BW engineering major works summer internship with NASA

For an engineering major, it is the summer internship of dreams - the opportunity to work at NASA. Madison Kile '21, part of the inaugural engineering class at BW, was propelled by the young engineering program to earn an internship with NASA through the Ohio Space Grant Consortium.

Working at NASA Glenn Research Center

Kile's internship involved working at NASA Glenn Research Center in the Icing Branch. "My internship primarily involved doing adhesion testing on ice samples using an electromechanical load frame and a custom testing rig," Kile explained.

"I tested samples of ice formed in NASA's icing research tunnel on metal coupons. Hopefully, these tests will further our understanding of ice adhesion and in some way contribute to NASA's search for a solution to aircraft icing," said Kile.

"Dr. Muga was a tremendous help to me," Kile said of her professor and engineering program director, who first found out about the internship and sent in Kile's resume. "She wrote me a great letter of recommendation," Kile continued, "and we discussed what I should expect during the interview process."

After her resume was sent in, the process toward landing the internship moved very quickly. "I did a phone interview in a BW van on my way home from a track meet, so it was a little crazy!" shared Kile.

Successful new program

The BW engineering major began enrolling students in fall 2017 and is a broad-based study combining math, science and computing with the problem-solving and communication skills fostered through a liberal arts education. The program provides a strong background in engineering fundamentals and covers a wide range of disciplines.