July 26, 2022

Sam Kaplan is conducting an internship at LMI Aerospace.

Mizzou students participate in internships to gain experience in the workplace before graduating.

Sam Kaplan, a senior in mechanical and aerospace engineering, is conducting an internship at LMI Aerospace this summer.

We asked him a few questions about the experience.

Tell us about your internship at LMI Aerospace. What’s your role and primary responsibility?   

I work alongside LMI project engineers as a part of the team focused on continuous improvement of machine operations. Our team’s purpose is to facilitate an increase in efficiency and productivity in order to ultimately increase production levels.  

What’s a typical day like?   

A typical day usually starts with a daily meeting to track progress on our various projects, as well as identify any obstacles we need support with. After that, we start working on whatever is necessary to complete our projects. One day that might be doing some coding, and another it might be creating floor layouts to increase efficiency.  

How did Mizzou Engineering prepare you for this internship?  

Mizzou Engineering has prepared me by providing experiences which developed my problem solving skills. Throughout the past few years of coursework, I’ve faced a couple of projects which really took me out of my comfort zone and tested my critical thinking skills. Being pushed like this definitely helped develop those skills and ultimately prepared me for this position. 

How did Mizzou Engineering Career Services assist you with securing or preparing for this internship?  

Mizzou engineering career services assisted in securing the internship by putting on the career fair. It was really nice being able to have a face to face conversation with the LMI Aerospace representative to get my foot in the door.  

What have you enjoyed most working at LMI Aerospace so far?   

So far I’ve most enjoyed being able to see firsthand the manufacturing process of all the different commercial and military aircraft components produced by LMI. 

What have you learned from your internship experience?   

I’ve realized that knowing specific equations from your upper-level classes is not nearly as important as just having the critical thinking skills necessary to come up with solutions for complex problems.  

What advice would you give other students wanting to have a similar internship experience?  

Get involved with any of the student design teams! Prior to Fall ‘21, I really wasn’t that involved with a design team. Because of this, I struggled to find an internship at the beginning of the fall semester. However, this year I was very committed and heavily involved with Mizzou AeroTigers working on building our plane, and by the time the Spring career fair came around I had tons of valuable experiences to speak with employers about. 

Thanks for sharing!

Want to study engineering at a college with hands-on student org opportunities? Apply to Mizzou today!