Meet AMP’s 2026 Summer Interns

This summer, Johnny Homsy, Sophia Wirths, and Wyatt Peirson were three of the interns we welcomed to AMP. Johnny is a rising senior at the University of Colorado Boulder, pursuing his bachelor's degree in Finance & Computer Science Integration, and is a supply chain intern supporting projects related to operational analysis, reporting, and process improvement. Sophia graduated in May with a computer science degree from the Colorado School of Mines, focusing on Robotics and Intelligent Systems, and is a Software Intern before starting her master's in Robotics this fall. Wyatt is finishing his mechanical engineering degree at Texas Christian University and spent the summer as an Organics R&D Intern.

What is the most interesting project you've worked on at AMP?

Johnny: Over the past couple of months, I've supported a range of strategic supply chain initiatives focused on extracting operational insights to help AMP prepare for long term growth. This has looked like in-depth data analysis, cleanup, and utilization, giving us clearer visibility into areas of improvement as AMP scales. One of these projects involves developing a dashboard to track supply chain KPIs week over week across multiple projects. I've enjoyed seeing how data can be transformed into actionable insights that support better decision-making. It has also been exciting to build something that can continue to evolve as AMP grows.

Sophia: I'm working on a project to help with our jet robots, which sort recyclables from the trash using air jets. As trash and recyclables pass over the jets, they'll fire air to sort them into different areas, and those jets can get clogged. I'm writing a test to check which valves are clogged so that maintenance can go in and unclog them. That's going to help a lot with precision, accuracy, and of course, the less clogged valves there are, the better our systems function.

Wyatt: One of the most interesting projects I've worked on this summer has been retrofitting an existing apparatus to monitor and evaluate the feasibility of producing compost from the MSW we intake and sort. Using controls and mechanical design, I've set up four separate compost media to be monitored and tested, with the goal of ultimately yielding a low contamination rate and allowing AMP to produce compost from MSW.

What's one lesson from your internship that will stay with you?

Johnny: Outside of the technical aspects of the role, one lesson that has particularly stuck with me is the importance of fostering and building strong relationships, both internally and externally. During the internship, I've had the opportunity to go on site, meet with suppliers, and tour recycling facilities, which broadened my view on how important that aspect of the business is. Whether working with coworkers, suppliers, or potential partners, trust and strong communication can play a major role in whether a project or partnership succeeds.

Sophia: Everyone I've worked with at AMP has been incredibly supportive and welcoming to my questions. Aside from the technical knowledge and lessons on professionalism, the biggest thing I've gained from this internship is the ability to ask "dumb" questions. As a software intern, I've had to get familiar with a lot of code quickly. Learning this alone would have taken me much longer than it did by just asking the software engineers around me. I had almost daily calls with personal mentors to ask about specific parts of the codebase and generally about the inner workings here at AMP. While being an intern comes with the expectation that I'll have many questions, the general lesson that questions are always helpful is what will stay with me because I've seen the direct impact of that on my work.

Wyatt: This internship gave me real insight into, and appreciation for, how the waste industry actually operates. Many people don't realize that, historically, waste has been sent to a single sorting facility where workers manually separate materials, a process that is both labor-intensive and far from ideal considering a health and safety standpoint. Learning this reinforced why AMP's mission resonates with me: to reduce the reliance on manual sorting and move toward a safer, more sustainable solution through robotics.

What accomplishment are you most proud of from your internship?

Johnny: I'm most proud of the impact I've been able to make in a relatively short amount of time. Being part of a lean team has given me the freedom to take ownership of meaningful projects and see how my work contributes to the team's priorities and AMP's broader goals. In particular, I'm proud of creating analyses and reporting tools that make complex information easier to understand and act on. Seeing my work being used by the team and even upper management has been one of the most rewarding parts of the internship.

Sophia: I am most proud of my contributions to the virtual valve collision models early in the summer. I implemented changes that reduced valve usage by 10% without negatively impacting efficiency, recovery, or purity, and these improvements are now fully deployed in the lab. It was very rewarding to take a project from concept to a deployed solution that had a measurable, positive impact on our hardware performance, especially doing so early on. It gave me the drive and confidence to take on more projects and I've since worked on four more. From analyzing missed targets with the lab belt camera to working on valve health tests and model rotation tuning, I'm proud that I've been able to take ownership of these assignments, work on them in a timely manner, and handle the workload I've been trusted with.

Wyatt: I'm most proud of the range of new skills I gained this summer; from working in the machine shop, to writing code for controllers, to running structured research tests in the field. These experiences have given me a well-rounded technical foundation that I'll carry with me into my senior year and career.