2023 Steel Intern Scholarship – Willy Korf
Nicholas A. Edwards
This summer I had the pleasure of interning at Caterpillar as an undercarriage validation engineering intern. Although this experience has been drastically different from my previous internship at Steel Dynamics, I believe it has furthered my understanding of the steelmaking process and given me a new appreciation for the many applications of steel products. I was able to perform inspections on many different wear components, which in turn allowed me to recognize what made a design great and how to improve a design further. A large portion of the time, metallurgy is the answer to making these products outstanding.
Throughout my internship, I was given the opportunity to travel around the nation to perform inspections on newly designed test components. In the month of June alone, I traveled to Missouri, Tampa and Tallahassee, Fla., and North Dakota. In this time, I shadowed my coworker as he collaborated with dealers to ensure that a test for a new product design was running smoothly. I was able to learn how to work with my hands on large construction machinery and how to speak to other professionals. It was overall a unique and fun experience, especially for an intern.
After returning from these trips, I would work together with my fellow coworkers to write reports about the status of ongoing tests. I learned a lot about writing clearly and concisely while communicating the message of my report effectively. I felt that I was able to contribute to the company’s success while also getting the help I needed to thrive at learning the job. Along with writing reports, I was also given the opportunity to inspect test components after the test was completed. These inspections taught me about failure modes, the purpose of these tests, and how certain designs allowed for a better result in the end.
My time at Caterpillar this summer has given me room to grow as a professional as well as an engineer, while also emphasizing safety above all. I would like to thank everyone I worked with this summer for making it a great experience that I know will help me further my career. I would also like to thank the AIST Foundation for being so generous and taking an interest in making me a better professional. I hope to meet and work with both Caterpillar and AIST again soon!