Electro-Mechanical Instrument Co-op (Spring 2027)

Draper•Cambridge, MA

11d•$20 - $45•Onsite

About The Position

Draper is an independent, nonprofit research and development company headquartered in Cambridge, MA. The 2,000+ employees of Draper tackle important national challenges with a promise of delivering successful and usable solutions. From military defense and space exploration to biomedical engineering, lives often depend on the solutions we provide. Our multidisciplinary teams of engineers and scientists work in a collaborative environment that inspires the cross-fertilization of ideas necessary for true innovation. This position will primarily support the research and development of precision inertial guidance instruments for existing customers. It is expected that interns will contribute to projects that include electro-mechanical design, thermal model development, magnetics design, materials testing, hardware assembly, test, and debug. Specific projects include but are not limited to: instrument component design using CAD and FEA tools, collaboration with Draper’s prototype machine shop to determine machinability of components, working closely with Draper technicians to build and test hardware, coordinating with Draper’s Center for Additive Manufacturing to produce 3D printed parts. Students will work with 3D modelling software packages such as CREO and SolidWorks and analysis software such as ANSYS or COMSOL, and possibly LabVIEW and MATLAB for various applications. This position will run for 6 months, from January through June of 2027.

Requirements

Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering or Applied Physics (or similar) student.
Minimum of a 3.0 GPA.
Hands-on experience required.
Intuitive understanding of the physical universe is mandatory.
US Citizenship status is required.
Not eligible for individuals holding H1B or Student Visas.
Dual-citizens are unable to be accepted for this position.

Nice To Haves

Experience with mechanical design using CREO or Solid Works.
Design experience.
Precision mechanics experience.
Magnetics experience.
Thermal control experience.
Electro-mechanical experience.
Fluids experience.
Circuit theory experience.
Machine shop interaction experience.
Technical assembly experience.
Excel proficiency.
LabVIEW proficiency.
MATLAB proficiency.

Responsibilities

Support the research and development of precision inertial guidance instruments.
Contribute to projects including electro-mechanical design, thermal model development, magnetics design, materials testing, hardware assembly, test, and debug.
Design instrument components using CAD and FEA tools.
Collaborate with Draper’s prototype machine shop to determine machinability of components.
Work closely with Draper technicians to build and test hardware.
Coordinate with Draper’s Center for Additive Manufacturing to produce 3D printed parts.
Utilize 3D modeling software packages such as CREO and SolidWorks.
Employ analysis software such as ANSYS or COMSOL.
Potentially use LabVIEW and MATLAB for various applications.