Experience Matters - Grand Valley State University

Working as a contractor

Josiah
Major: Electrical Engineering This semester was split into two halves. The first half had me working at Disher on small customer or stewardship projects. I also spent time during this semester learning the coding language of Python. The second half of the semester I spent working as a contractor for one of Disher's clients as a components engineer. I helped the client's components engineer transition the company to a new database software and check their old database for errors.

Campaign Internship

Zachary
Major: Political Science Cutting turf for canvassing operations Scheduling events Planning Fundraisers Handled Social Media Operations

My time at the Kent County Defender's Office

Andrew
Major: Political Science As a student investigator I was tasked with assisting the attorneys in researching cases, meeting with clients and preparing documents. Much of my time was spent doing intakes, which is a procedure that happens whenever a new client comes in. This consists of interviewing the client and discussing their charges with them. I was also required to prepare the necessary court documents for the preliminary hearings and other documents used by the attorneys.

Refugee Resettlement Internship

Christy
Major: International Relations As a refugee resettlement intern, I assisted case workers in both the Resettlement and Matching Grant programs to provide services for newly-arrived refugees. This included teaching the financial literacy curriculum, providing bus training, arranging medical appointments, shadowing home visits, enrolling clients in ESL classes, completing case review of closed files, and much more.

GMCH Co-op 2

Alex
Major: Mechanical Engineering I worked on completing testing that was requested by the other engineers. Some specific tests were system response and component response of a new valve train system; component durability and robustness benchmarking of alternative materials on cam phasing components, and some EOT component measurements for the diesel engine programs.

Dornerworks Second Rotation

Nicholas
Major: Computer Engineering I work on an industrial appliance project . We designed the hardware and software for a module system for over 40 machines. I mainly did unit testing and making tools for future use. I also modified the source code where necessary.

Engineering Co-op Intern

Kevin
Major: Mechanical Engineering This semester, I designed fixtures that are being used to create one of the monitor mounting systems that we sell. These fixtures allow the systems to be built in a faster and safer manner than was previously used. I also worked on designs for a cart that has a magnet in it so that hospitals can use tablets on the cart, move the carts around and not have the tablets fall off.

Hardware Testing & Software

Michael
Major: Computer Engineering My two main tasks were to validate prototype hardware of the next generation of Limelight; as well as develop software utilities to help improve the overall system.

JR Automation Quoting Co-op

Joe
Major: Mechanical Engineering My tasks included everything from customer facility visits, concept development, and cost development, to presenting these ideas and costing to lead managers and then to engineers from the companies I would be submitting these quotes to. I was also able to work with our research and development team to develop and present innovative solutions to customers requesting technology that hadn't been previously tested.

Software at Dornerworks

Nicholas
Major: Computer Engineering I work on the Dexter Laundry project. We designed the hardware and software for a module system for over 40 washers and dryers. I mainly did unit testing and making tools for future use. I also modified the source code where necessary.

Koops Mechanical Engineering Co-op

Adam
Major: Mechanical Engineering As a mechanical engineering co-op I was placed as the lead mechanical engineering on projects, assigned to work on engineering changes for machines that have been shipped to the production plant, traveled to several productions plants, worked one-on-one with several customers, participated in and lead design reviews, and worked on designs with other mechanical engineers. Koops ensures that their co-ops are treated as mechanical engineers as soon as they enter the workplace. I would say that my experience was nothing short of having a full-time engineering position at Koops.

Co-op #2

Luke
Major: Mechanical Engineering This Past Semester I completed the tooling of a screw machine for a new job launch, I executed several design projects (tool holders, wash fixtures, and custom automation components), and improved an automated sorting system which I designed and implemented during my first co-op experience. I was also given the opportunity to represent the company during a customer visit and an out of state supplier visit.

Learning to Design Machines

Andrew
Major: Mechanical Engineering I was responsible for designing portions of machines, detailing prints for parts that were to be made, completing design checks for other engineers, supporting builders, and completing redlines for completed jobs.

Co-Op

Recodeo
Major: Computer Engineering As a Co-op software developer at SalesPad, I participate in the development of a real-world software; a software that will actually be used by businesses in the USA and around the world. My tasks went from fixing software issues to develop completely new features for the last born web app from SalesPad.

