Realization that it is worth it
Marshall
Experience Information
Employer: Magna Mirrors
Job Title: Advanced Product Design Intern
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Received Credit: Yes
Paid: Yes
Abroad: No
Description of the Organization
Magna Mirrors, a subdivision of Magna International, is a research and design office for automotive mirrors, consoles, and door handles that focuses on selling to the OEMs. Magna International started in Canada, but now has offices and manufacturing warehouses in Europe, and Asia as well as North and South America. Magna Mirrors however is a self-sufficient building that houses a fully credentialed testing lab. Within Magna Mirrors you can find the Vice president of global engineering and the newly appointed Global manager of Advanced Product Design, my direct supervisor.
Description of the Tasks/Projects Completed
My tasks can be broken up into daily responsibilities, large projects, and odd jobs. My daily responsibilities include running APDýs 3D printers. We have a very large FDM machine and two SLA printers. It is my job to ensure any requested prints be completed on time and the requestor receives regular updates on their parts. If a print was requested from outside of APD, I would have to walk them through the resin selection process and explain the finer details of 3D printing if they had any questions. Many of the large projects I worked on I cannot explain due to my NDA, but let it suffice that during my rotation I completed testing, which included hands on measurements and method creation, data analysis, and data/ result presentations. Through my work on the larger projects, I have gained a new appreciation and understanding of proper methodology and data recording, along with how to create professional yet enjoyable presentations. Many of my odd jobs included normal intern stereotypes. Scheduling appointments, contacting dealerships, coordinating teams, and designing tools for the office (printed on our 3D printers of course) were all tasks that could be asked of me by any of the engineers within APD.
Skills/Knowledge Gained Through The Experience
I gained many skills including proper data table formatting for ease of sharing. I practice my interpersonal skills over the phone when contacting dealerships and manufacturers. I learned a lot about the finer points of CAD software and rendering. By working at an automotive research facility I learned a lot of the jargon and requirements that products have to follow.
Favorite Part of the Experience
My favorite part of this rotation must be the testing that I completed. Coming from a biology background, Iýve always enjoyed creating testing methods and data recording. Presenting has never been my strong suit, but I have gotten better through practice at Manga.
How the Experience Influenced Future Career Goals
This experience showed me that engineering is what I want to do as a career, and if I can get a job in a research location like Magna, well all the better. This rotation has given me renewed devotion to my studies and academic career as well. It has showed me not only how important the information can be, we all know it is important, but also how easily it can be put into practice when you enjoy what you are doing.
Internship Format
In Person