Meet AMP’s 2025 Summer Interns

This summer, we welcomed three interns to AMP: Braedyn White, Matt Winfield, and Vihaan Shah. Braedyn is a hardware engineering intern and is working toward a mechanical engineering degree at the University of Indianapolis, Matt is pursuing a master’s degree in finance at Vanderbilt University, and Vihaan is interning in robotics software before he begins his master’s in robotics at the University of Pennsylvania. Each was drawn to AMP by our mission, our people, and the chance to make a difference at a company transforming the waste industry.

What attracted you to this internship at AMP?

Braedyn: I learned about AMP through a professor during my first semester of junior year. As I researched the company, I was attracted to the impact AMP can make, and contributing to that mission excited me. I want to make the world a better place and AMP’s vision provides me an opportunity to do so. 

Matt: After pivoting from medicine to finance earlier this year, I knew I didn’t want to leave behind the mission-driven focus that first drew me to healthcare. I was looking for a hands-on role where I could learn quickly, contribute meaningfully, and be part of a company making a real impact. AMP stood out for its innovative approach to solving environmental challenges and the opportunity to work closely with a small, high-performing team. After speaking with a few team members, I could tell it was the kind of place where I’d be supported, challenged, and exposed to high-level strategic work.

Vihaan: I was drawn to this internship because of how hands-on it seemed – lots of prototyping, problem solving, and figuring things out rather than following a fixed path. I was also excited to see a robotics company using the programming language Rust in production, which is rare and exciting. I had applied to several robotics companies for a robotics software intern role, including AMP, but after my initial interviews, especially the conversation with my hiring manager, it became clear that this was a place where I’d get to work on real technical challenges in an important area: making recycling safer and more effective.

What’s the main project you’re working on right now?

Vihaan: I'm working on an exciting early-stage R&D battery sorting project that could evolve into a next-generation sorting system at AMP. It involves physical experiments in the lab to test feasibility and study the system’s response to different materials and conditions. The core challenge is that sorting batteries is both difficult and important. Misidentified or damaged batteries can cause fires, making them a serious hazard in recycling streams. The project needs to work under uncertain, real-world conditions, which makes it especially challenging. We're constantly prototyping, testing, and using the results to plan better designs. I’ve also been learning a lot by talking with experienced people at AMP about how they approach design and iteration.

Braedyn: I’m working on developing an automated battery sorting device, part of the same project that Vihaan outlined. Electronic waste creates a sorting challenge because of the material complexity and presence of hazardous material. Batteries often catch fire during collection or processing. In addition to the safety concerns, human sorters are not as accurate or consistent as automated systems. We don’t need to categorize AA and AAA batteries by their physical type, but by their chemical makeup, alkaline or lithium. Yet the physical appearance of these batteries is nearly identical. The solution I’m working on aims to improve the accuracy of detecting and sorting the batteries by their chemical makeup.

Matt: Over the past few months, I’ve been supporting a range of strategic finance initiatives aimed at long-term growth planning and improving operational visibility. My work has largely focused on learning and working within AMP’s financial models, contributing to internal reporting, and supporting ad-hoc analyses to inform decision-making. Working on a lean team has given me the opportunity to take ownership of meaningful work and develop a much deeper understanding of how finance supports strategy at a high-growth company.

What’s been the highlight of your internship?

Braedyn: The people, the experience, and the opportunity sum up the highlights of my internship. The people I’ve met since working here have quickly become friends. AMP, on day one, was such a welcoming environment, and it eased the transition from home in Indiana. I came to Colorado for the internship, so having that support right away was more than I could have asked for. Being able to travel and experience something new has opened my eyes to the world, and on top of that, the internship itself has taught me so much in eight weeks, more than I would’ve gained in a classroom setting. I’m involved in projects every year at school, but nothing compares to the opportunity to learn alongside engineers in a professional setting everyday.

Matt: The most memorable moment of my internship was getting to visit AMP HQ and see the technology in action. Touring the facility and seeing the AMP systems at work just steps away from where decisions are being made was incredibly inspiring. It’s rare to work somewhere where you can so clearly see how your contributions tie into the bigger picture.

What’s truly made this experience special, though, has been the people. I’ve learned a ton and feel lucky to have worked with such a smart, driven, and welcoming team. While I’d love to name everyone individually, there are simply too many to thank. That said, I do want to give a special shoutout to Jamie Keithahn, who’s been an incredible boss and mentor throughout my time at AMP. Despite how busy he is, he always made time to include me on meaningful projects, answer any questions I had, and support my growth however he could. I’m really grateful for that!

Vihaan: Coming from academic research, I wanted to work on something grounded in production. Starting from scratch on a lab-scale prototype has taught me a lot about how companies evaluate and iterate toward something deployable. I’ve also been able to do a mix of CAD, electronics, and Rust programming, which has kept the work engaging. Most importantly, I’ve learned concrete engineering tradeoffs from people with real experience, things that don’t show up in papers or courses. That’s been the most valuable part. And what makes it easy is that people here are genuinely helpful and welcoming.