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Kasthuri Pillapalayam

Student Spotlight: Kasthuri Pillapalayam

  Student Stories ,  

Kasthuri Pillapalayam got the opportunity to work at Collins Aerospace as a manufacturing engineer ntern in summer 2022. She worked at their Troy, Ohio, site, which manufactures wheels and brakes for many commercial and military clients.

My main project this past summer has been to work on process maps and develop standard work for our chemical lines. I collaborated with a lot of the engineers that installed our equipment, operators that had been working the chemical lines for years, and also with our EHS analysts to develop our standard work. I also assisted in the process improvement of our wastewater treatment by providing suggestions for preventative maintenance.

Having learned about standard work, process maps, and preventative maintenance in my industrial engineering classes, this internship showed me the importance of its real-world implementation, and gave so much more meaning to what I study in school.

This internship has been an amazing opportunity to learn more about the aerospace industry, especially the six different business units part of Collins. We were able to listen to and ask questions to executives in avionics, interiors, power & controls, and advanced structures every week.

Additionally, I was able to network with individuals in continuous improvement, shipping, procurement, quality, engineering management, materials, and many other departments. This gave me the ability to identify what full-time roles I might be interested in after graduation.

After having an amazing internship experience, I highly recommend any current engineering students to apply for an internship or co-op.  And be sure you visit the Engineering Professional Practice Office. It truly adds another dimension of value to your education!

Joshua Morcos

Student Spotlight: Joshua Morcos

  Student Stories , ,  

Joshua Morcos, a mechanical engineering major, worked a co-op assignment with Altec in their fabrication area—”Fab” for short. He shares his experience working with the company.

Fab is the very beginning of the manufacturing process. We make all the parts that are used downstream to assemble a utility truck body. Our task was to ensure that parts were accurate to the engineering drawing and within tolerance.

I was in charge of implementing safety and efficiency improvements as deemed necessary. I worked to ensure all machine operators were well equipped to run their respective machines. I led a project related to a material quality issue that ensured the correct type of steel was used in certain applications. I created a digital report in SQL that displayed to supervisors what the Fab department was working on and jobs that we have incoming. I also led a project testing a new type of adhesive used to adhere metal together. I learned about writing SQL code and creating SSRS reports, as well as general manufacturing processes, and more about tolerances and interpreting a drawing.

Addison Cable

Addison Cable

  Student Stories ,  

Addison Cable is a junior in mechanical engineering who interned in summer 2022 with Industrial Project Innovation (IPI), a project management company that works on projects throughout the country. Addison worked in St. Louis, Missouri, as a project management intern.

I learned so much from my internship experience. I was exposed to an entirely new career path that I otherwise would not have had the chance to explore. Project management isn’t a part of the mechanical engineering curriculum, but it was a really great experience for me. Construction is a really interesting field and you get to experience new things every day.

I learned a lot during my internship about other engineering disciplines and how to integrate them into a project. I also learned a lot about reading and interpreting drawings, especially pipe drawings.

I believe that co-ops and internships are an absolutely vital part of our education as engineers and make us much better in our roles. Both my co-op and internship have taught me so much about both engineering and myself! They were also very valuable in teaching me the aspects of each job that I liked and disliked, which in turn has helped me to decide the path I hope for my career to take. I truly believe that accepting a co-op or internship is the single most important thing you can do as an engineering student.

Hayden Rogers

  Student Stories ,  

Hayden Rogers, a senior in civil and environmental engineering, interned in summer 2022 for the US Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration in the Eastern Federal Lands Highway Division. He shares the experience he gained and the benefits he felt for his engineering plans and goals.

I worked out of the Tupelo, Mississippi, field office on Natchez Trace, and was assigned to NATR 2A18, a 40-mile mega-project spanning from Mississippi to Alabama. My responsibilities include becoming familiar with the project contract/plans/FHWA FP-14/project site and ultimately noticing when a task or item was incorrect and did not meet specifications.

