Hands-on engineering experience

Students from the William Lee States Lee College of Engineering spent the past summer gaining valuable real-world experience thanks to the involvement of the college’s business partners and industry professionals.

Here is what three engineering students had to say about their summer internship experiences.

Safeguard Medical

Peter Pizzato, a junior mechanical engineering major, spent the summer at Safeguard Medical, a global alliance of leading trauma care organizations supporting combat medicine, emergency services, law enforcement, community first responders and private and corporate clients.

“I worked on reverse engineering and improving a lift for Simbodies, which is one of the brands within Safeguard Medical that manufactures lifelike mannequins used for first responder training. Using Solidworks and the design skills I learned in sophomore design at UNC Charlotte, I have been modeling a machine that holds Simbodies molds, lifts them to a height of 1.5 meters and rotates them 360 degrees, to facilitate the manufacturing process. I have really enjoyed using the knowledge I learned in class to figure out how the lift works and how I can improve it.”

Specialized Engineering Solutions

Jordan Reiter, a junior, electrical engineering major interned at Specialized Engineering Solutions, a firm of multi-disciplined specialty engineers and commissioning providers, working nationwide to engineer innovative, cost-effective and efficient building system designs that perform to deliver safe, comfortable and reliable environments.

“I started with the architectural consulting firm on May 23, 2023 as an electrical engineering intern. I learned how to navigate and create in Revit to help the office with ongoing projects. I practiced on different building plans to add power, lighting, etc. and worked on my first project for veteran affairs in Nashville, Tennessee, placing and tagging power devices. I worked on several other projects assisting with power plans, low voltage, fire and safety and security plans. I put together panel board schedules, lighting plans, cut sheets, existing devices on renovation projects and helped print for check-ins.”

Timmons Group

Erik Contreras Valdivia, a junior electrical engineering major, interned at the Timmons Group. Through civil planning, infrastructure design, economic development, environmental and geotechnical services and structural engineering, Timmons Group helps make today’s project a sustainable fixture of the community’s tomorrow. Valdivia is also president of the UNC Charlotte chapter of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers.

“One of my favorite things about the Timmons Group internship experience was the endless help I got. Power systems is a very complex subject, and the software that is used to model it, like TARA, Power World and Power System Simulator for Engineering (PSS/E), are not easy to understand. Timmons Group really focuses on professional development for their employees, and it’s something to admire.”