Bob Jones engineering interns gain real-world savvy

MADISON – Students in the Fall 2023 Engineering Internship Class at Bob Jones High School now understand the demands and rewards of reporting to work at a professional-level job.

The engineering interns disclosed their experiences during the Semester Showcase to an audience of fellow students, teachers, administrators, parents, participating business professionals and internship supervisors on Dec. 15 in the media center.

By that date, the students were completing their internships and senior design projects. “We could not be more proud to share with you all they have accomplished,” Jessye Gaines has said about the interns that she sponsors. Gaines teaches in Bob Jones Engineering Academy.

Gaines praised the participating firms as “our incredible community partner companies.” “I’m happy to report that Mitchell Plastics is a new partner company because a former Bob Jones engineering student, who went all the way through the internship course, is now an engineer and wanted to host and mentor current Bob Jones students . . . (an) amazing pipeline,” she said.

At the lectern, all student interns explained their ‘lessons learned’:

* Rebecca Coffey and Daniel McGinley — Mitchell Plastics, a Huntsville designer and manufacturer of components in automotive interiors. (mitchellplastics.com)

* Ryan Morrell and Gabriel Whitt — Additive Manufacturing Engineering or AME, Huntsville company that works with aerospace, medical and automotives industries to produce models or pilot series production parts. (addmaneng.com)

* Gresham Baker and Justin Nguyen — KTECH Virtual Reality Academy in Madison that gives hands-on instruction in fields of mechatronics, robotics, soldering and machining. (goktech.org)

* John Keane – KTECH, a private trade school in Madison affiliated with the Kids to Love organization that connects people with technical skills to manufacturing environments. (goktech.org)

* Lauren Sheehy – Nanoracks, a tech firm that develops commercial access to space for small research payloads and plans to own/operate private space stations. (nanoracks.com)

* Jonah Moro — STI Electronics Inc., a Madison enterprise for training, consulting, laboratory analysis, microelectronics assembly, prototyping and PCB assembly, along with electronic and industrial product distribution. (stiusa.com)

* Ben Lambertson — Performance Drone Works in Huntsville offers modular, open designs from the ground up to accommodate space mission sets and payloads. (pdw.ai)

* Jenna Khezawi, Nadda Khezawi and Jasmine Zhang — Booz Allen Hamilton, a professional services company that provides diverse solutions in management, technology, consulting and engineering. (boozallen.com)