Amazing 3M Interns, Robust Opportunities Yield Impact and Innovation

By Kristen Ludgate

The end of summer also means the close of the intern season here at 3M. Our 900+ interns across 37 countries will head to their next adventure—whether back at their colleges or universities, or on to full-time employment. So, now is the perfect time to reflect on the impact they have on 3M and how their participation in significant projects is supported through our collaborative, innovative culture.

Take Zach Ingram, for example. Zach shared more about his impactful summer internship in a recent article, but let me share, in a nutshell, what he has accomplished.

Zach was an R&D intern in the Medical Solutions Division. Working under the direction of Audrey Sherman, division scientist and holder of more than 125 patents, Zach was given freedom to dig into a project that would improve the performance of dressings that help secure catheters used by medical patients.

As Zach described it, “My favorite part of my internship has just been the amount of freedom and support I have gotten to just run with my project and take it where it needs to go.”

Zach ultimately developed an enhancement in the product’s design that improved its performance by about 30 percent. The initial results of Zach’s project were, as Audrey noted, “a huge increase over what 3M researchers were planning.”

3M is pursuing a new patent for the upgraded technology, which someday could result in Zach’s first patent. And while the results of his project may be beyond the norm, the scope and substance of his assignment are not atypical. 3M intern projects, while designed to be completed during the course of the internship, present 3M interns with real business challenges that mirror the work of full-time 3Mers across the company—design, manufacturing, sales, marketing, engineering, IT, finance and healthcare.

Consider Dakarai Saunders, who spent the summer with us before returning for her junior year at Spelman College in Atlanta. Before her R&D internship, she said she couldn’t imagine herself working in corporate America. As an intern, she spent two months developing a method for treating and preventing medical adhesive-related skin injuries in healthcare facilities. Now, Dakarai is enthused by the opportunities that await her in chemistry and biochemistry.

"I am extremely grateful for my experience at 3M this summer,” shares Dakaria. “A question that many scientists often ask is why; 3M has provided me with a space to discover my ‘why’ in pursuit of a career in life sciences. My answer—a passion for learning drives my desire to innovate."

Our interns learn so much from their experiences across the 3M global footprint. But, these students also teach valuable lessons on the importance of inclusion through the impact they have while they’re here. 3M interns are members of the big 3M team, not “junior helpers,” and they make real contributions. This reflects 3M’s longstanding approach to innovation – assembling diverse, multi-faceted teams to generate the best ideas for any project.

As Zach noted in the 3M News Center article, “I feel like I’m working on something that has a real chance to make a positive impact on people, and I am grateful to be able to play an important role in it. I definitely could see myself working at 3M.”

Other interns share Zach’s point of view. Rachel Malloy, a 3M manufacturing execution system technical analyst had this description of her intern experience:

“The projects are cool, but I think the real edge is how hard the HR partners work to make sure that you are exposed to as many people in 3M as possible. Those connections have helped set me up for success in my career.”

The many talents of 3M interns make me so optimistic about the future! And, it’s great to hear that they found opportunities at 3M to participate and thrive. Isn’t that what we all want from an employer? Makes me proud to be a 3Mer.