A Summer at Phase One
Benjamin
Experience Information
Employer: Phase 1 Engineering
Job Title: Co-op
Major: Electrical Engineering
Received Credit: Yes
Paid: Yes
Abroad: No
Description of the Organization
Phase One is a small engineering consulting firm, It has two partners who own the company, 2 full time employees, as well as 2 Co-op/interns.
Description of the Tasks/Projects Completed
Buying parts for PCBs. Construction of several perfboards for demo circuits. Taking radiation patterns from a PCB with helix antennas. Making Helix antennas by wrapping copper wire around an high dielectric material. One big project I did was swapping out a old modem that ran on Verizon's 2G/3G network to Verizon's 4G network. This included getting familiar with AT commands and Mobile network infrastructure.
Skills/Knowledge Gained Through The Experience
I learned about AT commands/Hayes command set. A basic introduction to RF transmission. Introduction to mobile network infrastructure.
Favorite Part of the Experience
I think My favorite parts of this co-op what coming up with clever solutions to complex problems. Much of RF testing includes not using metal anywhere in the set up. It is fun to come up with solutions given constraints.
How the Experience Influenced Future Career Goals
In this experience I learned about how the engineering world works. I learned valuable communication skills and how to conduct professional projects.