Sandia National Laboratories

Research intern

April 2019 • Albuquerque, NM

What I liked

Great community of Engineers and Researchers who are helpful, supportive, and intelligent.

What I wish was different

More hands on experience

Advice

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Cognitive Sciences Research and Development Intern

June 2018 • Livermore, CA

What I liked

I had the opportunity to explore research at a professional level, explore new fields, and learn more every day.

What I wish was different

Advice

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Undergrad R&D Intern

June 2018 • Albuquerque, NM

What I liked

Work was interesting, great mentors, good pay, good working environment.

What I wish was different

Advice

Start looking for positions at national labs early, around August or September.

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Software Engineering Intern

May 2019 • Albuquerque, NM

What I liked

The people there were very helpful and kind. There was a network of interns that would do hangouts frequently, and different groups formed based on interests. For example, there was a group that did rock climbing and other outdoor activities. Many opportunities to grow professionally. Many seminars that were available to attend, which helped you get an idea if another field that your work doesn't directly deal with would be something you might want to look into in the future. Managers wanted you to work where your passions and skills intersect. My schedule was very flexible. Corporate-wide they have several work schedules: work 9 hours/day M-F of one week and M-T of the next week, then get Friday off, or work 10 hours/day 4 days a week and always get Friday off. With the nature of my work and managers, however, I was able to work pretty much whatever hours I wanted as long as I got my 40 hours in and made it to all my meetings. Also, the pay was above average for engineering internships, which was nice. Relocation stipends for both the arrival and departure trips were awarded for those living far away.

What I wish was different

It's in Albuquerque, which I personally wasn't the biggest fan of. It is desert-y, not much grass, and not many trees or wildlife. The lack of humidity was very nice, though. It would be in the upper 90s, and I wouldn't be sweating.

Advice

Go for it! Sandia is a great company to work for with great benefits and opportunities for growth. They care about their employees and emphasize diversity and equality. If you can get past Albuquerque (or find out you like it there!), I'd say it's a great place to work.

2 ${count} people found this helpful

Research and design intern

May - August 2019 • Albuquerque, NM

What I liked

I liked the work and mentors

What I wish was different

Better establishment of expectations early-on

Advice

Sandia’s internship programs do not communicate well with departments that participate, so managers will not be aware of intern events you may be attending. Therefore, never assume the department knows when you’re off doing intern events, always communicate this to them.

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Mechanical Engineering Intern

May 2019 • Albuquerque, NM

What I liked

Great team

What I wish was different

Advice

Keep applying.

Be the first to mark this as helpful

R&D Intern

May - August 2019 • Albuquerque, NM

What I liked

-Interesting facilities and capabilities -Motivated and highly experienced coworkers and mentors -Important and fulfilling work

What I wish was different

That I could have seen the results of my work during the internship.

Advice

Be enthusiastic and open to new experiences.

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Intern

February 2019 • Albuquerque, NM

What I liked

Could work a 9/80 schedule, Interesting work, Always had something to do

What I wish was different

Advice

Join a Sandia department rather than a giant intern program to get more work and more useful projects

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Electrical Engineering Intern

April 2019 • Kirtland Air Force Base, NM

What I liked

Great pay and interesting work

What I wish was different

Less paperwork

Advice

Don't get pulled over by the Base Police

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Intern

May - August 2023 • Albuquerque, NM

What I liked

Sandia has some really nice facilities and they treat their interns very well

What I wish was different

I wish I had learned more about the location to find a better area to live in

Advice

Reach out, make connections and your experience will be that much better

Be the first to mark this as helpful

High Performance Computing Intern

May - August 2019 • Albuquerque, NM

What I liked

Sandia is a good company to work for, and so working for them was an enjoyable experience.

What I wish was different

My job was a bit outside my major's wheelhouse

Advice

Electrical Engineering students need to get: A. C/C++ experience B. Unix Command Line experience These proved very helpful in securing and completing my job.

Be the first to mark this as helpful

SULI R&D Summer Intern

June - August 2023 • Livermore, CA

What I liked

I was exposed to a professional research environment at one of the worlds best research labs. I had no idea what research was like so it was very cool to be able to see it from the inside and learn about it that way. I got to help do real design work on a research team and I could tell that it was actually helpful for the team and in an area that is important and impactful.

What I wish was different

Advice

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Summer Undergraduate Student Research and Development Intern

May 2017 • Albuquerque, NM

What I liked

The work was fascinating and challenging. My coworkers were very interesting, and I met a great group of other interns who became good friends. Albuquerque is a great city, and I was able to spend most of my weekends hiking and camping.

What I wish was different

Can't imagine much! I truly loved this experience.

Advice

Don't be afraid to ask to go to intern-specific and other Sandia-related events during the work day. Meet and talk to everyone you can, and never say no!

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Technical Intern

June 2016 - September 2017 • Livermore, CA

What I liked

I really enjoyed my time at Sandia. My role there was mainly involved in programming. One thing I liked about being an intern at Sandia is the mentorship they provide. Interns are assigned a mentor, but in reality, any of the Sandia staff there are happy to advise you in your academic and professional career. In addition, I liked how I was able to meet and work with the Sandia staff. Lastly, I liked how I was surrounded by the brightest minds in the world and how I was able to partake in impactful work.

What I wish was different

I wish there were more opportunities to network with Sandia staff. Also, I wish there was free food.

Advice

Don't just focus on your work at Sandia. Make sure that you also network with the people around you. If a different project interests you there, make sure you contact the project's lead. You might even be offered an internship position for that project. Keep in mind that Sandia only hires graduate students for full-time positions.

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Test Engineering Intern

June - August 2015 • Albuquerque, NM

What I liked

Very fast paced job. I was given real work that was a lot more difficult than school classed. Had to teach myself how to program in Matlab and analyze shock and vibrations to assist in the product analysis.

What I wish was different

Wish I had a little more support in showing me how to do this type of analysis. I had to use company resources and research how to complete my tasks. A lot more difficult than school work.