2022 IEP Internship Showcase

Several of our interns sent us photos from their internship placements and/or participated in site visits by the IEP this year. Scroll through this gallery walk to learn more about where they have been placed and what they have been doing.


France

Kaleigh Miech ‘22

Majors: French & Civil Engineering
Internship Location: Eurovia, Bordeaux

Kaleigh interned for Eurovia, the central R&D division for Vinci Construction in France. It is responsible for French highway construction and maintenance, building bridges, finding ways to gain energy from asphalt and more. For her internship, Kaleigh tested bitumen samples in the lab and analyzed the data in a specific software, interpreting results to make recommendations for future mixtures.

Left: Kaleigh Miech meets with Bretrand Puteau, her supervisor at Eurovia. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Berka). Right: Kaleigh poses next to the company’s banners. (Photo courtesy of Kaleigh Miech)


Caitlin Murray ‘23

Majors: French & Civil Engineering
Internship Location: GTM Hallé, Nancy

Caitlin assisted with the construction of the largest passively heated and cooled building in France, located in the eco-quarter of Nancy. To accomplish this feat of engineering, this building uses a massive heat exchanger (puits canadien). Caitlin’s work included the inspection of pre-fabricated walls and site management.

Left: Caitlin Murray on site with GTM Hallé. Center top: Adding a small parking garage. (Photos courtesy of Caitlin Murray)
Center bottom: Cranes working on two Vinci Construction sites side by side. Right: Caitlin hard at work. (Photos courtesy of Caitlin Murray)

Jelani Pool ‘23

Majors: French & Ocean Engineering
Internship Location: Vinci Maritime et Fluvial, Chevilly-Larue

Jelani interned at Vinci Maritime et Fluvial, which is the maritime division of Vinci Construction Paris. This company is a leader in maritime and river works and it is here that Jelani worked on a highly diverse team under Frédéric Aury, technical director. Her work included creating CAD drawings of innovative equipment and boat development.

Jelani Pool working on a CAD drawing. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Berka)

Germany

Gavin Carey ‘23

Majors: German & Mechanical Engineering
Internship Location: Ralf Vosseler KG, Talheim

“At my internship I worked with the software Solidworks to create 3D models. I also worked on bringing those models to life using a 3D printer and the company’s CNC machines. Vosseler manufacts fly fishing reels but I was working with others to begin expanding our reselections in the future.”

Gavin Carey poses next to some of Vosseler’s fly fishing products. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Berka)
Just one part of the production process that goes into making fly fishing reels. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Berka)
Gavin poses with the company’s CEO Ralf Vosseler. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Berka)

Jamie Davis ‘23

Majors: German & Mechanical Engineering
Internship Location: ZF, Friedrichshafen

“Computer Aided Assembly is a technology that ZF has implemented for many years, in which computer assists workers at assembling complex vehicle parts, for example transmissions. My task was to analyze the data of new and advanced worker assistance systems, in order to further optimize the implementation.”

Eric Gardiner ‘22

Majors: German & Computer Engineering
Internship Location: ZF, Friedrichshafen

“During my internship, I focused primarily on researching and finding solutions for predictive maintenance and automatic software automation at ZF. Through these projects I’ve gotten to collaborate with other engineers and get real-world practice with the tools/techniques I’d learned back at URI.”

Zachary Magiera ‘22

Majors: German & Mechanical Engineering
Internship Location: ZF, Friedrichshafen

“For my internship I helped to develop and test the new ZF 8 Speed transmission. I was able to analyze data previously collected to help understand how the transmission worked and then also test drive and collect data myself. My tasks included: system tests to verify processes, data analysis and also presentations from time to time. I worked with mostly brand new prototypes from BMW.”

Jamie Davis (right) and Eric Gardiner (left of gear-shaped aquarium) with their supervisor Dr. Schwennen, Commercial Vehicle Technology, and Zach Magiera (second from left), who interns in the Electrified Powertrain Technology group.

Heather Difazio ‘23

Majors: German & Biomedical Engineering
Internship Location: Siemens Healthineers, Forchheim

“At Siemens Healthineers, my project contributed to the development of assembly processes for CT detectors. An energy-integrating detector uses a UFC scintillator, photodiode, and electronics to create high-resolution images. A diverse spectrum of adhesives and underfills are used to bind these components together. The objective of my project was to investigate how capillary forces can be utilized to improve the application of underfill adhesives. The methods used in this initiative include visual and microscopic inspections, laboratory and production testing, and efficiency evaluations.”

