SYEN Students Work as Interns During Summer 2007
In any technical program of study, one of the greatest benefits a student can receive is the opportunity to learn on-the-job in their field of study. This is especially true in the study of engineering, as there are so many applications represented by this general field. Even when considering a common type of engineering, such as Mechanical, Electrical, or Systems Engineering, there are still hundreds and even thousands of different jobs that can be identified as representative of that type. Because of this complexity, it is paramount that students, while receiving their education, begin to learn specific applications of engineering principles in the context of business, industry, consulting, design, or research. This type of applied experience is an excellent way to ensure that their education will prepare them to learn and master the skills that they will need once they are employed as engineers. This will also help them market themselves to potential employers upon graduating. Many of the students that are now juniors and seniors in the Systems Engineering Program took advantage of opportunities to participate in co-op programs or internships over the summer of 2007.
Chris Wyatt worked at California Institute of Technology’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena. JPL is federally funded by NASA and contributes a great deal to the overall space exploration, most notably in the field of unmanned spacecraft and rovers. Chris spent ten weeks working for Dr. Nick Mardesich on advanced studies of Martian and lunar dust mitigation by electrostatic repulsion. The summer internship brought hands on experience in vacuum chamber design and assembly, thin film sputtering deposition, and application of cryogenic pulse cooling. Chris gained insight not only from his own project, but also from other student projects and ongoing research around the Lab. For students interested in internships and future careers with NASA, Chris suggests for them to find an undergraduate research position involving potential space application or robotics and then to utilize the NASA grants offered by the Arkansas Space Grant Consortium to get funding for summer research. Source of funding for the internship is graciously provided by the Arkansas Space Grant Consortium.
David Yarbrough worked for W.H. Grant & Associates, Inc., in Little Rock, AR. W.H. Grant & Associates, Inc. is a consulting engineering firm that specializes in mechanical and electrical design for industrial, civil, and architectural clients. The firm was established in 1962, and over the years, the firm has contributed to the design of much of the local infrastructure and many of Little Rock’s commercial buildings. During his time at the firm, David assisted on many different design projects, ranging from energy analysis and calculation of design loads, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing design for architects, design of dust collection systems, and detailing and documenting code compliance. The firm often works on projects in conjunction with other engineering firms, and David was able to gain much experience from working directly with other engineers that specialized in fields such as structural and electrical engineering. David’s supervisor was William C. Grant, who is also a graduate (Mechanical Systems) of the Systems Engineering Department at UALR.
Johnathon Gilliam interned at Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) on an Entergy contract and continues for an extended period through the Fall semester. Johnathon is working as a member of Wintel’s Engineering and Operations Support Team responsible for the day to day operations of Entergy’s Wintel server environment. His responsibilities include installation, monitoring, optimizing and problem resolution of all server related (hardware and software) issues. Johnathon gained valuable experience in “on the fly” problem solving, networking, and working in a corporate environment with professionals in his field. For other students interested in interning, Johnathon recommends for them to begin looking early and fill out plenty of applications for several opportunities. He also suggests using the IRIS intern application database for help in finding open positions.
Sarmad Raheem, currently a junior majoring in Systems Engineering with a focus on Telecommunications Engineering, spent the summer of 2007 as an intern at Alltel Wireless Corporation. Alltel is one of the largest wireless phone companies in the United States, with headquarters in Little Rock. He was the only intern hired to work in the Interconnect department at Alltel. The Interconnect Department is responsible for the exchange of communications with other carriers. Working in this department required knowledge of telecommunication engineering, architecture, and federal laws. Sarmad’s task was to map out the public switched telephone network (PSTN) for Alltel. Sarmad clearly benefited from this internship experience by gaining interesting, hands-on experience in his major field of telecom. The internship also offered Sarmad a chance to network within the company, gaining considerable insight into the overall landscape of telecommunications and wireless. Sarmad believes that the educational knowledge and skills that he acquired through the internship are irreplaceable, and will benefit him greatly in his career.
Dalton Ramey worked as a summer intern with Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. He worked on The HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) as an Industrial Engineer. His duties consisted of basic IE tasks including LEAN Manufacturing, Time Studies, and Process Flow Improvement. Dalton says he gained valuable experience related to business processes and insight into the field of engineering.
Laura Lawson participated in an internship at Dassault Falcon Jet - Little Rock Completion Center. The Little Rock Completion Center is responsible for overseeing the final stages in the production of luxury jets. During the internship, Laura rotated through the different divisions in the engineering department. Laura says the internship provided her the opportunity to gain knowledge about her career and the various jobs that are available to engineering graduates. She also received valuable training in CATIA V4 and V5, the leading engineering design software in the aerospace industry.
Isabel (Sarah) Farrell enjoyed an internship at Dassault Falcon Jet of Little Rock. The Little Rock facility is responsible for building and installing all the interior amenities found within a Dassault private jet. The facility is also responsible for applying the exterior paint finish, which is specified by the customer buying the aircraft. During her internship, Sarah gained valuable experience in using CATIA, a computer-aided design program widely used by many industries. Most importantly, however, she was able to witness many facets of the aviation industry, gaining insight into design, problem-solving, teamwork, and cost and safety analysis. The employees of Dassault Falcon Jet were very helpful and enthusiastic, which made for an enriched learning environment, and made her time there well spent.
Jacob Bock worked as part of a team of six professionals at Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) on a project that aided Entergy in creating reports and applications for a proprietary Geographic Information System (GIS) from General Electric. Jacob was responsible for creating an application in Visual C# that controlled 20+ servers and that controlled and monitored the GIS and the Entergy phone servers. Additionally, Jacob created a reporting tool that worked directly with the GIS using General Electric’s proprietary Magik language. This reporting tool could generate a report of the electric facilities and could potentially be used to predict damages a hurricane could cause. Jacob believes the skills and experience that he gained are invaluable, especially the hands-on experience with C#, Magik, and GIS mapping. Jacob also feels that being part of a team where his work actually went into a product is extremely rewarding and offers him a sense of accomplishment. Jacob found the managers at SAIC were open to new ideas and genuinely cared about his personal success.
Meredith Zweimueller worked as a summer intern with Washington Group International at their Pine Bluff Chemical Demilitarization Facility (PBCDF) at the Pine Bluff Arsenal. She worked with systems engineers to create a Thermal Imaging Preventative Maintenance system for their furnace systems. Meredith’s task was to locate areas of temperatures higher than 400 degrees F and plot them on the furnace sketches. She used thermal imaging software to manipulate the thermal pictures to highlight the hot spots on the furnaces. Since the furnaces run non-stop for a long period of time, it is important that they do not fail. The ultimate goal of this project was to mitigate risk to life-cycle as a result of refractory failure. The project, related to her interest in Mechanical Engineering, has sparked further interest in her to pursue chemical/defense related work.