As with past years at Lake Shore, we were fortunate to have a team of college interns working alongside our full-time staff this summer. We had 22 students in-house, applying their talents and knowledge in various departments, including product development, supply chain logistics, IT, manufacturing, business operations, and marketing.
Lake Shore’s internship program involves placing students into challenging roles where they are afforded opportunities to contribute directly to our technological and business initiatives, enabling them to gain the type of hands-on experience not easily obtained in a university lab or classroom. Interns participate in specific projects and are given the latitude to suggest improvements to processes or designs. Then, near the end of their summer, they all take part in a poster session to discuss the extent of their work.
We certainly benefited from their contributions and insights. And to give you an idea of what an internship here at Lake Shore entails, we are now spotlighting Q&As with four of our 2016 interns on Facebook. Here are some select takeaways (links go to the Q&A with the student quoted):
“Initially, I expected to be given small non-engineering tasks for the summer. I was surprised by the amount of actual engineering work given to me.” — Mikayla Knerr
“I initially expected a job where I would be working under one person and do specific types of jobs that they asked me to do. While this has been true to an extent, I have also enjoyed more freedom and opportunity to pursue various different types of projects than I expected. It has been a great surprise to be given as much responsibility as I have.” — Tom Solarek
“(The employees) all know we are here to learn as interns and take appropriate time to not only give us jobs but explain the job and why it is important. And, if you are really interested, they are happy to explain the science behind it as well, which is always fascinating.” — Miguel Pedrozo
“I expected to have more of a support role for full-time employees but have been pleasantly surprised by the responsibilities and trust given to me. It makes me feel like my work is valuable not only towards learning myself but for the company and the people I work with.” — Alexa Baratucci
If you or someone you know would like to be among the next team of scientists, engineers, technicians, and business professionals interning at Lake Shore, please bookmark and keep an eye on our Careers page, where recruiting information for our 2017 program will be posted in the coming weeks.