Heather (right) with GIEP alum John Ellwood, her supervisor at Siemens Healthineers. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Berka)
Scientific to the core: Heather at her desk, not with a bottle of water, but rather, Siemens-branded H20. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Berka)

Liam Hegarty ‘22

Majors: German & Chemistry
Internship Location: BASF, Ludwigshafen

Liam completed his internship with BASF’s Drying, Coating, Film Processing and Superabsorbent Polymers division – an ideal combination between testing of binders for lithium-ion batteries in the lab, analysis of the test results using specific software, and presentations for BASF’s customers.

Liam Hegarty (left) with his supervisor Dr. Sebastian Raupp. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Berka)

Anastasia Paraliticci ‘22

Majors: German & Mechanical Engineering
Internship Location: Mercedes-Benz, Sindelfingen

“I worked in the Digital Harness Development and Tools Department within Research and Development. My main project consisted of working with a team that is developing a Knowledge Management System that tracks all information for each individual component within the vehicle’s wire harness. This system creates XML files with tens of thousands of lines of data. I was tasked with writing a code using Python that parses through all of this data and creates a new file containing only the necessary data.”

Anastasia Paraliticci poses in front of the Mercedes-Benz company logo at her internship site at the very beginning of her internship this year. (Photo courtesy of Anastasia Paraliticci)

Holm Roeser ‘22

Majors: German & Biomedical Engineering
Internship Location: Siemens, Erlangen

“I interned with the Sensor and System Integration Lab at Siemens’ global research headquarters in Erlangen. Under the guidance of Dr. Roland Weiss, our team designed a contactless hybrid DC (direct current)sensor. I was responsible for testing and assembling PCBs, 3D-modeling a casing, and optimizing the signal processing algorithm. I reinforced knowledge of circuit theory, structural mechanics, electromagnetism, and coding. The team facilitated an amazing workplace and learning environment, I really enjoyed my time here.”

Holm Roeser takes a selfie with the Siemens logo shortly after arriving at his internship location this spring. (Photo courtesy of Holm Roeser)

Kyle Stewart ‘22

Majors: German & Mechanical Engineering
Internship Location: Physik Instrumente, Karlsruhe

“At Physik Instrumente, I had the opportunity to work in the Research and Development department. This allowed me to work with new prototypes and new technologies. Here I had the opportunity to work with my manager in order to develop tests used to define the limitations of a new hexapod prototype. Through conducting numerous experiments, I have also had the opportunity to learn numerous new softwares.”

Kyle Stewart (left) with his supervisor, Dr. Jens Matischka, at Physik Instrumente in Karlsruhe. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Berka)

Italy

JoJo Speredelozzi ‘23

Majors: Italian, Biomedical Engineering & Biology
Internship Location: Azienda Sanitaria Locale, Naples

“Most days, I worked with the Clinical Engineering group at the ASL (Azienda Sanitaria Locale) offices on more administrative, big picture tasks like comparing prices and technical capabilities of new machines that the hospitals might buy, or checking that maintenance requests are completed on time. However, in order to also see the more hands-on side of actual installations in the hospitals, I went with the Althea group, which is technically a separate contractor for the ASL, in order to conduct electrical safety checks and complete the installation process. 

Left: JoJo Speredelozzi performs an electrical safety check on a cardiograph machine. Center: With her team, she completes the paperwork associated with installing new equipment. (Photo courtesy of JoJo Speredelozzi)
Right: JoJo poses with her company’s logo. (Photo courtesy of JoJo Speredelozzi)

Spain

Mariah Messinger ‘22

Majors: Spanish & Computer Engineering
Internship Location: CEIT, San Sebastián

Mariah’s internship was with the Division of Information and Communication Technologies at the non-profit technological center CEIT, located on TECNUN’s Miramon Campus. She assisted her supervisor, Leticia Zamora, in researching radio frequency-based indoor location systems for ambient assisted living applications.

Mariah Messinger (right) with her supervisor Dr. Leticia Zamora. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Berka)

Tereza Almeida ‘23

Majors: Spanish & Mechanical Engineering
Internship Location: Epic Power, Zaragoza

Tereza worked with Epic Power, a spin-off company of UNIZAR, where she assisted CEO and founder Pilar Molina Gaudó. Epic Power specializes in designing and manufacturing a broad range of industrial electrical equipment, such as bidirectional DC/DC converters, while simplifying and strengthening the work of engineering teams in many different sectors with turnkey solutions. These bidirectional DC/DC converters are intended to transform electric systems, e.g. elevators or medical equipment, into energy-intelligent systems allowing for the integration of energy storage and renewable energy.

At Epic Power with Tereza Almeida (center), CEO/founder Pilar Molina Gaudó (right), and Juan José Marcuello Pablo, of UNIZAR International Affairs. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Berka)