Software and Hardware Development
Kelly
Experience Information
Employer: DornerWorks
Job Title: Electrical Engineering Co-op
Major: Electrical Engineering
Received Credit: Yes
Paid: Yes
Abroad: No
Description of the Organization
DornerWorks is an embedded systems company based in Grand Rapids. There are about 100 employees, and the company is quickly expanding. DornerWorks recently renovated, so there are now two fully-functional buildings. The owners, David and Jeff, care deeply about all their employees. It is a very friendly and welcoming environment. Those at DornerWorks like to plan small events and surprises that all together create a warm community from day-to-day.
Description of the Tasks/Projects Completed
This semester I got to dive a bit into hardware development. I helped design and prototype a dongle that will be used by Amway. This dongle communicates with existing water and air filters, and technicians will use it to debug issues for customers whom own these devices. In addition, I worked on software development in Python and C for a missile systems project. I also began to gain more FPGA experience through other tasks I was assigned.
Skills/Knowledge Gained Through The Experience
This semester further improved my hardware design abilities. Summing up my entire learning experience this semester would take a while because I learned new things everyday. If you are thinking about applying for a co-op position at DW, I highly recommend that you do so. There are so many projects that you have the ability to be a part of.
Favorite Part of the Experience
My favorite part of working at DornerWorks is the friendly environment. Whenever I am stuck on an issue, people are more than willing to push me in the right direction. I also love that co-op students get to experience different projects and explore different areas of engineering all within the same semester.
How the Experience Influenced Future Career Goals
I have come to enjoy working in the embedded systems field. It has further solidified my desire to work in FPGA development.