Summer internships with our Applied Study students

ESTP’s Applied Study Energy Master’s Degrees combine professional development and an internship experience with our Foundational Energy Degrees. The ESTP Applied Study (two semesters) and ESTP Applied Advanced Study (three semesters) programs were launched in the Fall of 2020, and this past summer, our fifth cohort of students was hard at work in a variety of exciting internships. Students worked in internships in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Texas, and more. Additionally, they worked in a wide array of energy industries— companies are listed in the sidebar. Internship roles were landfill engineering intern, energy storage engineering intern, data scientist, and more.

Applied Study students begin their program by taking the course “Career and Professional Development for Engineering Masters” during an academic semester before their summer internship. This course prepares College of Engineering graduate students to identify, create, and manage career opportunities.

All ESTP Applied Study students, whether starting in the Spring or Fall semester, are eligible to pursue an internship in their first summer semester, during which they take the Master’s ESTP Internship course. The requirements for the internship course include securing an internship, writing an internship proposal, meeting with academic and faculty advisors, and writing reflections and a final report that communicates different aspects of their experiences. Many students had incredible experiences with their companies. Overall, ESTP Applied Study students had an educational, exciting, and fulfilling summer.

In the fall semester following an internship, the Applied Study students participate in a course entitled Communication of ESTP Internship Experience. Among other requirements, they will present their internship experiences at our annual Internship Panel Sessions, which will take place on Friday, October 3rd. Students in the course share their diverse experiences with the program faculty and staff, as well as with one another and with the new cohort of ESTP students, who are just beginning their own internship search and experience. Based on the experiences of this cohort, we are excited to see the next group continue to excel in energy internships.

Students' thoughts

"This internship allowed me to realize many of the goals I set at the beginning, gaining hands-on experience, building technical skills, and contributing meaningfully to a product with real-world impact."
- Sana Shetty (ESTP-AAS)

"It allowed me to apply the skills gained at Carnegie Mellon in a real-world corporate setting, contribute to a high-impact team, and confirm my interest in energy storage as a career path."
- Ahan Pujari (ESTP-AAS)

"My internship at WM as a Landfill Engineering Intern was an enriching experience that bridged academic knowledge with practical industry challenges in waste management and renewable energy."
- Utkarsh Kumar (ESTP-AAS)

"It sharpened my technical abilities in data science and machine learning, gave me insight into professional practices in a high-paced applied AI environment, and reinforced my career goal of working on energy-related projects while equipping myself with AI expertise to navigate the ongoing paradigm shift in technology."
- Qihan Wang (ESTP-AAS)