Rose-Hulman students are at the forefront of innovation. This summer, several students explored new ideas and explored the unknown through internship programs and research experiences. From working in esteemed laboratories at University of Delaware to interning at companies like Garmin and BAE Systems Inc, these Rose students are pushing the boundaries of knowledge to new heights.
Maria Beloreshka, a junior from Short Hills, New Jersey, is majoring in optical engineering with minors in computer science, imaging and Spanish with a certificate in semiconductor materials and devices. This summer, she interned at Gentex in Zeeland, Michigan, working on a project that involved thermoforming of plastics for future product development.
“Something I love about my internship experience is I’ve been able to talk to so many interesting people and learn more about what is possible with an engineering background,” said Beloreshka. “My dream is to work in industry doing cool things in optics. [Rose-Hulman] Career Services has been a wonderful resource in preparing for career fairs and setting myself up for success in the future when I'm looking for a full-time job.”
At Rose, Beloreshka is on the swimming team and is president of the Photon Squad. She also works on campus as a Learning Center Tutor and a mathematics grader.
Richelle Elkes, a senior from Bloomington, Indiana, is majoring in engineering design and engineering management, and is minoring in Six Sigma. This summer, she interned with the X-Force Fellowship program through the National Security Innovation Network (NSIN). NSIN is a Department of Defense (DOD) organization under the Defense Innovation Unit, which connects DOD project sponsors with fellows for a 10-week project. Elkes was matched with Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri.
The objective of her internship project was to design and 3D print training aids for a foreign munition that allows airmen to perform training exercises relating to assembly. Her efforts consist of product design, prototyping, CAD modeling in SolidWorks and Autodesk Inventor, and the use of 3D printing software.
“One aspect I loved about the internship experience was how my team is multidisciplinary, as well as includes interns from varying programs (Air Force Research Laboratory Scholars, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, and X-Force),” said Elkes. “Gaining experience in collaboration with people who have different skill sets and learning how to navigate balancing each other's strengths and weaknesses is an opportunity I value.”
At Rose, Elkes works as a sports information assistant for the Athletics Department. She has an apprenticeship in the Engineering Design Machine Shop where she trains on the machines, welding, 3D printers, and laser cutter by assisting with student and senior capstone projects.
William Foss, a senior from Leawood, Kansas, is a computer science major. He is also graduate with a master’s degree in engineering management and minor in mathematics. This summer, Foss worked as a software engineering intern at Garmin International. He worked primarily with the cartographers for most of Garmin’s business segments. Specifically, he is helping to build internal tools and features for the cartographers to include in new and existing products.
“Something I really like about the internship is that I get to do more than just programming – I am actively thinking about the data our team uses and how we might utilize it in better or new ways, to improve our products and general customer experiences,” said Foss.
At Rose, Foss is a supervisor for Hatfield Hall’s work-study program, specializing in lighting operations. He is also involved in nearly every Rose Drama Club production as the lighting designer or programmer or similar role. He’s been an officer for both Rose Drama Club and Kappa Theta Pi (a technology-oriented professional fraternity). He is a mentor for the Computer Science department’s first-year mentoring program. In the past, Foss worked as a tutor for AskRose, was a counselor for Project SELECT 2022, a mentor for Rose Prime 2022, and a member of the 2023 orientation team.
Hailey Hofmann, a senior from Brazil and Clinton, Indiana, is a chemical engineering major with a minor in environmental engineering. This summer, she interned at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana. Hofmann was on the West Paint engineering team working in the topcoat and mix room processes for the Toyota Grand Highlander and Lexus TX. Her projects included a wide array of tasks as part of mix room system balancing, sludge removal, and sludge water chemical analysis.
“The thing that I love about process engineering is that you can get involved in operations and interact with the people on the production line,” said Hofmann. “Completing hands-on projects, running trials, and solving problems are just some of the things that I love about my internship.”
At Rose, Hofmann is involved in Omega Chi Epsilon (chemical engineering fraternity) and zoology club, research and recruitment teams. She plays softball and is hoping to be president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
Edward Kang, a junior from San Jose, California, is computer science major who is concurrently working toward a master’s degree in engineering management. This summer, Kang interned at Avikus in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He worked as a test engineer for Avikus’ situational awareness and autonomous control systems for boats and was able to drive the company boats.
“My dream goal is to start a company that can use software to build a better, freer society,” said Kang. “Rose is helping me achieve my dream by providing me with knowledge (entrepreneurial studies, ESCALATE) and experience (internships) needed to build a successful business.”
At Rose, Kang is vice president of Lambda Chi Alpha and is involved in orchestra and choir.
Samuel Kowing, a senior from Bettendorf, Iowa, is an optical engineering major. This summer, he interned with Peak Nano on a project to design a test set-up for GRIN lenses in night vision goggles. He also wrote programs to assist with the development and testing of those lenses.
