R&D Fall Co-op

Specialty Granules LLC•Hagerstown, MD

22h•Onsite

About The Position

Specialty Granules (SGI) is a leading company in the roofing, aggregate, and agricultural materials industry, with over 90 years of experience. The state-of-the-art research and development department actively works on new products, innovative ideas, service work, and regular testing to learn more about materials and products. SGI is seeking a candidate for an R&D co-op position for the Fall of 2026 to work in the Roofing and Analytical Laboratories. These labs utilize instrumentation to assist in collecting high-quality data for problem-solving, new product development, and standardized testing. This internship opportunity provides a chance to learn in a real work environment with experienced SGI professionals. The co-op will have a mentor who will act as a coach, receive competitive pay, and may be eligible for a temporary living allowance. The role involves assisting in creating and optimizing new inorganic coating technology, preparing samples for analytical testing using various devices, employing techniques such as microscopy, titrations, color readings, and total solar reflectivity, conducting problem-solving and troubleshooting investigations to identify root causes and implement countermeasures, and exporting, analyzing, and organizing data.

Requirements

Must be pursuing a Bachelor's Degree in Chemistry (preferred), Chemical Engineering (preferred), Engineering, or Materials Science
All candidates must have a minimum 2.8 GPA, and at least sophomore standing
Comfortable performing basic mathematical operations that are essential for chemistry applications (e.g. stoichiometry, determining the amount of moles of substance in a sample, solution making, etc.)
Must be eligible to work in the U.S. without need for employer-sponsored visa (work permit)
Problem solving, project management, collaboration and communication skills
Must have ability to generate accurate and concise technical reports
Proficient with office productivity tools: Microsoft Office Suite and Google (G-Suite)

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with analytical methods of chemical quantification in either a lab or class setting is a plus

Responsibilities

Assistance in creating and or optimizing new inorganic coating technology
Prepare samples for analytical testing with a variety of sample preparation devices
Use techniques including microscopy, titrations, color readings, total solar reflectivity, and others
Conduct problem-solving and troubleshooting investigations to assure root causes are identified and countermeasures and prevention are fully implemented
Exporting, analyzing and organizing data