Nathaniel  Berntson

Major: Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering
Expected Graduation: 2025

• Who are you interning with?

Heller Industries

• Explain the details of your internship. 

I serve as a Mechanical Engineering Intern at Heller Industries. Heller makes specialized custom industrial ovens for various industries, but focuses on semiconductor reflow applications. Those ovens essentially have conveyer belts that transport PCB Boards through convection heating zones in the oven, to ultimately create a strong mechanical and electrical connections between the board and its electronic components. To better understand how these complex ovens are manufactured, the interns at Heller traveled to South Korea to gain hands-on experience with sheet metal manufacturing and oven assembly processes. This experience was amazing, and not only provided great technical insight, but also cultural knowledge that is invaluable when working in an international company!

The largest project I have worked on so far at Heller included performing tests that will inform the design of a conduction-based oven in the early development phase. As a part of this project, I designed and manufactured equipment that was utilized across 14 tests, and then organized this test data into a 24-page report. The other major project I have worked on is creating a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) workflow model. This is to ensure engineers set up and run simulations that are representative of the real world using CFD. To create this, I completed a training course on SolidWorks Flow Simulation, and am now replicating existing flow simulations to create this first-of-its-kind workflow model for engineers.

• How did you find this opportunity? 

I found this opportunity through networking and applying to over 60 internships, in conjugation with growing connections with Case School of Engineering alumni throughout this past year (my Junior year). I developed these connections through the Case Alumni Association (CAA), which I cannot recommend enough!

• What has your experience been so far?

This internship has been the best experience I have ever had interning. Being able to contribute to new complex products in development is very exciting, and not only makes for a unique learning experience, but also makes the work I am doing relevant and important. I feel like I am being treated as a capable young engineer here, which is fantastic, as it means I am given impactful projects with deep technical challenges and complexity. This experience, combined with global exposure gained from the South Korea trip, has been amazing. I never would have imagined traveling to a foreign country as a part of an internship that would expand my understanding of international business practices!

• What are you most looking forward to?

Although I am well along into my internship as I write this, I am excited to finish my CFD workflow project, and provide feedback on how the internship went to my mentor and manager. I have always wanted to work with CFD, and getting paid to do it is almost surreal. Providing feedback is also always fun, as it's a chance to reflect on what you have accomplished and allows the company to improve the internship experience in the future!

• What's your best advice for students who might be looking for a similar opportunity?

Persevere, fight for yourself, and never look down on any opportunity. Getting an internship is tremendously difficult, and for most people it will require every ounce of their ability and strength. Most companies do not prioritize internships, they will ghost you, and they may not even answer your calls after an interview — but you must continue to fight. Leverage your network, and if you don't have any connections, make new ones with Case alumni. Apply to as many internships as possible, but balance the ones that will be very hard to get with ones that you have a better chance of getting. There are millions of students looking for internships, which makes them very competitive, so be reasonable! Also don't blind yourself to other summer opportunities if you can't get an internship. Making an amazing project at Think[box], doing research, or spending the summer making a website, growing connections, and getting ahead on classes are all good options. Yes, internships may be the best way to get experience, but you have a long career ahead of you that you are just starting! You don't need the perfect internship right now to have an awesome career, so don't stress out too much. You have time, and you can do this.

• Anything else to share?

Given my proximity to NYC at this New Jersey internship, I was able to explore the city on the weekends, and even went to Boston too. This was a lot of fun and was a nice perk to being located here!