As new technology develops, the world looks to innovators to support its ever-changing needs. Across campus and around the globe, Rose-Hulman students build new infrastructure to push society forward, both on the ground and in the cloud.
- Medhansh Khattar: Cisco Systems
- Brock Behrend: Land Resources/HRD Construction
- Renato Prado: Accumulate / DeFi Devs
- Diego Gutierrez: Schaefer
- Irene Lema Madueno: Woolpert
- Vineet Ranade: Keysight Technologies
- Youssef Abed: SDI Biocarbon Solutions
- Luke Baker: Applied Signal Technology
- Alex Anisimov: Telemetry Sports/ Teamworks
Medhansh Khattar: Cisco Systems
Medhansh Khattar, a senior from Bangalore, India, is a computer science major with minors in artificial intelligence, economics, and entrepreneurship. This summer, he interned for the Splunk Business Unit of Cisco Systems in Boulder, Colorado. His focus was advancing AI-driven reliability infrastructure, the systems that keep machine learning and cloud platforms resilient at scale. Specifically, his projects focused on making cloud platforms more “intelligent”— building systems that can learn from their own data, detect early signs of failure, and adapt automatically to changing conditions.
Beyond raw engineering, Khattar explored how AI can build feedback loops that let systems self-diagnose bottlenecks, balance workloads autonomously, and generate interpretable summaries for engineers. “It truly felt like a front-row seat to the future of self-managing and self-correcting platforms, where AI becomes part of the operational nervous system,” said Khattar. “I loved how open and collaborative the culture at Cisco and Splunk was and how interns were encouraged to experiment, ask questions, and contribute ideas from day one.”
His dream goal is to build something lasting that fundamentally changes how people and organizations operate, the way Amazon redefined e-commerce. His senior thesis is focused on minimal emergent signaling in large language model swarms under Rose-Hulman Professor of Computer Science and Software Engineering Michael Wollowski, PhD, exploring how to reduce the “communication cost” between intelligent agents.
“I’ve always been drawn to the intersection of technology and business strategy — to the idea that real innovation comes from applying technical insight to solve problems that go far beyond code,” said Khattar. “Rose-Hulman has been instrumental in shaping that vision. Courses and conversations with professors like (Associate Professor of Economics) Jong Hun Kim, PhD, in economics have deepened my understanding of markets and financial systems, a perspective I believe is essential for anyone with entrepreneurial ambitions. Rose gives me the rare chance to bridge both worlds: the technical and the strategic, the analytical and the human.”
Brock Behrend: Land Resources/HRD Construction
Brock Behrend, a sophomore from Phoenix, Arizona, is pursuing a bachelor’s in civil engineering while also earning a master’s degree in engineering management as part of the Rose Squared program. Last summer, Behrend interned at Land Resources/HRD Construction in Scottsdale, Arizona. The company was the general contractor for the land development and construction of the Vistancia neighborhood in Peoria, Arizona.
Behrend worked directly with the land architects to receive plan sets and bid out work for subcontractors to handle the different construction phases. He worked in the field nearly every day and was able to see all the different phases and steps involved in preparing land for vertical construction. This experience allowed him to learn about all different types of information in the construction field that are typically not taught in the classroom.
His dream goal is to work for himself doing the engineering work he enjoys most.
Renato Prado: Accumulate / DeFi Devs
Renato Prado, a senior from São Paulo, Brazil, is a computer science major who spent the summer interning at Accumulate / DeFi Devs. As part of this internship, Prado built a Lite Client for the Accumulate blockchain from scratch, which is a system that allows applications to verify blockchain data without running a full node.
“The most exciting part is implementing the cryptographic proof verification that checks data across multiple blockchain layers using Merkle trees,” said Prado. “I’m writing everything in Go. I’m also working on the ‘Know Your Agent’ (KYA) framework, which enables AI agents to have blockchain identities and sign transactions cryptographically. It’s been incredible to see concepts from my Data Structures and Software Design classes come to life in production code.”
