MADISON – Sixteen students at Bob Jones High School have gained on-the-job experience as engineering interns at local businesses.

The “Research and Design” course is the final level of Bob Jones Engineering Academy and combines all of the skills and knowledge that students have learned in the “Foundations and Specialization” classes. Jessye Gaines teaches the top-level class.

“These students have just completed their 12 weeks with local engineering companies, and we could not have been more proud to share with you all they have accomplished,” Gaines said.

These interns gave their final presentations about tackling their assignments on Dec. 17-18 at Bob Jones. Presentations were open to the public.

The engineering interns “discussed projects they were tasked with and what they learned. A common thread was the benefit of collaboration and the role of failure in the learning process,” John Peck said. Peck is Public Relations Manager for Madison City Schools.

During the first day of presentations, Mikhail Ramirez explained his work at NASA – Marshall Space Flight Center. Other students who had assignments at MSFC were Dylan Coleman and Hugh Mitchell.

Intern Joseph Rusk discussed his time at CFD Research Corporation, which designs engineering simulations and advanced prototypes for various industries. Zane Nave worked at Brown Precision Inc. that concentrates on precision machining and custom fabrication.

Alex Graham spoke about his internship at STI Electronics Inc., a Madison firm that supports the field of electronics manufacturing. Tom Teper described his time at Jacobs Space Exploration Group.

Evan Krohn reported on his internship with Penta Research, which develops solutions for defense, aerospace and commercial customers.

On Dec. 18, Abo Akhmedov and Jake Munson told about their time with KTECH. Logan Freeman, David Zuo and Andrew Goodwin spoke to the audience about interning at MSFC.

Ben Cobb and Andrew Parsons reflected on their time with Craft Designs Inc., a software engineering specialist. Sarah Spitzmiller’s internship was located close to home with the City of Madison Engineering Department.

Sharon Powell, Secondary Instruction Coordinator for Madison City Schools, attended the final presentations and was “so impressed with students and so grateful to our community partners who provide these opportunities for our students. Every presenter pointed out the importance of failure in the learning process,” Powell said in an online post.

In addition, the engineering internship class led Hour of Code activities for software coding with students in grade 4-6 in the STEM Club at Madison Elementary School.