporation
Major: Software Engineering

“Florida Tech played a big role in getting me this internship. I’m a member of the Society of Women Engineers on campus, and we attended the Women in Engineering conference in Houston, Texas. It’s there that I spoke with L3Harris, and they offered me an internship on the spot! I had previously done a resume review with L3Harris that Career Services set up, so going into the conference with a polished resume helped me a lot. My goal is to one day be able to help send people back to the moon and onto Mars with software that I’ve worked on. My time at Florida Tech has definitely helped prepare
me for this goal because of how guided our programs are to the space industry. Going to our school essentially gives you a pipeline into that workforce. Along with that, professors are always there to help you, and between networking events on campus, career services, and clubs, there are so many ways to kickstart your career at Florida Tech,” she says.