“There’s so much data available and so many powerful tools at our disposal,” he said. “I’m currently creating multiple AI projects on my own, including a fitness mobile app where people can track their data and have an AI coach in their pockets. … I’m taking Deep Learning and Artificial Intelligence courses that deepen my understanding of the mathematics behind model training. I’m also working on a senior design project where I’m implementing an AI solution as a core component of the application.”
“Rose has positioned me to be an architect and strategist who can leverage AI tools intelligently, rather than just someone who writes code line by line," Prado continued. "This critical thinking foundation is what allows me to use AI as a powerful multiplier of my capabilities.”
Diego Gutierrez: Schaefer
Diego Gutierrez, a junior from Scotch Plains, New Jersey, is a civil engineering major and Spanish minor. He spent the summer as an intern with the structural engineering firm Schaefer, located in Cincinnati, Ohio. Gutierrez was part of the industrial team where he gained exposure to warehouses and retail. He was responsible for assisting with the modeling and detailing of various industrial projects, ranging from Kroger stores to Amazon warehouses.
Gutierrez very much enjoyed his time at Schaefer and what he was able to learn from the internship experience. “I love the people at Schaefer,” he said. “From day one, everyone was super welcoming. They treated me as a full-time employee, so I was working on actual projects and attending company outings.”
His dream goal is to be a structural engineer, and he credits Rose-Hulman with helping him work toward achieving that goal. “Without Rose’s academics and their tremendous Career Services, I would not have landed this internship that gave me my first foray into the structural engineering world.”
Irene Lema Madueno: Woolpert
Irene Lema Madueno, a junior from Arcadia, California, is majoring in mechanical engineering with a specialization in aerospace engineering. She spent last summer interning at Woolpert in Indianapolis, Indiana, where she worked on several projects, including doing QA/QC of engineering reports for multiple airports, payrolls, creating report templates, preparing bidding documents and spreadsheets, going on field site visits, taking meeting minutes, reviewing technical specifications, and plotting CAD sheets. Madueno learned about the whole engineering process, from the start of an idea to design proposals to bidding to design work and finally seeing the construction.
“Something I loved about my internship experience is that it was in the heart of downtown Indianapolis and I worked on a variety of projects,” said Madueno. “I worked on various projects that allowed me to go on site visits and work with a variety of people and see different phases of the engineering process. I also loved the location! I had a chance to try numerous restaurants, attend Fever games, walk to Gainbridge Fieldhouse, and much more.”
Madeuno said her dream goal is to work in sustainable commercial aviation in order to make planes more environmentally friendly and safe. “Rose is helping me achieve that dream by expanding my knowledge through courses, teaching me useful applications for that knowledge, and expanding my connections and network,” she said. “Rose also allows me to see how different people take different paths to reach their dream goals.”
Vineet Ranade: Keysight Technologies
Vineet Ranade, from Mountain View, California, graduated in 2025 with a computer engineering major and minors in computer science, mathematics, economics, and Spanish. This summer, before starting graduate school at the University of Texas at Austin, he interned for Keysight Technologies in Calabasas, California. His role included contributing to Keysight’s ethernet protocol test portfolio up to 1600G, focusing on RoCE workloads in AI and HPC environments.
“I loved that Keysight gave me real assignments and used my designs, which made my work especially rewarding,” said Ranade. “I used a lot of knowledge from my Rose-Hulman coursework in my internship, including elements of Digital Systems, Computer Architecture, Communication Networks, and Combinatorics!”
Some of the projects Ranade worked on included designing a VHDL module to simulate Receiver Not Ready (RNR) conditions for NIC RDMA traffic testing, developing memory-mapped register interfaces that integrated RNR module into existing FPGA architecture, and verified via simulation and Python chassis testing. He also engineered a low-latency CRC delta update unit, eliminating full CRC recomputation for packet changes. He also built exhaustive VHDL testbenches for flow control and scheduling components and resolved edge-case bugs in configurable delay pipelines and memory-channel logic. Ranade’s dream is to design efficient and high-performing chip architectures. “Rose gave me a lot of project-based experience over four years,” he said. “This expanded my technical toolset and sharpened what I believe is the most valuable skill of an engineer: debugging.”
