2023 Steel Intern Scholarship – Smith Graduate (AIME)
Brendan M. Crutchfield
The AIST Smith Graduate Scholarship (AIME) has made it possible for me to complete my Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering without having to worry about paying for tuition so that I can focus all my attention on classes, research and my thesis. For my internship, I chose to return to The Systems Group – Systems Spray Cooled Division, Smyrna, Tenn., USA, where I resided last summer as well. Both summers I worked on a variety of projects as a research and development intern. I chose to return as I enjoyed the working environment, was happy with the nature of my projects, and am fond of the dynamic between the engineers, CAD designers, and management.
One difference this summer is that instead of having one project to focus on at a time before receiving a new one, I was given several projects at once and expected to be able to handle them accordingly. I had three bigger projects, one of which carried over from the previous summer. I updated the design as well as collaborated with another company for a camera system meant to monitor the inside of an electric arc furnace during operation. My new projects included writing a gravity drain calculator and designing and performing calculations for a single basket strainer and multi-candle strainers. While each project was mine to complete, I worked under the supervision of a project engineer as well as having other people in the company assist me from another intern, the supervisor and project managers.
My two summers working as an intern have only reinforced my desire to pursue higher education and research roles. Since before junior high, it has been a goal of mine to receive a Ph.D. in engineering and my internships have shown me there are numerous fields just within the steel industry that need higher-level research. One other factor not to be forgotten is the experience I’ve had seeing how licensed Professional Engineers work in the industry as I hope to be a P.E. as well one day. My appreciation goes out to The Systems Group for giving me this job opportunity, AIST for choosing me as a recipient of this scholarship, and my mentor and advisor for bringing the scholarship to my attention.