Starting a professional internship is always nerve-wracking. I still remember the nervousness I felt heading into orientation day. I spent my overnight flight across the country to Utica wondering what to wear, what I should say to my supervisor, and how I would get along with the other interns.
Those worries quickly faded as I settled into the week, meeting staff members, fellow interns, and my project team. Every Indium Corporation employee I’ve met, both in person and online, has been eager to welcome the interns and introduce us to the work Indium Corporation facilitates. They also introduced us to the environment that fosters respect, appreciation, and achievement—known as the Indium Way.
As the thermal research intern, my project focuses on collecting experimental data on the thermal properties of liquid metals. This data helps with assessments of material quality, selectivity, and durability in manufacturing and processing.
This is my guide to interning at Indium Corporation, based on my experiences so far, along with some advice that might help you on your own internship journey. If you are reading this, I hope you have already applied for an internship here, because it is a worthwhile experience to add to your resume.
Professional Development
From the Classroom to the Real World
As a chemical engineering student, many of my classes have taught and reinforced key concepts in heat transfer, mass transfer, and thermodynamics. We frequently worked with 2D diagrams showing temperature differences across various materials to calculate thermal resistance and heat transfer. Interning at Indium Corporation gave me the chance to bring these concepts to life by physically building 3D heat transfer models to measure the thermal resistance of liquid metals.
Thermal resistance is just one of many properties I was able to test hands-on, turning what I had previously only visualized into real-world experience. But the lesson didn’t stop there. Understanding what my collected data means in the larger context of material performance is equally important, as it directly influences decisions about the next steps in experimental design. By contributing to a real-world project, I can see the impact I can make through my education and work.
Building Confidence in the Lab
You gain confidence by asking questions and actively practicing what you learn. The more curious and proactive you are, the more experience you will gain during your internship, and the more comfortable you will become contributing to your team. Let me share a bit about my own journey to building confidence as a Thermal Research Intern.
My project involves using multiple instruments and software in the lab. Aside from a few I had used at university, many of these were new to me. To ensure I received proper training on all of them, I coordinated a training schedule with other members of my lab. After each session, I walked through the process again and took notes on the instrument and software to reinforce what I had learned.
But learning doesn’t stop at taking notes. Just as importantly, I brought those notes with me when I first operated the instruments to ensure I could run them independently. Of course, as I worked on my own, I ran into questions and asked my supervisor for clarification, updating my notes accordingly. By combining both learning and doing, I have become more confident and familiar with the tools required for my project.
A Skill I Didn’t Expect to Learn
Troubleshooting on your own is a valuable skill I have been developing in the lab. You can’t have your advisor teleported to your lab bench the moment an issue arises. Learning how to identify the problem and figure out the solution is no easy task. I learned to recognize issues by comparing my data with known reference values or patterns from previous trials. Fixing the problem often involves retracing my steps and having a sufficient understanding of how the instrument operates. If I am still stuck, I seek feedback from my supervisor and jot down their advice for future reference. An important lesson I have learned is to never be afraid to ask for guidance.
Career Exploration: New Interests and Surprises
Before interning at Indium Corporation, I would not have associated chemical engineering with the word “artsy.” You might not believe it, but working with liquid metals is an intricate form of art. It is surprisingly challenging to make them stay on a substrate, spread evenly on an instrument, and even more difficult to clean up. It requires a steady hand, patience, and plenty of practice to carefully maneuver the samples and collect consistent measurements.
Having grown up with hobbies like oil painting and piano, I was delighted to discover how the endurance and hands-on skills I developed as a child connected with this careful work. My project has allowed me to combine my interests in a new way that I would not have had the opportunity to explore before this internship.
Final Notes to Interns
Building relationships and networking with colleagues provides valuable experience and opens doors to new opportunities. By chatting with other Indium Corporation employees, I have learned about projects from different R&D teams and the instruments they use. By my second week, I had already toured other R&D facilities and participated in a few experiments conducted there. So, dear intern, reach out and connect with someone new at work. You never know what you might learn.
There is so much more to working in the industry than just managing project responsibilities. Through the Lunch ’n’ Learn program for interns, I have gained insights into business presentation skills, personal branding, developing strengths, and creating responsible financial plans. Indium Corporation not only offers diverse opportunities for growth, but also involves themselves in community activities like the Boilermaker race and hosts company sports practices, both of which I am excited to explore further.