Youssef Abed: SDI Biocarbon Solutions
Youssef Abed, a sophomore from Tunisia, is a chemical engineering major who spent the summer interning for SDI Biocarbon Solutions. The company is a joint venture between Steel Dynamics, Inc. and Aymium that operates a biocarbon production facility in Columbus, Mississippi.
His primary project was to develop and implement a plant-wide, digital Lockout-Tagout (LOTO) safety program from the ground up. This involved analyzing more than 90 Piping & Instrumentation Diagrams (P&IDs) to map all potential energy sources (electrical, thermal, chemical, hydroelectric, etc.), conducting daily field verifications with operators onsite and authoring more than 160 detailed safety procedures on the digital software called CONFORMiT.
Abed especially loved the journey from theory to real world practice. “I remember my first day feeling completely overwhelmed by how complex the P&IDs look compared to my last week where I stood in front of all four crews of the plant’s operators and taught them how to use the system I helped build!” said Abed. “Seeing the procedure I wrote click for them and knowing my work will continuously help keep them safe long after I’m gone was the most rewarding experience of my summer.”
His goal is to become a process engineer who solves complex real-world problems in the energy, manufacturing, or oil and gas sector. “Rose-Hulman is helping this dream become a reality by providing me with a rigorous theoretical foundation while constantly pushing us to apply that knowledge in practical settings,” said Abed. “My internship gave me the ‘why’ for all the ‘what’ I'm learning in classes like Thermodynamics and Conservation Principles. Rose’s constant push for hands-on experience truly gave me the confidence to become an engineer.”
Luke Baker: Applied Signal Technology
Luke Baker, a junior from Las Vegas, Nevada, is a computer science major with minors in electrical and computer engineering and robotics. This summer, he worked for Applied Signal Technology, a Collins Aerospace/RTX subsidiary in Salt Lake City, Utah. He’ll be returning to work for them again next summer in San Jose, California.
As a summer intern, Baker worked almost exclusively with C++, developing tools for real-time signal processing. He did work on the front-end user interface during the beginning of his internship while learning about how signal processing works in industry. Towards the end of his internship, he worked heavily with the full gamut of the signal processing stack, developing a pathway for signals to be captured as a packet stream and eventually converted into a packet capture file that can be exported and viewed in other programs. He also worked with the signal analysis team, developing tools for processing and analyzing signals after they've already been recorded.
“Rose has given me a lot of flexibility in my major to customize my education around classes that build towards the work I want to do,” said Baker. “I’ve been given pathways to career opportunities I wouldn't have otherwise, most notably through Career Services, the Rose alumni network, the Noblitt Scholars Program, and through Rose Research Fellows. All these programs have been crucial tools in my toolbox for achieving my career and life goals.”
Alex Anisimov: Telemetry Sports/ Teamworks
Alex Anisimov, a junior from Moscow, Russia, studying software engineering with minors in artificial intelligence and data science, enjoys everything related to coding, including American football. Anisimov interned with Teamworks (formerly Telemetry Sports), working with technology developed by Rose-Hulman alumni to provide better data analytics to NFL and NCAA football coaches. Though the company is headquartered in North Carolina, Anisimov was based out of the Noblesville, Indiana, office, where he was able to contribute to more than 10 internal and customer-facing products across software engineering and artificial intelligence roles.
"The best part about the internship was the company encouraging my learning and growing," Anisimov said, observing that, while he was hired for web development, he was not limited to those projects. "Instead, they always supported me when I reached out to my supervisor saying I'd love to learn something new."
Anisimov also noted that he addressed issues that had been sitting in the company's backlog and worked through bugs that he found, which gave him exposure to diverse challenges across the codebase and teaching him skills in artificial intelligence, natural language processing, security, and mobile app performance optimization.