On this year’s National Intern Day, the Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI), part of UL Research Institutes, is celebrating our summer interns. With diverse roles and responsibilities, the 2024 cohort brings skills and talents that help drive the mission of creating a more fire-safe world. Meet FSRI’s interns and learn more about their work this summer below.
Ethan Bruce is a fire protection engineering intern who assists with small- and large-scale experiments and is currently fabricating housing for gas analyzers. These analyzers take in samples of air and measure the percentage of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and oxygen present in the sample, which is beneficial for determining fire behavior and patterns. Ethan is a senior at Purdue University, where he is earning his Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering.
“The most impactful part of my time at FSRI has been learning about how the work here truly goes towards making a difference in the world. One of the most enjoyable parts of the summer has been jumping into the hands-on experience that goes towards ensuring public safety as well as the safety of firefighters and first responders. My work is extremely fulfilling, and I am grateful for the opportunity to conduct such important projects.”
Ava Casaus is a graphic design intern on the Digital Media Production (DMP) team. A rising senior at Elon University, Ava is pursuing her bachelor’s in strategic communication and communication design. So far, she has developed and fostered her skills by designing a soon-to-be-published MMA Yield Illustration, designing various graphs, email banners, resource sheets, and creating new social media templates and apparel.
“My internship has been incredibly informative and rewarding. My team encourages me daily to push myself which builds my confidence. This opportunity has taught me something new each day, and I feel more prepared, knowledgeable, and skilled as a functional communicator in design.”
Alexis Castillo is a communications intern and has been conducting her internship with FSRI since January 2023. Starting her internship during her junior year at the University of Maryland, College Park, Alexis originally focused on supporting research projects, programs, and general amplification needs. Now, a recent graduate with a bachelor’s in communication, Alexis has shifted to leading the amplification efforts for research projects, such as fire modeling, and other marketing and communication endeavors.
“My internship at FSRI has truly been a pivotal experience during my time as a student and young professional. The skills I’ve learned here have brought a new depth to my knowledge gained in the classroom, and the unwavering support from my colleagues is something I am so grateful for. Having the chance to learn, grow, and flourish is an experience every internship should offer.”
Avnii Mishra is a software intern who assists in developing the back end of the Materials and Products database. She currently attends Johns Hopkins University where she is earning her Bachelor of Science in computer and cognitive science. Anvii has contributed to the development of a data acquisition tool for recording experiments, a project aimed to be open-source software for public use. Through this, she has learned to utilize different frontend and backend frameworks and explored non-linear programming techniques.
“My favorite part of my internship experience are the people I’ve worked with and learned from. My mentors have allowed me room for professional growth, and a balance between support and independence throughout the summer. My project has taught me so much about software development as well as presenting and packaging software.”
Lauren Moxley is a marketing and communications intern and she lends her skills in copywriting to support amplification efforts for various research projects. She is a rising senior at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County where she is pursuing her Bachelor of Arts in media and communications. Throughout her internship, Lauren has developed her storytelling skills by writing about the FSRI research regarding lithium-ion batteries, firebrands in WUI areas, and damage of heat flux through walls.
“I’ve had such a great internship experience so far. Between having the chance to practice my technical writing skills in a real-world environment and engaging in a mentoring program, the support I have received is incredibly valuable and appreciated. ULRI has an amazing internship program.”
Frank Reynolds is a fire protection engineering intern who assists with small- and large-scale experiments. He is pursuing his master’s degree in fire and explosion investigations at the University of New Haven and holds a bachelor’s degree in forensic science and analysis from the Galway Mayo Institute of Technology. Throughout his internship, Frank has been developing new system packages to upgrade outdated equipment. He has also built Data Acquisition Systems, which will be used in the field to record several different measurements.
“Interning at FSRI has been a great experience. I’ve enjoyed my time working on my projects and getting to learn under the guidance of my mentors, Joseph Johnson, and Joe Willi. The team spirit is alive and well, and it’s been a pleasure to be a part of it.”
Jamari Williams is a marketing data analytics intern attending Towson University where he majors in computer information systems. This summer, he has developed dashboards for different FSRI amplification needs. His work has included visualizing different media mentions related to fire-related incidents and rescues on the FSRI Meltwater dashboard and assisting with various backend projects.
“My experience throughout my internship and working with my mentor, Manoj, has been incredibly insightful. Learning how to optimize data to help people through my projects is an exciting aspect, and has been great practice for my future career.”
Ivy Zou is a software intern who is pursuing a master’s degree in engineering in computer science from Johns Hopkins University. She holds a bachelor’s degree in actuarial science from the Central University of Finance and Economics. During her internship, she designed and implemented several key features to the Materials and Products Database, such as front-end design, backend implementation, file upload and data parsing, data-driven layout logic, and generic criteria search support.
“This summer, my project was quite engaging as it closely aligns with real-world needs and had substantial practical significance. Having the opportunity to work on the Materials and Products database, which we hope to become a standardized platform, is extremely meaningful as it will ultimately contribute to better fire safety measures. I’m proud of the user-centric design and sustainable iterative approach we employed to this robust tool for researchers.”
FSRI is proud to provide support for students throughout their internships and careers. The Internship Program offers a wide range of opportunities for motivated students to contribute to the FSRI mission of addressing unresolved safety risks in the world. Throughout the years, many of our interns have gone on to graduate and begin their careers at FSRI.