For young STEM students, it can be hard to discover which field best suits their skills and interests without experiencing the work first-hand.

Training the next generation of STEM professionals requires cooperative efforts between schools and local employers. Though today’s classrooms are more dynamic than ever, internships offer a real-world look into advanced manufacturing careers, encouraging students to find their passion and future direction.

STEM Summer Experience at ALTEX

We’re thrilled to welcome four interns from Westfield High School to be part of the ALTEX team this summer. They’ll be gaining hands-on experience, developing their skills and seeing what it’s like to work in the manufacturing industry.

Possibly unlike other fields, engineering internships are much more exciting than days spent taking coffee orders. Our interns will work closely with Brian Cline, ALTEX quality engineer, and their summer will be filled with:

  • Learning basic metrology
  • Performing gauge repeatability and reproducibility studies
  • Performing capability studies on the ALTEX process
  • Implementation of a new preventative maintenance tracking system
  • Cycle time analysis
  • Work instruction and visualization development

The more opportunities we give students to truly try their hands at working on innovative projects and solving real-world problems, the more future leaders, inventors and visionaries will opt for careers in STEM.

Hear from Our Interns

We asked our interns to introduce themselves, tell us what drew them to an internship at ALTEX, and what they believe their future holds.

Meet Corey

My name Corey Phillips. I am a senior at Westfield High School where I run cross-country and track. Some of my interests include running, traveling, engineering and photography. During this summer, I am looking to further explore the field of engineering and gain some experience while on the job.

To me, ALTEX is the perfect place to explore engineering and manufacturing, learning concepts that a high school can’t teach.

After high school, I am looking to continue my education at the University of Cincinnati, Trine University or Purdue University. In the future, I am hoping to pursue a career in civil engineering.

Meet Matthew

My name is Matthew Vaughn, not the famous director, and I play a host of roles around my community. For starters, I am a drum major, which entails a lot of late nights out on the practice field long after the sun goes down. I also volunteer frequently and will be on the student board for my school’s National Honor Society.

I applied to ALTEX because I want the opportunity to prove myself – my leadership, my determination, and my skills. I want to demonstrate my character in a workplace setting. And in just one day, this internship has already been a blast. I know that this will be a great experience and I am eager for what the future holds.

I do plan on using this as a springboard for my future studies. I either plan to study nuclear engineering along with civil (or architectural) engineering, so I can conceptualize, test and develop methods for new, clean energy production, or study propulsion and aerospace engineering so I might help connect a global community to new resources within the cosmos or even as a humble designer for innovative transportation.

Meet Charlie

My name is Charlie Degnan and I will be a senior at Westfield High School next year. I’m the oldest in my family with three crazy little brothers. I play high school soccer as well as club soccer for Indy Fire Juniors once the high school season ends.

I love to learn, and I’m very interested in engineering, which is one of the main reasons why I am so excited for this opportunity. I hope to see and find out for the first time what engineering in the real world is all about.

After high school I plan to attend college, and as of right now Purdue University is a main frontrunner. I’m sure my plan will change a million times between now and then but, in terms of engineering, I plan to study either chemical or aerospace engineering.

Meet Will

My name is Will Vance and I’m 16. I have two younger brothers and a younger sister. I am a straight-A student and plan on a rigorous schedule with numerous AP courses in my next two high school years. So far I have most enjoyed my physics related courses (Honors Physics and Intro to Engineering) and my computer courses (AP CS, Game Prog I, Game Prog II). In my time outside of school, I help tutor kids at Carey Ridge on Wednesdays, help in Sunday school every other week, and help at Nora fun Saturdays, which are every third Saturday.

In this job, I hope to gain valuable work experience and knowledge as well as possible insight into my future career. I will most likely be an engineer or a computer programmer, but I haven’t narrowed it down yet.

Interested in learning more about our work at ALTEX? Check out our case studies.