Mechanical engineering internship fellowship
This mechanical engineering internship centres on the solar-powered river-cleaning machine Earth5R built for the Mithi River in Mumbai, and a mentor guides your work at each step. You study how it works from its build records, map each part of its design and propose improvements for Indian rivers.
For school and university students curious about how machines are designed, who want to study one built for a real Indian river. Online, with field work near where you live. The fellowship is paid because every fellow receives time and attention from senior researchers and leaders.
Why mechanical engineering matters for sustainability
Many environmental fixes depend on machines. Composters, recycling equipment and river-cleaning machines all have moving parts that carry loads and wear out. Mechanical engineers design these parts and choose materials that last. They also keep energy use low, which matters when a machine runs on solar power. In the field, rain and salt water test every joint, so a good design keeps working in those conditions.
Earth5R built a solar-powered river-cleaning machine for the Mithi River in Mumbai with the UN Technology Innovation Labs, now UN Global Pulse. It was first built in Finland and then rebuilt for tidal and monsoon conditions. As a fellow you study it through photos, videos, build documents and view-only CAD designs, and work out what had to change between the two builds.
This work links to the UN Sustainable Development Goals: Goal 6, Clean water and sanitation and Goal 9, Industry, innovation and infrastructure.
Available projects in the mechanical engineering internship fellowship
You join Earth5R’s live work through your own subject. Your mentor shapes the final project with you.
How the river machine works
Use the build documents, photos and view-only CAD designs of the Mithi River machine to draw a system diagram of its main parts and explain what each part does.
Designing for tides and monsoons
Study how the machine was adapted after its first build in Finland, and explain which design choices respond to tidal flows and monsoon conditions on the Mithi River.
Improve one part of the design
Pick one part of the machine, such as how it collects or holds waste, and propose an improvement for Indian rivers with sketches, simple calculations and a material choice.
Drum composter redesign
Study the drum composters Earth5R designed from reused industrial containers for housing societies, and work out how to make them easier to use and longer lasting.
What you do in the field
- Read the machine’s build documents and list its parts and materials
- Explore the view-only CAD designs and draw your own system diagrams
- Visit a river or lake near you and record how waste moves with the water
- Run simple calculations on loads, flow or power use
- Sketch and document a design improvement with your mentor
- Present your proposal in a research conversation and defend your choices
Skills you build
On a mechanical engineering internship, you collect your own data near where you live, using the Earth5R app and data forms. Earth5R checks the data on its platform before it goes into your project report.
How the mechanical engineering internship fellowship works
Every fellow moves through four phases. Each phase is checked by your mentor before you move on.
Observe and Map
Go into the field near where you live and collect primary data for your project in Mechanical Engineering.
Frame and Design
Find the root cause in your data and frame a problem worth solving, with your mentor.
Model
Build a working model, analysis or design for your solution, and test it.
Build and Deploy
Put your solution to work, measure the result and publish a verified record on earth5r.org.
Along the way you take part in research conversations with professors at MIT, Oxford, Cambridge, LSE and other universities, and ask your own questions. See how FIELDWORK works.
Where this can take you
Degrees this work supports
- BTech or BE in Mechanical Engineering
- BTech in Mechatronics or Robotics
- MS or MTech in Mechanical Engineering
- MSc in Sustainable Energy Engineering
- Master’s in Engineering Design or Product Development
Careers in this field
- Mechanical design engineer
- Clean technology engineer
- Renewable energy engineer
- Product development engineer
- Engineer at a water or waste equipment company
Universities known for Mechanical Engineering
Strong mechanical engineering programmes look for applicants who can explain how a machine works and justify a design choice with simple numbers. A fellowship project gives you a documented design study of a real machine, reviewed by your mentor and recorded on earth5r.org. Students use a mechanical engineering internship to build a record of real work for applications to universities like these.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
USA · Department of Mechanical Engineering (MechE)
MIT’s Department of Mechanical Engineering (MechE) offers undergraduate and graduate degrees. Research spans mechanics, design, controls, energy, ocean engineering, bioengineering, and micro and nano engineering, with impact work in health and the environment. One recent MechE spinout uses waterless plastic recycling to turn plastic waste into building parts.
USA · Department of Mechanical Engineering
Stanford Mechanical Engineering offers bachelor’s degrees in mechanical engineering and biomechanical engineering, a master’s programme and a PhD. Its four research areas are computational engineering, design, human health and sustainability. Groups within the department include the Design Group and the Thermofluids, Energy, and Propulsion Systems Group.
University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley)
USA · Department of Mechanical Engineering
Berkeley’s Department of Mechanical Engineering teaches undergraduates and runs graduate programmes including the MEng, MS, fifth-year MS and PhD. Research areas include energy science and technology, manufacturing, ocean engineering, robotics, controls and biomechanical engineering. Students also have access to a student machine shop for hands-on work.
Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech)
USA · George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering
Georgia Tech’s George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering runs undergraduate and graduate programmes in mechanical engineering and in nuclear and radiological engineering. Its research groups include Heat Transfer, Combustion and Energy Systems, Manufacturing, Micro and Nano Engineering, and Automation, Robotics and Control.
USA · Department of Mechanical Engineering
Michigan’s Department of Mechanical Engineering runs undergraduate and graduate programmes, with research in energy, thermal sciences, manufacturing, and automotive and future transportation. Its centres include the Automotive Research Center and the SM Wu Research Center. Faculty work includes offshore renewable energy and sunlight-driven hydrogen production.
UK · Department of Engineering
Cambridge’s Department of Engineering brings all engineering disciplines, including mechanical engineering, into one department with undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Its six academic divisions include Energy, Fluids and Turbomachinery, and Mechanics, Materials and Design. The department aims for research that supports sustainability, prosperity and resilience.
UK · Department of Mechanical Engineering
Imperial’s Department of Mechanical Engineering offers an undergraduate programme, a taught Master’s and PhD research. Research groups include Applied Mechanics, Mechanics of Materials and Thermofluids. In the third year, student teams complete Design, Make and Test projects, a major engineering design exercise.
Switzerland · Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering (D-MAVT)
ETH’s Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering (D-MAVT) runs a mechanical engineering degree that combines mechanics, thermodynamics, fluid dynamics and design with fields such as robotics and energy technology. Research focuses on innovative production, mobility and transportation, medical technologies and sustainable energy.
Delft University of Technology (TU Delft)
Netherlands · Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
TU Delft’s Faculty of Mechanical Engineering runs bachelor’s programmes in mechanical engineering and marine technology, plus master’s tracks such as Energy, Flow and Process Technology. Its seven departments include Process and Energy and Cognitive Robotics. Energy research covers decarbonising power generation, hydrogen production, and carbon capture and storage.
National University of Singapore (NUS)
Singapore · Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Design and Engineering
NUS Mechanical Engineering, part of the College of Design and Engineering, offers the BEng in Mechanical Engineering, a BEng in Robotics and Machine Intelligence, MSc programmes and research degrees. Its research thrusts include advanced manufacturing, robotics, computational fluid dynamics, and energy-efficient thermal and storage systems.
This list is for guidance. These universities are widely known for Mechanical Engineering. Earth5R has no admissions arrangement with them, and admission decisions rest with each university. Fellows get help researching universities, scholarships and applications, depending on the programme.
What your fellowship fee pays for
An internship fellowship at Earth5R is time and attention from senior researchers and leaders. Each part below takes staff time and resources that we set aside for every fellow.
Live mentoring with experts
One-to-one mentoring in most fellowships, with regular check-ins on your project.
Dialogues with global researchers
Academics from international universities and renowned scientists, who answer your questions and discuss your work.
Support in the field
Guidance while you collect data and work on your project in the field.
References for your next step
References when you apply for jobs, higher studies and research programmes.
Your work, hosted for life
Your work and data stay on Earth5R’s website and servers for life, where universities and employers can check them.
Time from senior people
Each fellow receives time and attention from senior researchers and leaders, set aside for them.
Fee details available on request.
Choose your fellowship
The fee pays for live mentoring, dialogues with global researchers, support in the field, references and lifelong hosting of your work. Fee details available on request.
Mechanical engineering internship: common questions
Can I edit the CAD designs?
The CAD designs are view-only, so you study them and draw your own sketches and diagrams. Your improvement ideas go into your project report with drawings and calculations, reviewed by your mentor.
Do I need CAD skills for a mechanical engineering internship?
No. You can start with sketches and simple diagrams, and your mentor shows you how to read CAD drawings. Students who already use CAD software can model their own design changes.
What field work does the mechanical engineering internship include?
You visit a river, lake or drain near where you live and record, safely from the bank, how water, waste and debris move through it. If you can, you go back after rain. This shows you the conditions any river-cleaning design has to handle.
Is the mechanical engineering internship fellowship paid?
Yes. It is a paid, mentored internship fellowship. The fee pays for live mentoring, dialogues with global researchers, support in the field, references and lifelong hosting of your work. Fee details are available on request.
Can I do this mechanical engineering internship online?
Yes. FIELDWORK runs online, and your field work takes place near where you live. Your mentor guides you through each step.
Who can apply?
School and university students from India and other countries. The fellowship prepares you for university, postgraduate study and work.
What do I get at the end?
A certificate, a letter of recommendation, a project report and a verified profile on earth5r.org, where universities and employers can check your work.
Apply for the mechanical engineering internship fellowship
Work on a live Earth5R project in Mechanical Engineering with a mentor, take part in research conversations with global researchers, and build a verified record of your work. Fee details available on request.
