Above: Pictured, from left, are the 2026 industrial engineer interns: Nathan Hoffman, Sarakshi Kandel, Nilda Gibbons, Briggs Menendez, and Chloe Smith.
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Before they could improve a process, they first had to understand it.
That meant climbing aboard ships, walking through shops, studying production and, most importantly, talking with the shipbuilders doing the work every day.
Five industrial engineering students from four universities—Briggs Menendez and Nilda Gibbons from Mississippi State, Nathan Hoffman from Auburn University, Sarakshi Kandel from Georgia Tech and Chloe Smith from Louisiana State University—spent the summer working alongside Production Engineering and Process Improvement teams.
Their goal was simple: find ways to make work easier for shipbuilders across the yard.
Rather than making recommendations from behind a desk, the interns hit the deckplate to learn from the people who know the work best.
"On every project, I spoke with the people actually doing the work, and they provided the solutions needed to solve the problems we were trying to tackle," said Briggs Menendez. "When their ideas were heard and actually used, you could see the pride they took in it."
TRACKING THE PROCESS
One of the team's largest projects tracked pipe material through the shipyard—from the time it arrives at Central Receiving until finished pipe details are installed aboard the ship.
The interns studied each stage of the process to better understand where issues occurred and identify opportunities to improve material tracking.
"In the Pipe Shop, we worked to understand the problem of missing and damaged pipe and implement a solution to alleviate that problem while gathering data throughout the process," Briggs explained. "One thing we did was look into barcode scanners to scan pipe at different process points to gain insight."
The team also partnered with the Sheetmetal Shop to better understand fabrication processes and identify opportunities to reduce time that doesn't directly support production.
"We worked to figure out the actual steps of the process and compare utilized versus non-utilized time, especially for the machines. The goal was to minimize the non-utilized time,” said Chloe Smith.
Nilda Gibbons said the internship gave her the opportunity to apply concepts she'd only seen in the classroom.
"I learned about Lean, Six Sigma and process improvement in class, and I was able to use a lot of that here," she said. "I had just taken a process improvement class, so it was perfect timing to join the Process Improvement team.”
SAVING TIME + MATERIAL
The interns also worked directly with the Paint department to identify opportunities to reduce time spent preparing for work and give painters more time to paint.
"I am most proud of the work I have done with the Paint department," Briggs said. "We were tasked with making their job easier and, through both projects, I believe we have eliminated some of the problems they were facing."
One project evaluated battery-powered tools that could reduce manual cleaning during surface preparation. By reducing the time spent pulling lines and getting equipment to the work area, painters could spend more of their shift doing the work they're trained to do.
Another project focused on the bags used to keep paint and hardener separate until painters reach their work area. Instead of losing valuable pot life during travel, painters can mix the materials when they're ready to begin work.
The result: painters spend more time painting and less time preparing materials.
Sometimes, the best improvements aren't complicated solutions.
"Sometimes it's a simple idea; it just needs to be put into practice,” said Nathan Hoffman. "The paint bag solution is one of those."
LEARNING FROM SHIPBUILDERS
This summer gave the interns their first opportunity to see concepts learned in a book applied to a real-world manufacturing environment.
"When you're in these classes, it's all theory," said Chloe. "When you come out here, you can actually see it. It really connected a lot of dots for me."
Working alongside experienced shipbuilders gave those classroom lessons even more meaning for Sarakshi Kendel.
"I really got to see the day-to-day tasks shipbuilders perform and truly how hands-on it is,” said Sarakshi. “I came to the realization that even though everyone has different roles, they all come together to work towards the same mission. This honestly was inspiring to me because everyone is valued and taken seriously here."
Just as valuable were the relationships they built with shipbuilders across the yard.
"My favorite part was connecting with people and understanding their stories," Chloe said. "We got to hear what they thought would make their jobs better. They do it every day, so they know."
THE NEXT GENERATION
Beyond engineering experience, the internship gave the students a better understanding of the people and purpose behind naval shipbuilding.
For Nathan, coming to Ingalls was personal.
"My grandfather worked here, and my uncle worked here," he said. "I've lived here all my life, so I knew I wanted to try to get an internship at Ingalls."
"The vessels built here are truly incredible,” said Briggs. “It's something I never would have been able to comprehend without seeing it in person, especially being able to see the ships through different stages of production.”
As the internship wraps up, the students leave with more than technical experience. They leave with a new appreciation for the shipbuilders whose knowledge shaped every project they worked on—and for the role those improvements play in delivering quality ships to the fleet.
