Alijah Washington is a Manufacturing Engineering student at Virginia State University, where he is pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree with an expected graduation date of May 2028. He joined CCAM as an Additive Manufacturing Intern, bringing strong leadership experience and a growing technical foundation in advanced manufacturing technologies.
During his internship, Alijah focused on expanding his technical skill set in metal additive manufacturing while gaining exposure to industrial workflows and engineering software used in production environments. His goals for the internship included developing hands-on experience with additive manufacturing platforms and building transferable skills that will support both his academic coursework and future career in manufacturing engineering.
Alijah contributed to additive manufacturing process development by working with 3DExpert to create workflows that transfer and adapt build data from the EOS M290 system to the DMP 900 metal 3D printing machine. This work required comparing machine capabilities, build parameters, and data structures across platforms to support process consistency and knowledge transfer. Through this effort, Alijah gained practical experience using 3DExpert and EOS software tools to analyze workflows and support additive manufacturing operations.
Skill development was a major focus of Alijah’s internship experience. He strengthened his proficiency in Excel for data organization and workflow development and applied these skills to both internship projects and academic coursework. Alijah developed and refined workflow creation techniques, which he has used to host workshops and teach others, reinforcing his ability to communicate technical concepts effectively. He also grew his team management and leadership skills by learning from mentors and collaborating with peers in a professional engineering environment. Additionally, Alijah earned a certification on the EOS M290, enabling him to independently operate the system—an achievement he can leverage both at CCAM and at Virginia State University moving forward.
Beyond his technical contributions, Alijah is highly engaged on campus and in the broader engineering community. He is an active member of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, serves as Chairman of the SME S308 Chapter, and participates in the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). He also served as a Team Lead for a Design Thinking Competition hosted by Philip Haas and participated in the Virginia Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine policy program, reflecting his interest in leadership, innovation, and engineering advocacy.
Outside of his professional and academic pursuits, Alijah enjoys working out, spending time with his girlfriend, and working on his classic 1969 Plymouth Roadrunner. These interests reflect his hands-on mindset and passion for engineering beyond the classroom, bringing balance and personal motivation to his career development.