I also completed daily inspectors reports (IDRs) documenting all the issues, which were then placed in the project documents. I worked on creating punch lists for work that still needed to be completed and independent government estimates (IGEs) for some of the contract modifications—to compare to the contractor’s estimates.

Additionally, I compiled prices for materials/labor/equipment, estimating the time and mobilization needed to complete the activity. I would take and gather photos of the existing work and terrain while performing detailed calculations.

The most notable benefit I received from this rotation is the ability to see how a project can go from a scope to a (nearly) finished product. I feel it is invaluable that I completed the survey internship in my last rotation as this serves as a basis for civil engineering.

Being able to go from the preliminary planning stage to boots on the ground and seeing a nearly finished product, while also having a hand in it, gave me a well-rounded idea of the civil engineering profession. It also solidified that this is the right major and career path for me! I highly encourage any student to look into an internship assignment.

Sreya Kumpatla stands next to a 1/6th scale model of the NISAR spacecraft.

Sreya Kumpatla

  Student Stories , ,  

Sreya Kumpatla, a senior majoring in aerospace engineering, shares her experience from her 2022 summer internship at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

This was my second summer as a mechanical engineering intern at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. I served in a mechanical support engineer role for the Mars Sample Return campaign, which includes several missions that seek to return the first ever Martian surface samples back to Earth.

I specifically work on the Earth Return Orbiter (ERO), on the End Effector of the Capture, Containment, and Return System (CCRS). Our team’s End Effector is responsible for capturing the samples Perseverance collects, once the Sample Retrieval Lander (SRL) launches the samples into orbit.

Working on the MSR CCRS End Effector team has given me a glimpse into the realm of incredibly complex mechanisms like never before. Seeing so many detailed subsystems all fitting together into one mechanism is so satisfying, and being able to converse with engineers, new and old, and hear their knowledge and advice has been so valuable to me.

The immersiveness and technical depth of my internship is what made it such a rewarding work experience, and interning at JPL has allowed me to deepen my technical skillset in topics like computer aided design (CAD), harness diagrams, and thermal engineering calculations. Being a JPL intern also allowed me to make so many amazing friends that go to schools across the country.

With this being my second internship, and as I continue to work for the End Effector team remotely and part time for my senior year, I’m also setting myself up in an ideal position for a job offer from JPL. I’m incredibly fortunate to have received this opportunity and can’t wait to see where it takes me. As we say at JPL: Dare Mighty Things!

Ben Johnson at BAE Systems.

Ben Johnson

  Student Stories , ,  

Ben Johnson completed a co-op with BAE Systems, and the chemical engineering major wrote about his experience below.

During my rotation, I worked in the acids department at BAE Systems. My responsibilities included updating P&IDs, creating and revising operating procedures, and creating scopes of work for multiple smaller projects. Some of my projects included an acetic anhydride tank cleaning project, new insulation project, ESD interlock testing, manual valve labeling, and finding a replacement heat exchanger. I continued to learn to read, modify, and create P&ID drawings. Also, I had experience operating PHA Pro software during PHAs and HAZOP design studies.

I gained technical communication skills, and I benefited by gaining real-world experience before graduation.

Abigail Chubb holds up a badge.

Abigail Chubb

  Student Stories , ,  

Abigail Chubb completed a co-op with Northrop Grumman last summer. The aerospace engineering major wrote about her experience below.

I worked in the Mission Operations Development Department, as part of the Tactical Space Systems Sector, within the Space Systems Division. The responsibility of the Mission Operations department is to manage satellite operations from preparation & rehearsal activities to launch and early-orbit phases of a mission. My main projects were to help design and test user interface pages for a proprietary ground system satellite software and develop a technical document outlining typical mission rehearsal activities.

I feel I discovered that Northrop Grumman’s values closely align with mine and my passion for this country, national defense, and the protection of our freedoms. The opportunity to work for such a great company really excites me, and I think this internship affirmed my interest in this realm of the aerospace industry.

Addison Cable.

Addison Cable

  Student Stories , ,  

Addison Cable, a mechanical engineering major, wrote about her co-op with Kimberly-Clark.

