Internship Opportunity: Infrastructure Engineering Research Support Intern

Description
Project Name: Railway Engineering Infrastructure Research Internship - Non-destructive Evaluation (NDE) and Metallurgy (MET).
Preferred Education: A third or fourth-year undergraduate engineering student in Mechanical Engineering or Materials Science Engineering.
Project Description:
The project's general objectives include research to support and improve NDE, metallurgy, rail performance, and rolling contact fatigue (RCF) mitigation projects. Projects include understanding and writing procedures to identify gaps and/or areas for improvement in current methods, helping the NDE-MET team in carrying out testing on the twin disc tests and rotating-beam fatigue tests, and working with the RCFS team to understand wear estimation needs and conduct twin disc tests on similar materials. Projects may be funded by the Association of American Railroads (AAR) as part of the Strategic Research Initiatives program administered by MxV Rail.
Primary Duties: The primary duties of an intern will be to support laboratory and/or field testing, including test planning and scheduling, test setup, collecting and analyzing data, assisting with performing computer-based analysis, technical research, analyzing and editing current NDE and metallurgy test procedures and reporting on results. The intern may also support on-track testing to verify, validate, and tune laboratory testing and analysis.
Requirements
Minimum Qualifications:

• Familiarity with basic engineering skills, material science, and engineering principles. GPA of 3.4 or greater and good academic standing.
• The ability to work on track and in a laboratory environment, taking measurements, pictures, and field notes.
• Basic project management skills to move tasks forward on schedule. Some experience in data analysis (coursework, research projects, or work experience).
• A strong foundation in Microsoft Office software, particularly Excel (data organization and analysis, functions, charts/plots, and basic programming).
• The willingness to learn about the railroad industry and engineering is associated with improving the safety, performance, and efficiency of railroad systems and components.
• MxV Rail policy requires all prospective employees to complete a criminal background check (Disclosure for Consumer Reports Consent Form) and a pre-employment substance abuse screening (Applicant Consent for Drug Testing Form) as a condition of employment.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Some coursework and practical knowledge on simple non-destructive examination (NDE) techniques such as magnetic particle, dye-penetrant, or ultrasonic testing. Some knowledge about Ferrous metallurgy is preferred.

Length of Service:
The intern's term will be for the summer only (2024), approximately ten weeks, preferably from May to the end of July. This position is allocated for and is expected to consume 100% of the intern's work hours.
Project Deliverables:
Assist the project engineers with the following:

• Development of test plans and procedures.
• Field and laboratory testing, including installation, testing, and analysis/interpretation of test data.
• Drafting portions of the test reports and presentations.
• Understand testing procedures, identify gaps in current procedures, and edit them accordingly.
• Provide regular updates on test status and resource needs.

Working Environment and Level of Physical Activity:
The conditions herein are representative of those that an employee must meet to perform the essential functions of this job successfully. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions.

• Environment:Office and field environments. Must be able to walk in an industrial and/or railroad environment, including uneven surfaces such as ballast.
• Vision:See in the normal visual range with or without correction; vision sufficient to read computer screens and printed documents.
• Hearing:Hear in the normal audio range with or without correction.

Benefits Overview:

• Railroad Retirement
• 401(k) Program with Company Match
• Fortnight Schedule
• Paid Holidays
• Family Atmosphere with a Great Work/Life Balance
• Opportunity for Growth and Development