Mechanical Engineering Intern

Powell•Houston, TX

15h

About The Position

At Powell, we’re committed to enhancing lives by delivering reliable power distribution systems across diverse markets, from industrial to renewables. As a global leader, we prioritize our Core Values—Customer First, Respect for Employees, Continuous Improvement, and a “Can-Do” Attitude—to provide innovative, cost-effective solutions that power communities worldwide. Join us to be part of a team dedicated to solving real-world challenges and shaping the future of energy. Internship Overview Powell’s 10-week paid internship program offers college students hands-on experience, professional training, and the opportunity to make an impact through a meaningful project aligned with your field of study. As a Mechanical Engineering Intern, you’ll focus on standard designs while gaining valuable skills in a dynamic, collaborative environment. Project Focus Intern Project: Create new standard design for stiffeners for all different channels. This will include reviewing current stiffeners, learning issues with the existing designs or issues creating inefficiencies in their use, and developing a unique design to resolve these issues. Design will go through full design process with review and revisions, if required. Parts will be ordered and tested on a variety of channel sizes to allow ease of implementation. If time allows, creating line of fire door & computer floor door frames for all expected ceiling heights and moment frames. If time allows, begin creating step by step training modules for upper structure. Expected Deliverables: Fully designed and tested stiffeners for channels to address issues with historical versions. If time allows, models/drawings for all fire door & computer floor door frames for all expected ceiling heights and moment frames. If time allows, the step by step training modules for upper structure. How does this project benefit Powell or your functional area? While Ibeam stiffeners use a singular design that is modeled to fit the profile of the Ibeam and can be constrained in such a way that replacing it for different beam sizes is a very fast and easy process, stiffeners for historical channel sizes are made in a variety of planes, with different faces and lacking material information. Remaking them all in the same plane & location will allow us to easily constrain them in such a way to vastly reduce required constraints and constraint breaking. Standardized door frames for Powell doors are mostly done and can be automatically dropped in upon selection from a list. Anytime a fire door or a computer floor is shown, new models need to be made, reviewed, and published, adding a not insignificant amount of time. Training modules for base design are out of date due to many changes to PCR designs across more recent years, requiring selection of more recent PCR’s for proper training examples and updated texts. In addition, upper structure currently has only in person training, with no proper reading or training modules for new hires to work off of. Desired Major: Mechanical Engineering or Mechanical Engineering Technology

Requirements

Pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or Mechanical Engineering Technology from an accredited institution.
Rising Junior or Senior continuing studies in Fall 2027.
Minimum 3.0 GPA and strong academic standing.
Team player with strong communication, multitasking, and interpersonal skills.
Self-starter with a dependable, can-do attitude.

Nice To Haves

Experience with standard design.

Responsibilities

Create new standard design for stiffeners for all different channels.
Review current stiffeners, learning issues with the existing designs or issues creating inefficiencies in their use, and developing a unique design to resolve these issues.
Design will go through full design process with review and revisions, if required.
Parts will be ordered and tested on a variety of channel sizes to allow ease of implementation.
Creating line of fire door & computer floor door frames for all expected ceiling heights and moment frames (if time allows).
Begin creating step by step training modules for upper structure (if time allows).