Trine student applies DET major skills to summer internship

By Faith Fegley
English ′25

Carson Carteaux, a sophomore design engineering technology (DET) major at Trine University, spent his summer applying his degree skills to his summer internship experience with Tippmann Construction.

“[My major] helped in the design aspect,” stated Carteaux. “It helped in knowing different ways that engineers like things to be designed, and just having the mind to make it look neat on the computer.”

Tippmann Construction, affiliated with Tippmann Group in Fort Wayne, Indiana, has a three-year summer internship program for current college students. The internship experience allows students to gain exposure and real-world application in the fields of technology and construction.

“Being a freshman, a lot of it was learning how to use AutoCAD and more about [designing] cold storage warehouses,” stated Carteaux in regard to his learning experience at Tippmann Construction. “The main project I worked on was a mock intern project where I designed a whole cold storage warehouse from scratch on AutoCAD. This included a floor plan, racking plan, building elevations and site. Everything was up to standard and was designed like a real-world building…I got a broad view of the whole company.”

 “I also was able to travel out to two construction job sites for a week each,” said Carteaux. “One was in Harrison, Ohio, and the other was in Cleveland, Tennessee. While I was in Tennessee, I was tasked to design two different concrete utility pads that connected to the building. These were designed on AutoCAD…the design went through and those pads are there today.”

Carteaux will continue to remain involved with Tippmann Construction as a second-year intern.

“They're very flexible with what I'm interested in and what I want to keep doing,” said Carteaux. “Being a second-year, I’m going to be doing design work and sales, primarily.”

Carteaux notes the group’s friendly and welcoming atmosphere as being a key factor in his acceptance of the internship position.

“My favorite thing about the internship was the people I was around. I can talk to everyone and everyone is super friendly,” said Carteaux. “You ask any questions that you have, and they’ll tell you anything you need to know. I’ve recommended [the internship] to a lot of my friends… it's a great place and it's like a big family.”

Carteaux continues to recommend the position to fellow Trine students, both through word of mouth and through working at Tippmann Group’s booth at Trine Career Center’s recent career fair. He hopes to continue to stay with the Group throughout their three-year internship experience and begin his future career with them.

“I see myself staying with them all the way through college, and then full-time out of college,” stated Carteaux.