Benjamin Stoddard (ME BS ’15) asks, “Growing up what does every boy want to play with? Rockets!”
Stoddard was one of nineteen winners of the 140 applicants for this year’s University of Utah Career Services U-Work U-Win Competition held in April. His internship has been with El Dorado Engineering in Salt Lake City, where he has been involved with the design of an Ammonium Perchlorate Rocket Motor Destruction (ARMD) facility. As rocket motors reach the end of their shelf-life, the problem arises of what to do with them. ARMDs dispose of rockets in an environmentally safe manner.
Stoddard explains, “Facilities such as the ARMD at El Dorado process old rockets so that casings are safe to be recycled or disposed of. Annually they destroy approximately 10,000 rocket motors. In my internship I have gained experience in corrosion, structure analysis, heat transfer, thrust and propulsion, pollution abatement, as well as engineering drawing, modeling, and engineering business practices.”
“If playing with rockets and saving the world wasn’t enough,” continues Stoddard, “the people at El Dorado Engineering really make it an amazing place to work. With it being a small company, I have had opportunities to sit in meetings and converse directly with the president and vice president of the company. My internship has provided me with an invaluable look into what a career as a mechanical engineer has in store for me.”
The Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Utah is committed to providing students with broad-based, rigorous and progressive education. By combining state-of-the-art facilities with renowned faculty, the department provides an education that gives students the necessary skills to become the next generation of innovators.
Companies and students interested in posting or searching for an internship are invited to submit their information to the College of Engineering database.
More information about the University Career Services U-Work U-Win Program can be found on the Career Services web site.