5 years ago this week I started as a co-op in the Robotics Section at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory! (Day 1 SFOF picture attached)
Every year since I've co-oped, interned, or visiting-technologist-ed there in some capacity. Since I am now considered a "senior intern," Jacqueline Sly asked me to dispense some internship wisdom in my most recent final presentation which I will now also dispense here. I hope it's useful to someone, especially those who may be doing their first few engineering internships!
- Don't be afraid of design reviews (everyone wants to help you get closer to the right answer)
- Buy things to save you time (your time is worth a lot as an engineer)
- Do your time in the machine shop if you want to know how to design parts well (I'm neither a good machinist or some great part designer but I'm better now at designing parts than I was before I spent a summer machining)
- Appearance matters in R&D, so does good photography
- A pretty good goal for engineering internships is "be great to work with" (not be the most impressive, or get the most work done)
- Don't be afraid to ask questions and/or look silly!! You're not expected to know everything, and this is how you learn!
- Many things in life are small bits of effort "integrated over time" to achieve a larger result (perceived performance, interactions / relationships with people, grades, practice, habits, ...) credit to Matt Heverly for this one
- When I estimate how long it will take me to do something, I imagine how long I think it will take in my heart of hearts and multiply by 2. This is usually pretty accurate.
Thanks to all the wonderful JPL people who have helped me grow and learn so much over the past 5 years, especially Chris Yahnker, PE for bringing me on in the first place, Spencer Backus and Arash Kalantari for teaching me about grippers, Ashitey Trebi-Ollennu for being my NSTGRO advisor, as well as Scott Moreland, Matt Heverly, Jacob Izraelevitz, Luis Phillipe Tosi, Eric Kulczycki and many others (i.e. the Spectrum crew)! It's been a blast :)
c.e.o. ascona pizza company
3moWe just celebrated our restaurant anniversary of 31 years, and only using Grande products.