Biosystems Engineering Internship Story: Southern Research

Camille Colter
Biosystems Engineering, ‘23

Where did you intern? What company did you work for? Where was this company located?

Southern Research in their STEM Education department in Birmingham, AL

How did you find and apply for your internship? Did you use a specific resource or attend a particular recruiting event to search for internships (i.e. Handshake, career fairs, etc)?

I found this position because I knew of the company through a family friend that was an employee. I looked on the career page for availability for undergraduate student positions.

What was the application process like?

I filled out an online application and then had a phone interview before being offered the position.

Tell us about your internship experience. What types of tasks and projects did you engage in? Was there a particular project or part of the experience you learned the most from?

I had a lot of fun because I was able to share my love for STEM with students interested in pursuing a career in STEM. We taught the participants base level CAD software to model and 3D print their own drones from scratch. We then taught them how to assemble the drones for flight and the principles behind circuits so they understood how the drones were able to fly. We taught them how to solder as well with separate circuits boards. I had never done CAD, 3D printing, or anything with circuits so this was all new to me and really cool to learn!

In what ways did this internship help you prepare for your next destination after Auburn?
I think my internship helped prepare me for my major change from Chemical Engineering to Biosystems. I had never used the type of CAD software or 3D printing programs from mg internship when in Chemical Engineering, but some of my Biosystems courses have similar programs. I feel more confident in my new major because of my experience at Southern Research. 

In what ways did your coursework or other experiences at Auburn prepare you for your internships? Are there specific topics or skills you learned from classes that you put into practice on the job?
There was this one activity using coding language to power a circuit board, so my Matlab and Computer Aided Chemical Engineering courses helped me follow along and understand the process better.

Do you have any advice for other students looking for internships like yours?

Do not feel discouraged. I applied to many internships and did not even receive responses from some. It’s best to start early and keep up the momentum of looking for and applying to opportunities without feeling defeated. The right opportunity will arise even if you didn’t think it was the one for you.