Frank Tornetta - March 2000

In my mind, Boehringer Labs is an ideal company to do an internship with. The small size of the company, combined with the wide range of personalities and extreme depths of knowledge and expertise, provide the perfect setting for a young engineering student to experience everything that is a part of being an engineer. By having the manufacturing facility in house, you are given the ability to see your ideas become a reality. This feature also allows you to develop a respect and appreciation for the talents of the machinists and production workers. Working with the people in manufacturing is where I feel I learned the most at Boehringer. Engineering isn't just about having an idea that works on paper. If the machinist can't understand your drawing, or if he just doesn't have the tools to do what you ask, then all the effort you put into your design is worthless, no matter how "pretty" it looks. By having the people and the tools at your fingertips, you learn so much more than your classes can teach you.

At Boehringer, in addition to improving your technical skills and knowledge, you learn how to deal with, work with, and succeed with different people who have very different personalities.

Your experience at Boehringer Labs will be what you make it. There is a great balance between structure and freedom which allows you to get the most out of your time spent with the company. As long as you are eager to work and ready to learn, an internship with Boehringer will be more than you expect.