All throughout the year, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology students gain valuable hands-on experience through internships, co-ops and undergraduate research. When they return to campus, they bring these new skills with them, which provide new insight into the education that they are receiving and make them even more valuable to employers.
In Summer 2009, School of Mines students worked for more than 100 employers in 29 states, Europe and Africa, earning an average of $16.48 per hour. Organizations hiring School of Mines students include Barrick Gold, Bobcat, NASA, Cargill, Nucor, John Deere, Kiewit, and others. In addition to national corporations, many students expand their education through experiences with South Dakota employers — 41 percent in fact. These companies and agencies include Black Hills Power, Daktronics, Sanford Underground Lab, Dakota Power, South Dakota Department of Transportation, Raven, and others.
"These experiences provide excellent opportunities for our School of Mines students to integrate their classroom learning with "real world" experience in business and industry," School of Mines President Robert A. Wharton, Ph.D., said. "This is a prime example of the meaningful contributions our students make to their communities, our country and the world."
Andrew Berg, a senior electrical engineering major from Emery, was one student that stayed in South Dakota for his internship. He worked with Dakota Power, a research and design engineering firm located in Rapid City. Berg's responsibilities were varied — he ordered, designed, and constructed lab equipment and stations; made a wiring diagram for the electricians for lab power and built enclosures; and performed computer simulation efforts to improve the motor design with PSpice and Maxwell software.
"The work that I completed in school before this internship certainly gave me the background knowledge and mathematical competency to easily navigate the complex problems and concepts presented at the workplace," Berg said. "On top of all the knowledge that I got to apply from school, I gained a great feel for the inner workings of an up and coming business and the real world applications of a laboratory and design effort."
Catherine Sass, a senior chemical engineering major from Rapid City, chose to intern with a national corporation, Cargill Salt in Hutchinson, Kansas., where she focused primarily on project management. During her time there, Sass says that her preparedness gave her confidence in her technical ability and educational background. "Technically, I was more than prepared. Several of my projects had direct correlations to classes I have taken recently," she said. "I was also ahead leadership-wise — my experience with student organizations on campus prepared me for taking charge and leading in the workplace."
At the end of her internship, Sass was offered the opportunity to assume a full-time position after her May 2010 graduation. She accepted and will serve as a production management engineer.
Another student traveled even further afield to gain experience. Jennifer Ward, a senior mining engineering major from Surprise, Arizona, interned with Taggart Global in South Africa, where she was immersed in coal processing. Her work dealt with a multitude of responsibilities, such as reviewing plant flow sheets and preparing future plant designs.
"Being able to experience people of another culture was eye-widening," Ward said. "I relish the education that is brought by different people's point of view. Because of this I am able to expand my thoughts and really listen to what others have to say."