“My dream goal is to become a successful engineer, and Rose teaches me the skills and gives me the connections I will need to achieve that,” said Kowing.
At Rose, Knowing is involved in the photon squad, choir/a capella group and is the former president of Lambda Chi.
Emily Lopane, a senior from Cincinnati, Ohio, is majoring in mechanical engineering. This summer, Lopane interned for Stryker in Portage, Michigan. She worked with the New Product Development team as part of Stryker Medical’s Research and Development group. Specifically, Lopane designed and tested mechanisms for hospital stretchers. All her internship projects were a mix of CAD design and hands-on prototyping.
“Something cool about my internship is that all of the manufacturing and assembly happens in the same building as the engineering and design for the products I work with,” said Lopane. “This means I can go out to the manufacturing floor to ask technicians how a part is made or watch how the products get assembled. It’s an invaluable experience that helps me be a better engineer because I am able to see everything get built up and learn how to design for manufacturing.”
At Rose, Lopane is involved in mentoring FIRST Robotics and is a member of the ChemE Car team. She also served two years on the Mechanical Engineering Student Advisory Board.
Allyn Loyd, a senior from Tulsa, Oklahoma, is double majoring in computer science and mathematics. This summer, they interned at ICR, Inc. in Aurora, Colorado doing electrical engineering, specifically digital signal processing (DSP). Loyd’s team was tasked with designing algorithms to detect pulsed signals within a larger signal. This detection process helps find the location of radio transmitters. One part of the project they focused on was designing a tool to collect quantitative data about the performance of their algorithms. This allows ICR, Inc. to evaluate their progress and how the algorithms compare to one another.
“I really love that this work allows me to utilize my CS/MA background to design algorithms, while exposing me to DSP, which is a new domain for me,” said Loyd. “I’m in a room with eight other interns, spread across four different projects and from four different schools. It’s been so fun getting to know a lot of different people and see all the different projects I could potentially be involved with in the future.”
At Rose, Loyd works as a TA in the Computer Science and Software Engineering Department. They have also been involved with research, under the guidance of Assistant Professor Jason Yoder, that combines both computer science and electrical engineering.
Apollo Picot, a senior from Rockford, Illinois, is majoring in mechanical engineering while pursuing a concurrent master’s degree in engineering management. This summer, Picot interned with BAE Systems Inc. in their Space and Mission Systems business sector, under the quality assurance group.
As part of his work at BAE Systems Inc., Picot worked on quality-related projects including creating a quality execution database, helping with a tool standardization project with quality engineers, and interviewed many subject matter experts to learn about their experiences and populate a repository of lessons learned. He also participated in a project in which his team designed, developed and built two payloads to perform tasks inside the nose cone of a rocket launched by ULA (United Launch Alliance).
“I have really loved the fact that I get to see hardware that will eventually go up into space,” said Picot. “Getting to see the inside of cleanrooms and test chambers that hold the instruments and pieces that go on incredibly important missions like the James Webb Space Telescope is so cool.”
At Rose, Picot is involved with the Design, Build, Fly club, volleyball club, and he is vice president of Delta Sigma Phi.
Kallen Selby, a junior from who was born in Seattle, Washington and spent half his life north-east Pennsylvania, is double majoring in computer engineering and physics. This summer, Selby interned with NAVSEA Crane. Some of his notable projects included a research paper for optimizing battery maintenance with machine learning, working on battery management systems for a drone, and modeling a battery pack and power architecture for a classified project.
“My dream goal is to stand on the shoulders of the physics giants of the last few hundred years and contribute to the understanding humanity has about how the world works,” said Selby. “Rose is helping me achieve that goal by allowing me to pursue physics education in an environment that I love.”
At Rose, Selby is involved with the climbing team and is the electrical team lead of the Battery Workforce Challenge.
Vance Steele, a sophomore from Radford, Virginia, is majoring in computer engineering. He spent the summer as a National Science Foundation Undergraduate Researcher through the University of Delaware. His project involved working on a partially-supervised machine learning model that predicts the locations of EEG signals in the brain.
“My dream goal is to produce something that is impactful to society, whether that be a medical device that helps save lives or just something that aids in making daily chores and activities easier and more convenient,” said Steele. “Rose is helping me achieve this dream by providing me with an excellent education that allows me to have opportunities like doing research as a freshman, as well as various clubs and groups where I can sharpen any skills that I need and connect with other like-minded people that stimulate new ideas.”
At Rose, Steele is a sprinter on the track team and a member of the Rocketry Club. He is also a sophomore advisor.
Benjamin Williams, a senior from New Albany, Ohio, is a mechanical engineering major. He is also part of the Rose Squared program and will be graduating with a master’s degree in the spring. This summer, Williams interned as an automation engineering at DEKA Research & Development working on a DENSO robot to automate the construction of medical devices.