I very much enjoyed the internship project, it allowed me to experience the engineering process and use that process to create something I can call my own. What I would do differently is not be afraid to submit my designs. I think that was something that really took time for me to fully understand. Something that really went well was how much I learned. I can now create a statement of work (though it would still take revisions), I have an understanding for concepts that I previously didn't know about and above all I got to witness history in the making. I think out of all of it being able to understand and appreciate the work that is being done here is something that I am proud of.
Well yes actually, I do have plans to pursue another internship program. The U.S. Navy and the Office of Naval Research (ONR) holds an apprenticeship program at different naval facilities over the summer. I submitted an application and I hope that I will be accepted. Until then I plan on completing my internship and continuing school. I did make a lot of connections while I was here so we'll see how those contribute in the future.
This internship experience hasn't really changed my views on college. I did note that one of the engineers I met didn't actually know what kind of engineer he wanted to be at the time so he decided to just take engineering courses in all of the main fields. It took him five years to get his degree but he mentioned it didn't hurt studying the different courses. As for college choices those have remained relatively the same for me.
I cant pick one thing to be grateful for. The entire experience has been phenomenal and I can't express enough how valuable this experience is for me. It all adds towards college opportunities, work experience, networking opportunities etc. The people who surround me are all very friendly and I am so thankful to have them as co-workers too.
This internship has surrounded me with incredible people. They have taught me that even in a professional environment you can still have fun. I think that is something I found surprising, how often they can enjoy their experience at work but still manage their time well. That is something I want to seek out and develop in the future. As for my career, I understand the significance of having a solid foundation to build off of. Especially when it comes to the engineering process. I'm beginning to understand where I need to focus in college if I want to pursue this kind of career.
My IPOL is scheduled for Monday the 30th. I will be giving a presentation and displaying the early model of my project. Since the final parts have not been ordered yet it will most likely be an unpainted wood placeholder with older components in place of the final ones. I will also bring in the microcontroller I will be using to operate the device. The slides that will accompany my demo are below:
I've noticed the importance of communication throughout the internship experience. It relates to a side project I've been doing that involves meeting/networking with different people around my building. One thing about a professional work environment is that they are people. Some of the minds in my office and around the building have worked on some really influential and famous programs. For instance the man I was speaking with today has a photo of a B-36 Peacemaker landing at Lindbergh field. When I recognized the aircraft I told my mentor that I wanted to meet him, and sure enough I arranged a meeting and I got to speak with him. His name was George Houghton. One of the most surprising things he told me was that he had worked in the Star Wars program. President Reagan's initiative to counter Soviet ballistic missiles using space lasers. George worked on the mirrors used to guide it. It was incredible that this was someone who is only a few offices down. Had it not been for me expressing my interest, or speaking up and asking to meet him that never would have happened. I think this is a prime example of communication done right.
tI've gotten approval to begin building my project! After spending the past few weeks planning and designing the launch controller I'm ready to begin building after a few minor revisions to my Technical Proposal Document. My plan is to make use of the money allotted to me by General Atomics to purchase the components required to assemble the controller. The final product is yet to come, but the process started with a very unorganized and rough draft of my first System Requirements Document. It went through constant scrutiny and finally had been deemed acceptable for use. Once that document was written I had to write a Technical Proposal Description which had to pass the same requirements. That document was easier since I had an understanding of how the documents are supposed to be formatted. Finally I drew up a schematic and an LED table to identify how exactly the electronics would function. I learned that scrutiny and criticism are not bad things. Even though I understood that before this internship the experience really solidified it for me. Additionally it helped me understand how designs are supposed to be written, and that in the engineering business, simply attacking the problem without planning or documentation is not a feasible solution. In order to be successful your client has to be able to know anything about the device and its functions upon request, and any part manufacturer needs to know how to make your design a reality without asking a million questions.
For me the fields are as different as night and day. I arrive at school around 8:25 but I only have to drive 15 minutes. At work I need to arrive at 8:00 and I have to commute 40 minutes. The work is completely different than school work. I work mostly on writing and designing my project. I have to provide a System Requirements Document, a Technical Proposal Document, an LED table, a schematic, and possibly more. Additionally I have not touched Google Drive in my time working here. The business world prefers Microsoft Office. Additionally the writing and designing I do is formatted very differently and held to different standards than anything I have ever worked on in school. I have learned far more with Microsoft Office than I ever have before, and I need to become accustomed to it if I choose to pursue this career field. I also will take what I have learned about specificity in writing and formatting standards back to High Tech High. As for the engineering things I have learned that it is important getting exposure to concepts rather than doing work in actual areas of the field. It is important to have foundation before diving straight in to these kinds of concepts. As for my time sheet my mentor has been ill and working from home, so those must wait until Monday unfortunately.
I think one of the major things that I have learned is that specificity is key. In the engineering world if you're writing something and it comes out vague, the engineer reading your design has the freedom to do what he likes. If your design is written with every little detail covered there is little to no chance of a mistake being made due to misinterpretation. This is a skill I will take with me back to High Tech High and throughout life. This experience has taught me the value of writing with specifics in mind and to value even the little details.
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Internship
I am an intern at General Atomics: Electromagnetic Systems. Author11th grade student pursuing a career in engineering Disclaimer
Due to the the level of security here cameras or recording devices are not authorized within the facility. No photographs, videos, or audio will be posted besides anything available publicly online. Archives
February 2017
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