The School of Engineering’s Materials Processing and Applications Development Center (MPAD) has created new hands-on research and learning internships using a new annual gift of $19,000 from the AMERICAN Cast Iron Pipe Co. (AMERICAN), totaling $114,000 during the next six years. This contribution adds to AMERICAN’s renewed annual gift of $36,000 for student scholarships totaling $216,000 during the next six years.
The MPAD is UAB’s hub for metals casing, foundry education, advanced engineered plastics and composites design, analysis, processing, manufacturing and product development and is used by students from various disciplines, including mechanical, civil and biomedical engineering, among others. On average, the 20,000-square-foot facility provides space for 15 graduate, 20 undergraduate and more than 50 outreach students per year to study metals, lightweight materials and manufacturing technologies. The internships, openings for which were listed through UAB’s online student job-recruitment system Handshake, will provide part-time work in the MPAD for selected engineering students.
The 2019-20 interns are materials science engineering students Michelle Engell, Mikah Dooley and Bria English and biomedical engineering student Zachary Newman. Recipients were selected from a large pool of applicants by internal committees in the School of Engineering.
“The MPAD serves one of UAB’s most unique offerings to students,” said Robert Blakely, director of development for the School of Engineering. “This renewed funding from AMERICAN will enable us to enhance the opportunities for engineering students to explore ideas, conduct research and create new technologies.”
Check out a 360-degree-view of the MPAD.
Brian Pillay, Ph.D., professor of engineering and MPAD director, says providing internships to students who want to work in the MPAD gives them a hands-on learning experience they might not receive if they sought part-time employment elsewhere. MPAD interns work on “real engineering projects with real clients,” Pillay said, and are responsible for meeting deadlines, communicating with clients and working in a team environment.
Improving experiential learning opportunities is one of the objectives outlined in the education pillar of UAB’s strategic plan, Forging the Future.
“These are all things that will make them valuable employees beyond technical engineering skills,” he continued. “These internships help them stay focused on school while doing work that will help them be successful,” Pillay said.
This funding partnership between AMERICAN and UAB is the next step in a longstanding relationship between the two entities, says Desland Robinson, Engineering Career Center director. AMERICAN consistently offers UAB engineering student co-operative education opportunities and often hires UAB graduates.
“As with any manufacturing company, intellectual capital is a vital part of AMERICAN,” said Joe Thomas, senior project manager for AMERICAN’s engineering division. Thomas graduated from the School of Engineering in 1981 and is on the school’s advisory board. “By contributing to UAB engineering students’ success, we know we are investing our future as well as the students’ futures. Many UAB grads hold important positions throughout AMERICAN and earned both their undergraduate and advanced degrees from the university. Helping UAB is helping AMERICAN.”
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