Vartega interns choose their own adventure in exploring recycled carbon fiber

In the spirit of fostering creativity, Vartega continued the annual tradition of hosting summer interns. This summer, Vartega welcomed three mechanical engineering interns: Jack Betz, a junior from Colorado School of Mines; Taylir Nagel, a May 2025 graduate from Utah State University; and Niyan Patel, a junior at Purdue University. Each of these students began their Vartega internship by choosing their own engineering projects while gaining experience for future advanced manufacturing and carbon fiber recycling careers.

Intern, Taylir Nagel, a recent grad from Utah State University, calculating modulus.

Vartega internships offer an opportunity to introduce students to the innovations surrounding the process of recycling carbon fiber. “I never would have thought of pelletizing recycled carbon fiber,” said Nagel, whose internship was sponsored by IACMI – The Composites Institute. “Because of the way that Vartega is recycling the fibers, they can use the carbon fiber in really technically specific applications that I wouldn’t have thought of.”

Being a small company, the interns have an opportunity to support priorities across the organization that reflect their academic and career interests. “Throughout the year we have interesting projects that build up, but we don’t have the bandwidth to prioritize them. So, we build definition to clarify these topics, and then we present the potential projects to our interns to have them explore and develop solutions. This gives engineering interns the opportunity to take big swings on challenges that motivate them,” explained Vartega Vice President of Engineering, Sean Kline. This summer, these experiences have helped students in the broad major of mechanical engineering better understand some of the avenues they can take in their education and future careers.

Niyan Patel, a junior at Purdue University, building a safety circuit during his Vartega internship.

“This was my first actual time doing mechanical engineering out of the classroom,” said Niyan Patel. “This internship was interesting to me because I was able to work with my hands. I built a safety circuit by creating wiring diagrams and then setting everything up. It was cool to use the engineering process in real life to create multiple iterations of solutions to the problem.” Being able to problem-solve and put lessons from the classroom into practice is a crucial element to successful internships and evolves based on the interests of the student.

Additionally, these experiences give students the opportunity to build out their skillsets and try out projects that are challenging for them. Taylir Nagel noted, “In my internship I’ve been able to help with safety and AutoCAD, which has helped me branch out and be better at things I’m not naturally good at. I’ve been able to support a lot of aspects of the company – and it’s been really cool to feel like I’m not just supporting engineering; but I can see how what I’m doing supports the company as a whole.”

Jack Betz, a junior at Colorado School of Mines, working with machine vision software.

Jack Betz focused his internship on machine vision and how to use AI software in advantageous applications, “I learned through this internship how to not just blindly trust the AI model and how to make decisions from the information I know. I also learned that it’s really important to follow-up this process with conversations with engineers and teammates to fully understand the desired behavior.” Vartega’s collaborative engineering and production process as well as its sense of community supports students’ empowerment to feel comfortable talking with engineers, asking questions, and creating solutions that support the company.

“This year we paired each intern up with an engineer to create a type of mentorship atmosphere to the internship,” explained Vartega’s Chief Technology Officer, Dan Flagg, PhD. “Every year we learn something new about our program and how we structure the internships – and we try to improve upon it every year.” This year’s engineer pairing helped the interns to have close mentorship while still managing their own projects and appreciating the breadth of their work. “I’ve been able to touch a lot of areas in the company. I’m not just helping engineering – I’m helping the company as a whole.” said Nagel.

Vartega has hosted more than 15 interns since the company launched in 2014 – prioritizing learning opportunities for students since Vartega’s early startup years. As the company continues to grow, it maintains its priority of providing educational experiences for students and a collaborative environment where students can explore their interests and grow their knowledge and skills.