I worked primarily in L4 converting, which is responsible for producing hand towels. L4 maintains three assets: HRT2, MFT4, and MBSF. My key responsibilities were to learn the fundamentals of CAD/3D design, design and install projects, and support installation and start-up of capital projects. My primary projects were: redesign and install of MFT4 Trim Elimination system; W1/W2 Conveyor install; MFT1 and 2 guarding redesign; HRT2 Logsaw start-up support; redesign of W1 core machine date code printer web-path and installation of static-elimination bar; MFT4 embossing roll platform install; MFT4 clip tipper redesign and install; MBSF speed up conveyor housing redesign; MFT3 KDF rail and backstop redesign.

My co-op with Kimberly-Clark has taught me so much about being an engineer, and has really made me feel confident in my major. I’ve built several technical skills, such as my SolidWorks skills and creating drawings, but I think more importantly, I’ve learned a lot more about working with people. I’ve worked with several other engineers and learned a lot from their experiences, and I’ve also worked with maintenance and operating partners. Everyone I’ve worked with has difference experience and knowledge to share, and I’ve learned a lot from them. I’ve also had the chance to experience what engineering is like out in the field, rather than in the theoretical.

Matthew Newman on the job at Mississippi Lime Company.

Matthew Newman

  Student Stories , ,  

Chemical and biomolecular engineering student Matthew Newman completed a co-op with Mississippi Lime Company. He wrote about his experience below.

I worked in Peerless Rotary Production alongside the process engineer for Peerless Rotary. The responsibilities of the department consisted of the day-to-day running of the kilns. This consisted of monitoring the kilns using live data feeds, gathering and running samples of fuel, stone, and lime, auto-sampler upkeep, anything involving refractory in the kilns, preheaters, and coolers. We also planned and ran stone trials and fuel trials as well as helping with stack testing. The day-to-day running of the kilns could include anything from increasing or decreasing loading on the kilns, a change in temperature settings, or changing some setting in the coal mills. I ran coal grinds and mill profiles to check how the coal mill was running with its current fuel blend and to check for leakage. I was tasked with sample collection for the stone and fuel trials as well as for the stack tests.

My projects included an airflow project to help provide data for a large-scale stone blending project, installing auto-samplers, and running a stone trial. The airflow project was designed to determine the effects in differential pressure across the preheater tower based on the stone blend. The project gave great insight into how the stone blend and the scalping screen affect the pressure. The lime auto-samplers for both kilns needed to be relocated due to a new lime handling system. The locations of the samplers were in hard-to-reach places and located away from each other. Working with maintenance and electricians we relocated the two auto-samplers to a more accessible area. The stone trial was designed to see how the stone blend affected the iron impurities in the lime. This trial gave us a much better understanding of the Code L balance (a kiln dust byproduct carrying out most of the impurities).

Getting real work experience has definitely been a great benefit. I have a better understanding of how to operate as an engineer in production as well as solidifying my interest in working in a production setting.

Eli Macon wears a hard hat while on the job.

Eli Macon

  Student Stories , ,  

Industrial engineering student Eli Macon completed a co-op with Facility Systems Consultants in summer 2021 and wrote about his experience below.

This past summer I worked for Facility Systems Consultants, LLC. My responsibilities were to assist the head engineer and designer by performing evaluations of drawings, load calculations, drawing sets ups, among my many tasks.

During the summer, I was challenged every week with a new project, so the first couple of weeks were a bit challenging but I was encouraged to be patient because with repetition, future projects would become easier. Soon I began to handle my projects like second nature, once I had a firm foundation of AutoCAD.

Learning AutoCAD was the greatest benefit I received this summer because the software can be used for many different jobs. I also was able to learn from my manager about what facility systems does and how the process of consulting works. I was also able to work with a lot of great people who helped me be successful and gave me great advice about my future career. Lastly, I was given the opportunity to go on site visits where I learned what the AutoCAD drawings look like in real life, helping me understand why we do what we do.

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