Undergraduate Intern – Mechanical Engineering/Automation and Controls

National Laboratory of the Rockies•Golden, CO

2d•$34,800 - $55,700•Onsite

About The Position

NLR is seeking a part-time undergraduate intern to support ongoing research and operational activities at the High Flux Solar Furnace (HFSF). Working under the direct guidance of experienced engineering staff, the intern will assist with daily laboratory operations, experimental testing setups, and support efforts to modernize and automate facility hardware.

Requirements

Minimum of a 3.0 cumulative grade point average
Must be enrolled as a full-time student in a bachelor’s degree program from an accredited institution.
Post Undergraduate: Earned a bachelor’s degree within the past 12 months. Eligible for an internship period of up to one year.
Graduate: Must be enrolled as a full-time student in a master’s degree program from an accredited institution.
Post Graduate: Earned a master’s degree within the past 12 months. Eligible for an internship period of up to one year.
Graduate + PhD: Completed master’s degree and enrolled as PhD student from an accredited institution.
Currently enrolled as an undergraduate pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering or a closely related field.
Experience with SolidWorks is highly desired/required.
Hands-on academic or project experience with LabVIEW and National Instruments (NI) DAQ hardware.
Experience with basic scripting in Python.

Nice To Haves

Certified SolidWorks Professional (CSWP) designation is highly preferred.
Hands-on experience designing and building closed-loop PID temperature control systems using LabVIEW and National Instruments (NI) DAQ hardware.
Experience developing data acquisition (DAQ) systems.
Background in hardware testing for extreme environments.
Familiarity with full-stack software development and frameworks (specifically Python, Django, etc.) for system monitoring or data visualization.
Experience with signal processing or hardware decoding systems (e.g., DTMF decoding).

Responsibilities

Assisting engineering staff with setting up and executing thermal tests on experimental hardware, utilizing principles of hardware testing in extreme environments (similar to aerospace or collegiate-level rocket/payload testing).
Supporting efforts to transition manual laboratory setups to automated operations, specifically assisting with the implementation and testing of closed-loop PID temperature control systems.
Helping to configure, calibrate, and troubleshoot DAQ instrumentation using LabVIEW and National Instruments (NI) hardware to monitor furnace sensors (drawing on experience with automotive or team-based DAQ setups).
Utilizing SolidWorks to draft and model custom mounting brackets, sensor fixtures, and structural components for the furnace.
Assisting with script writing and the development of basic web-based monitoring tools using Python, Django, and React to display real-time data from HFSF instrumentation.