Wilbraham & Monson Academy's Atticus Russell '18 acquired a great opportunity when he was hired in June as an intern at FloDesign Sonics, a cutting edge engineering firm located within walking distance of campus.
When the internship concluded, however, Atticus felt somewhat incomplete because he didn't finish the project his group was tackling.
That's when Atticus reached out to WMA's Design Fellows, which allowed him to continue his work at the nationally known company.
"As I was doing my research and looking to improve the product, they offered me the chance to come back and continue working there," Atticus explained. "Since I enjoyed it so much I asked (Science Department Chair) Dr. (Kathleen) Gorski if it would be possible for me to continue it because it was so engaging. She said I could do it as a Design Fellow.
"We hadn't finished the project we were working on. Also, we were compiling a list of variables and the ways they affect other components of the filtration system. We hadn't finished that yet. I wanted it to be a finished product. When I got to go back I was able to continue all of that work and also learn some new skills, such as Computer Automated Design and fabrication."
Since the start of summer, on one of the company's newest patents, Atticus has been experimenting with trying to clarify a solution to extract proteins, which can then be used in the manufacturing of pharmaceuticals.
"It's all interesting," said Atticus, who was the only high school student among 20 college interns during the summer. "I'm always learning. I learn something new every day, whether it's the way to determine certain mathematical formulas or how to use CAD or build something new or learn something new about physics."
Atticus, along with all of the Design Fellows, will make presentations to all of the WMA Deans and Head of School Brian Easler at the end of the trimester.