Mechanical Engineering Intern (Summer 2027

Position: Mechanical Engineering Intern (Summer 2027) Company Overview Second Order Effects started in 2016 as a services firm, taking on other companies’ hardest engineering problems from first principles. We grew into a solutions firm that designs and ships complete custom electronics and systems, including power electronics, RF, and control systems. We’ve completed over 250 projects for more than 100 clients.

Our designs control rocket engines, manage satellite communications, instrument fusion reactors, and are enjoyed by consumers around the world. Company Overview Second Order Effects started in 2016 as a services firm, taking on other companies’ hardest engineering problems from first principles. We grew into a solutions firm that designs and ships complete custom electronics and systems, including power electronics, RF, and control systems.

We’ve completed over 250 projects for more than 100 clients. Our designs control rocket engines, manage satellite communications, instrument fusion reactors, and are enjoyed by consumers around the world. We approach problems from first principles.

We break challenges down to their most fundamental components, which is how we find solutions that hold up across industries, use cases, and engineering functions. We focus on solving the right problems and building the teams to take them on. Because we believe that training and empowering others yields a greater impact than focusing on developing any specific technology, we expect every single member of our team to participate in building up those around them.

In the past year, we’ve started taking our own concepts and spinning them out into separate companies that we believe will meet the emerging needs of our clients and the industry work is concentrating in frontier technology, including space, fusion and fission energy, and advanced vehicles. We currently have two spinout companies in stealth that we’re working on. Information about our mission, vision, and values can be found here.

Examples of the projects we have worked on can be found here.

Role Overview As a Mechanical Engineering Intern, you will play a hands‑on role in designing, developing, and testing complex mechanical systems for customer‑facing projects. In this role, you will contribute to the full development lifecycle, from initial concept and simulation through prototyping, validation, and integration. Whether it’s designing mechanisms and enclosures, performing structural analysis, or designing precision assemblies for manufacturability, you'll be making real contributions to complex systems.

This internship is designed to accelerate your technical growth, giving you the chance to build a strong foundation in mechanical engineering while making an immediate impact.

What You Will Do Ownership: Contribute to the design of mechanical systems for customers across various industries Design & Analysis: Utilize CAD and simulation tools to develop structural, thermal, and tolerance analyses for electromechanical assemblies, using both hand calculations and FEA Thermal Management: Design and analyze active and passive thermal management systems for custom electronic systems and packaging solutions Prototyping & Testing: Participate in test campaigns to validate hardware performance under shock, vibration, thermal, and other environmental stresses What You Will Need Current enrollment in college (Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Physics, Robotics, or related field)

Experience in designing, modeling, simulation, and testing of electromechanical components or assemblies

Experience with hand calculations, finite element analysis (FEA), and computer-aided design (CAD) Demonstrated passion and curiosity for mechanical engineering Strong problem-solving skills and initiative to overcome technical challenges Strong written and verbal technical communication skills; ability to explain design decisions and component selections What Would Be Useful

Experience in team‑based design and build projects (e.g., Formula SAE, Solar Car, Cube Sat, Rover Challenge, etc.) Familiarity with circuits and electrical engineering fundamentals Familiarity with manufacturing processes, such as machining, injection molding, water…