Winter Semester Co-Op (Round 2)

Joseph
Major: Mechanical Engineering 3D printing is a daily task that I've been assigned to. Running the 3D printer is a big responsibility, because without it, the prototypes being built in the advance prototype department (my department) would come to a halt. I've also done a lot of benchmarking, where I take data and tear down new production mirrors. It's a nice task that really lets me appreciate the engineering put into outside mirrors that a regular person couldn't see. It also helps me learn more about Magna Mirrors and what we specialize in and try to improve. I have mostly been working on projects where lighting is the main objective. These projects are really fun because of the challenge it gives me. Lighting is a really complex concept that I have little understanding of, but working with an engineer over the past couple months in my department has allowed me to learn much more.

Largest and Great Company LG

Yoonsun
Major: Electrical Engineering About work experiences, LG Chemicals are dealing with lots of automation devices. I learned process of battery production. Electrically, I was also dealing with lots of automation program. I was not actually designed a program. However, I had experiences with finding a problem on PLC Program. Because I can speak Korean, I also worked with Korean technician. And then, I educated other engineers, operators and American technician.

EGR Co-op 2

Christian
Major: Mechanical Engineering Manufacturing process improvement

Rotary Engine Experience

Mitchell
Major: Mechanical Engineering I worked on tasks related to the rotary engine program including tasks such as testing parts to determine cause of failure, working with the build log and disposition of parts, doing tolerance stackups to determine if a non-conforming part could be used as is, and working with a balancer to balance parts for the engine.

Co-Op Experience at Rose Medical; Winter, 2016

Travis
Major: Mechanical Engineering As a project engineering intern, I primarily supported the engineering team. This entailed manufacturing prototype parts, improving process efficiency, manufacturing of various fixtures, and general support of the company as a whole.

Twisthink Co-op Round 2

Audrey
Major: Electrical Engineering This round of co-op I was able to expand upon my programming skills by learning C#, and created several WPF applications during the planning and exploration phase of a project TT was working on. I studied the feasibility of various concepts such as drag and drop, reading/writing XML documents, and custom styles in WPF by creating these demo apps. In addition, I did a fair amount of hardware validation testing. This included taking measurements such as ripple voltage with different applied loads or transient response, and then making modifications to improve the performance. Similarly, I wrote some software unit tests to verify another board's performance for a separate project, as well as taking physical measurements and constructing graphs to display the data. I also did some research on live streaming, and extracted information about the various protocols, streaming providers, and how products that exist in the market accomplish streaming.

JR Automation Technologies Co-op II

Jon
Major: Mechanical Engineering I have worked for JR for two semesters and throughout that time have spent a vast majority of time quoting material handling cells, assembly cells, both fully auto, partially auto, and manually operated machines. This past rotation I worked in design and help detail two large press for pressing some components together. I dipped a bit in quoting to help knock out a few of the RFQ's that we were going to be late, but everything worked out. As far as the design aspect goes, datum features are my new best friend. This is because of the large amount of detailing that I completed,which really help me to think about how a machinist would actually go about making the specific part.

Tool Design

Andrew
Major: Mechanical Engineering I solved multiple production issues using Pam-Stamp metal forming simulation software to identify key issues and suggesting solutions. I have designed production tooling and fingers to produce new parts. I have done miscellaneous design work for our presses as well. I have also done some gage design for our quality processes.

Engineering Co-op at Magna Mirrors

Jay
Major: Electrical Engineering I received a wide variety of task throughout the semester. I spent a lot of my time making mockup mirrors. This required me taking mirrors apart, making some form of modification to an area of interest inside the mirror, building the mirrors back up, and then testing the new mirrors for desired performances. In doing this I spent a lot of time in our shop, gaining familiarity using some of our machining equipment. I also was exposed to a number of different testing procedures including current draw, vibration, water spray, wind tunnel, and several others. In addition to these tasks, I was able to gain some electrical engineering experiences as well. I performed circuit analysis on a few turn signal modules, populated and modified a few sets of PCBs, soldered together multiple wire harnesses, and was even able to run some EMC testing.

On the job with viastore

Ethan
Major: Mechanical Engineering This rotation I spent most of my time in the field. I oversaw installations as well as engineering solutions to problems as they arose. I was given responsibilities throughout my time that were key to the completion of the projects.

Computer Engineering Co-op

Ethan
Major: Computer Engineering I've primarily worked on programming projects in C# and Java for industrial robotics applications. The majority of my time has been spent on three projects: in the first, I was working on a system for dynamically creating and displaying operator instructions along an assembly line based on input from a PLC. In the second project, where I've spent the most time, I worked on creating a dynamic programming platform and several demonstration programs for a collaborative industrial robot. Finally, I've been working on an image processing application in which I will be creating a robot path based on an image captured from a camera.