Kalamazoo Times

Western Michigan University engineering students Dan Praise and Landon Sykes contributed to innovative projects during their summer internship at Moetion Technologies, an engineering firm in Grand Rapids. Their work included developing a single-batch soap-making robot for a boutique soap company and designing internal components for implantable medical devices.

“They built and tested this system, so it has all the components needed to actually automate the soap-making process, including user interface, motors, spatula and pumps, and all the required features,” said Ben Moes, company owner and CEO. “The customer was thrilled with what we produced. They actually showed it off at a trade show and were able to prove everything they’ve been describing to their potential investors for the past year and a half.”

Praise also constructed a 3D printer for in-house testing at Moetion Technologies. Both students gained hands-on experience on real-world projects from the beginning of their internship.

“We’ve been able to arm our interns with the knowledge and skills necessary to say to them, ‘We’re confident that you can accomplish this on your own. Here’s what you need to accomplish with our support and guidance. And then there are things that none of us know how to do, and we’ll have to work together to get it all done,’” said Moes. “It’s been phenomenal for us.”

“To be able to start an internship and be working on real projects from day one just amazed me. For Ben to have that trust in us meant a lot,” said Praise. “And it’s really helped me learn a lot, too.”

Sykes noted that his time at Moetion Technologies built upon his previous internship experience by allowing him to work closely with engineers involved in design rather than process engineering. He said, “My first internship gave me a foundation for working with teams of engineers. And here, I’m building on that by working with more engineers, especially ones who are doing something closer to what I’d like to be doing... Being here is a much different environment than anything I’ve ever experienced; I’m just fond of the entire experience.”

Praise highlighted how collaborating across different engineering disciplines helped him develop essential communication skills: “Here I have the ability to work with electrical engineers, hardware engineers, software engineers. For my design to work, I have to make sure it’s compatible with my coworkers’. So, this experience has really helped me build those communication skills.”

Sykes reflected on how practical experience clarified connections between his coursework: “It’s like I was sitting in front of this box of puzzle pieces... When you have the pieces, you don’t necessarily see the big picture... But I feel like now the connections and branches between the things I’ve learned are much more clear.”

Praise obtained his position through Western Michigan University's Broncos Lead Internship Program—an initiative supported by the Empowering Futures Gift—which funds paid internships for students while providing small businesses access to university talent.

“The ability to add skills sets to the team has been phenomenal for us,” said Moes. “No one here really had any experience doing mechanical design before... Without the support of the Broncos Lead program, we wouldn't have even pursued a mechanical engineering intern... So, for us... add some of these capabilities on these projects has been tremendous for us.”

“My goal for the internship was I didn’t want to go back to Western the same. And now I’m not, which I’m really, really happy about," said Praise.

Moes indicated he plans future collaborations: “I was really impressed with the quality of candidates that came our way... It was really awesome for us as a team to watch our next generation of employees already working together...”

Students concluded their internships having developed new technical abilities and professional relationships.

“I did not know how to use the software before but now I know and I'm learning even more,” said Praise.

“It may be ambitious to say but I think the rest of my degree will be smoother than I would have anticipated because of what I've learned in my internship,” added Sykes.