Internship Highlight: Maile Estacion, PPG

Maile Estacion, a rising senior in Materials Science and Engineering (MSE), spent her summer bridging the gap between academic theory and real-world industrial application as a Formulations Intern for the Ambient Cure and Surface Function Coatings team at PPG. After connecting with representatives from PPG during an on-campus visit during the school year, Maile was eager to take advantage of their internship program and gain more experience in the polymers side of materials science. 

During the course of her experience with the global manufacturing company, she worked on a critical challenge in their architectural product development, trying to replace one of the main fillers in the paint without compromising the performance. As she participated in the program, she came to appreciate the opportunities to approach her work from different perspectives. 

“As someone who likes hands-on tasks, I enjoyed the balance of lab work to computer work,” she said.

 Throughout the course of her internship at the company’s headquarters in Pittsburgh, she was able to apply what she had already learned as a student in the materials science and engineering program to her projects. Notably, she was able to draw connections between the formulations she developed and how she would expect it to perform.

The MSE curriculum has allowed me to be comfortable working in team settings and presenting my work, and to have an intuitive understanding of the behavior of the materials.

Maile Estacion, Senior Materials Science and Engineering Student

“The MSE curriculum has allowed me to be comfortable working in team settings and presenting my work, and to have an intuitive understanding of the behavior of the materials.”

As Maile enters her senior year, she’s gained experience through the internship that has expanded her skill set, particularly with a better understanding of chemistry knowledge related to polymers to conceptualize the factors impacting their intermolecular behavior.

“Working in an R&D setting allowed me to explore fundamental concepts of material science in an applied setting,” she said. 

Maile’s experience at PPG highlights the value of combining academic experiences with industry-led experimentation, which is critical to the modern materials science workforce.