Three students pursuing STEM degrees put their knowledge to the test and gained real-world experience this summer with internships at Honda, Hanwha Philly Shipyard and SAP.

For Temple University students pursuing STEM degrees, summer internships are an opportunity to put their classroom knowledge to the test and solve real engineering and technology challenges. Whether testing next-generation automotive features, helping build commercial ships or working to adopt AI technology, internships help students sharpen their skills and build professional confidence.  

Read more about three Owls who spent the summer getting a glimpse into their future STEM careers. 

Sarah Mansoor
School/college: College of Engineering
Major/class year: Electrical and computer engineering, Class of 2027
Hometown: Frederick, Maryland
Internship title: Infotainment and user validation intern
Internship company: Honda 

Sarah Mansoor has loved cars for as long as she can remember.

“I was always a race car girl—always helping my dad pick out cars and going to car shows with him,” she said. Mansoor’s family only owns Hondas, and her dad taught her at a young age how to change the oil in all the family cars, especially their Odyssey.

Naturally, Mansoor spent last school year applying for summer internships with automotive companies. The door to her dream internship opened following an encounter with Honda recruiters at a Society of Women Engineers conference in New Orleans last year.

Mansoor spent the summer working as an infotainment and user validation intern for Honda’s plant in Raymond, Ohio. In the role, Mansoor examined Honda’s competitor cars to understand their features and how they incorporate technology in their vehicles.

In this context, infotainment refers to a car’s center information display (CID) screen, which controls vehicle settings and features like Apple CarPlay. As a user validation intern, Mansoor worked on identifying and advancing CID functions that drivers rely on. Her department focused on Honda’s off-roading users.

“I did a lot of in-vehicle testing,” she said. “So we would go off-roading and collect data that we’d use to develop functions that users want.”

The internship was Mansoor’s first experience working in mass production at a big company. While she was initially a little intimidated, she quickly gained confidence in her abilities and the preparation she’d received at Temple.

“I had a breakthrough realization that if you don’t know something, spend some time researching it and ask questions,” she said. “I was nervous to ask questions at first because everyone was so busy, but they were all so supportive and understanding. That really helped with my development.”

The internship validated that Mansoor is in the right industry. She hopes to return to Honda after graduating, and her dream job is to one day become an F1 racing engineer.  

Scott Blickley
School/college: College of Engineering
Major/class year: Mechanical engineering, Class of 2027
Hometown: Bensalem, Pennsylvania
Internship title:  Outfitting engineering intern
Internship company: Hanwha Philly Shipyard

Shipbuilding runs in the Blickley family. Scott Blickley’s great-grandfather worked in the Philadelphia Navy Yard, and hearing those stories growing up piqued his interest in the work. So when Hanwha Philly Shipyard’s (HPSI) talent acquisition team attended a Temple career fair last year, Blickley knew exactly where he wanted to do his summer internship.

As an outfitting engineering intern, Blickley spent the summer supporting a variety of projects ranging from preparing engineering drawings and documents to writing test procedures for the commercial cargo ships being built in the yard. He also spent time out in the shipyard itself, gaining firsthand experience with the ships under construction.

One of his favorite moments came while helping align the propulsion system for a cargo ship in the yard’s dry dock.

“I was in the bottom of the dry dock doing measurements to align carriers that hold the bearings before we pulled the shaft through,” he said. “It was a lot of hands-on engineering work. That was probably the coolest thing I've done.”

The internship also gave Blickley his first experience working on a multidisciplinary engineering team, requiring him to collaborate with colleagues across a range of departments. He said the experience strengthened his problem-solving skills and taught him the importance of learning from others.

“I thought I knew a good chunk of shipbuilding before I entered,” he said. “But getting into the yard, seeing the engineering drawings, and then putting a hard hat on and solving engineering issues out on the ship was a whole different experience.”

Blickley will continue to work part time in his role during the school year, and he has already received an offer to join HPSI full time after graduation.