A unique experience in California: Alexandre, work-study student at SIGMAPHI, immersed in LBNL.
As part of his training at ESIGELEC, a general engineering school in Rouen, France, an apprentice has the opportunity to complete a six-month internship in California, at the prestigious Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). A project made possible thanks to the productive collaboration between LBNL and Sigmaphi.
An opportunity born of a trusting partnership
This internship is part of the international mobility program offered in the second year of the engineering cycle at ESIGELEC. Thanks to the solid relations established over several years between Sigmaphi and LBNL, particularly in the field of pulsed products, a concrete opportunity has arisen for a student to go out into the field.
The student will join the R&I (Removal and Installations) team, responsible for replacing magnets on the ALS (Advanced Light Source) line, one of the laboratory’s major infrastructures. The internship will not only provide an opportunity for professional immersion in an international context, but will also strengthen existing links between the two organizations.
An internship rich in technical and human learning
The assignments are varied and stimulating. They combine office work, with the use of design software and plans, and field work to position and align magnets. By being at the heart of the installation, in direct contact with LBNL’s engineering and maintenance teams, Alexandre will be able to increase his skills while developing a concrete vision of the final installations on which Sigmaphi works upstream.
The objective is also relational: to create a stronger link instead between the LBNL and Sigmaphi teams, by acting as a local point of contact to encourage future exchanges.
On a personal and academic level, this internship represents a real departure from our comfort zone. Working in an international team, discovering a different corporate culture, evolving in a cutting-edge research environment: all of these challenges and enrichments are expected.
Solid support from Sigmaphi
This project is fully in line with Sigmaphi’s commitment to supporting its employees.
The support provided was both administrative and logistical. Prior to departure, several meetings were organized with the head of LBNL’s engineering department, facilitated by Frédérick Forest – R&D Director at SIGMAPHI, enabling a gradual, well-prepared integration.
By offering this opportunity, Sigmaphi is not only providing a future engineer with an exceptional professional experience, but is also strengthening its presence and links within a major international research laboratory.
