{"id":2088,"date":"2025-10-14T06:04:28","date_gmt":"2025-10-14T06:04:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/2088\/"},"modified":"2025-10-14T06:04:28","modified_gmt":"2025-10-14T06:04:28","slug":"future-engineers-tackle-real-world-challenges-at-corpus-christi-army-depot-article","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/2088\/","title":{"rendered":"Future Engineers Tackle Real-World Challenges at Corpus Christi Army Depot | Article"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Fy25 Interns with Dr. Hua Li, former intern Nicole Escamilla, and SGM Angelo Rickert,
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Force Modernization Specialist Dr. Kurt Adams watches Justin ‘Doug’ Cook, general engineer ,participates in TAMUK engineering student’s robotics demonstration.
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By: Dr. Kurt Adams, Force Modernization Specialist<\/p>\n

Enhancing partnerships with local academia is directly tied to Army recruitment, retention and readiness. Eleven engineering students from Texas A&M University-Kingsville and Del Mar College recently completed an intensive eight-week internship at the Corpus Christi Army Depot. Sponsored by grants from NASA and the U.S. Department of Education, the program immersed a diverse group of mechanical, industrial and architectural engineering majors in real-world challenges.<\/p>\n

The interns delivered solutions focused on improving material flow, optimizing shop floor layouts and designing innovative tools and fixtures \u2014 all aimed at enhancing CCAD\u2019s efficiency and safety in its mission to maintain rotary-wing aircraft.<\/p>\n

This partnership is the result of years of collaboration between CCAD and Texas A&M-Kingsville, led by Dr. Hua Li, a professor of engineering. Li\u2019s efforts were crucial in securing funding to make the opportunity possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe internship at CCAD gave the students invaluable opportunities outside their classrooms to experience real-world work environments,\u201d Li said. \u201cMore importantly, the internship enhances students\u2019 professional development skills and increases their confidence and career readiness.\u201d<\/p>\n

The program is making a tangible impact, not just on the students\u2019 skill sets, but also on the depot\u2019s operations. Through hands-on experience, the interns provided innovative solutions that enhanced safety, improved efficiency and increased effectiveness at CCAD.<\/p>\n

For instance, intern teams tackled complex issues across the depot, resulting in several improvements:<\/p>\n

\u2022\tPrototyping tools that reduced processing time, improved safety and enhanced asset protection.<\/p>\n

\u2022\tDeveloping safer, more efficient methods for transporting the power distribution panel into the AH-64E Apache helicopter, reducing risk to parts and personnel.<\/p>\n

\u2022\tDesigning a specialized tool to streamline O-ring installation, cutting a one-hour process to minutes while preventing part damage in hydraulic shops.<\/p>\n

\u2022\tAddressing a single point of failure in the UH-60 rotary shaft fixture, ensuring continuity and reducing delays.<\/p>\n

\u2022\tIntroducing safer practices during the CH-47 transmission painting procedure.<\/p>\n

\u2022\tImproving measurement methods for rotor blade spar installation, ensuring structural integrity.<\/p>\n

Li emphasized the importance of local opportunities, especially for students with personal or family responsibilities.<\/p>\n

\u201cStudents are the heart of our Javelina family,\u201d he said. \u201cThe internship at CCAD provides our students with the highest levels of engagement in relevant and dynamic learning experiences, which will transform these students into well-rounded leaders in their future careers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Depot Sgt. Maj. Angelo Rickert highlighted the broader significance.<\/p>\n

\u201cCCAD partnerships with institutions of higher learning, such as Texas A&M-Kingsville, demonstrate the Army\u2019s commitment to investing in workforce development in the Coastal Bend,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

As this program grows, it provides students with essential experience while creating a talent pool for CCAD\u2019s future. The interns\u2019 innovative solutions not only strengthen CCAD\u2019s operations but also prepare the next generation of engineers to tackle tomorrow\u2019s challenges.<\/p>\n

For 250 years, the U.S. Army has offered opportunities for service to the nation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"1 \/ 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption \u2013 Fy25 Interns with Dr. Hua Li, former intern Nicole…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2089,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[155,157,156],"class_list":["post-2088","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-corpus-christi","tag-corpus-christi","tag-corpus-christi-headlines","tag-corpus-christi-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2088","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2088"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2088\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2089"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2088"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2088"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2088"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}