Student Profile

Mead Westvaco Papers Group
Jon Mosenteen '05 (Chemical Engineering)
Last summer and fall, I had the opportunity to work for Mead Westvaco Papers Group in Rumford, Maine. As a non-traditional chemical engineering major, I knew that even though this required me to be away from my wife, the "hands-on" co-op experience would be worth the effort. As it turned out, I was able to work with some of the best engineers in the paper industry.

I worked as a control engineer. My duties ranged from the everyday tuning of control loops (valve, pumps, etc.) to creating "smarter" and more efficient control methods. One project involved determining pulp level in a high-pressure, high-temperature continuous reaction vessel that processed about 400 tons per day. I developed a computer model that helped improve system stability and product quality. The best part of my experience was being given the responsibilities of a practicing control engineer. I attended daily production meetings, provided control advice to area supervisors, fixed common control problems, and assisted other engineers in design projects. My co-op experience has also given me a strong interest in the manufacturing industry and a greater understanding of the role that engineers play in corporate America. Almost everything that I did was to improve product quality, improve efficiency, or decrease operating costs.

IE&M major Kristen Beattie '05 worked in a co-op job at BMW in austria near Steyr University fall 2003 before spending the spring 2004 semester as an exchange student at Steyr.

BMW
Kristen Beattie '05 (Interdisciplinary Engineering & Management)
For my junior year, I decided to take advantage of two opportunities Clarkson offers: a semester-long co-op and studying abroad. Through the Career Center, I researched both international schools and possible companies to work for. I applied to the Steyr School of Management and BMW Motors, both in Steyr, Austria.

At BMW, I worked in the Logistics and Planning Department. The plant in Steyr is an engine factory so the department focused on planning changes to the production and distribution of BMW engines to plants throughout the world. I was responsible for a number of small projects related to logistics.

My main project was part of a larger planning project to restructure the plant's overseas distribution methods, from getting the engines across the ocean to changing the way they are loaded into containers in Steyr. The most interesting part was being in contact with many other employees at numerous BMW plants around the world, including an Austrian intern working on the same project at the Spartanburg BMW plant in the U.S. This really gave me a sense of what a global company is like and how its different plants communicate and work together.

Working at BMW and living in Austria was an incredible experience. I feel more confident about my skills and abilities, and I think this will make applying to graduate school or for full-time employment next year a lot easier.

Pratt & Whitney
Connor Shane '05 (Aeronautical Engineering)
Walking onto the Pratt & Whitney plant floor and knowing very little about how a jet engine operates was a humbling experience for me. But I was not scared to ask questions, and this really helped me on co-op and in my orientation. I knew as soon as I began that understanding the "big picture" of how jet engines worked would be the biggest challenge for me. The company and the plant facility seemed huge and at first I was a little overwhelmed by it all.

At work, I spent most of my time with professional engineers working on heat transfer modeling of the fuel system for the F135 engine. This is the engine that will he housed in the Joint Strike Fighter aircraft. In my co-op job, I also handled the daily test data of the fuel/oil flow and temperature and pressure of the engines. Working with this information gave me an appreciation for the complexity of the systems and the processes that drive the engines. Looking back on the experience gives me a great deal of pride because I did something I could have never done at Clarkson. Working under project managers in a professional work environment taught me a great deal about myself and how much more there is to learn. My co-op at P&W was something sweet!

Energizer (Eveready Battery Company)
Lauren M. Ress '04 (Chemical Engineering)
Working for Energizer in Asheboro, N.C., as a Quality Engineer for eight months gave me a bundle of knowledge, real life experience, and showed me what I wanted to do when I graduate. My major project concerned visual standards. I worked with operators, technicians, and engineers in U.S. and global facilities to create a set standard for assessing defects and to train facility employees in how to utilize these standards. This was an independent project and I was in charge of format, pictures, wording, and communication standards.

A second project dealt with seal moisturization. I worked with a technician and engineers to figure out how long seals can remain in a moisturized room. I was also a member of a PCT (process control team). Through this co-op, I strengthened my communication, personal, intellectual and listening skills immensely. The knowledge that I learned from the people I worked with is priceless. The best part of my experience on co-op was to see my projects implemented and operators, engineers and technicians using them. The co-op also led to a full-time job offer.

Andy Tanner '04 Project Areté (Finance/Political Science), NBC Intern

National Broadcasting Company (NBC)
Andy Tanner '04 (Finance and Political Science —Project Arete´ double major)
In my NBC internship in New York City, I managed a project to determine a methodology for cost allocations across the company. The division of Broadcast & Network Operations, where I worked, oversees production operations, programming distribution, and real estate. It handles costs such as studio, equipment, satellite operation, and facilities. We needed to make sure costs were allocated fairly to News, Sports, Entertainment, and the other NBC divisions.

My job was a budgeting project to determine alternative methodologies for allocating costs. They can be based on usage, headcount, space, or other variables. I evaluated the current costs charged out to divisions, and made recommendations for changes to make our allocations more accurate. The project involved understanding the operations of NBC, evaluating variables that make up our costs, determining and analyzing alternatives for allocations, and coming to a clear, concise conclusion with recommendations for action.

The internship was very useful to me. Not only did it allow me to practice my business and communication skills in a real-world situation, but it also helped me decide what to do following graduation. After doing this internship in financial planning and analysis, I decided to pursue a job in accounting instead, which better fits my interests. After graduation, I will be working as a professional accountant with IBM in Somers, N.Y.

GE Power Systems
Manish Das '04 (Electrical Engineering)
By far the most challenging and enjoyable job I have held was as a co-op at GE Power Systems in Schenectady, N.Y., last fall. I worked on the controls development for GE's next A14/A15 world-class steam turbines. I used several tools to extract and reduce field data on the variation in mechanical processes and events that occur during turbine operation to identify potential root causes. I reviewed an enormous amount of data and worked daily with very sophisticated software and programmers in India to build a tool to help GE engineers and customers develop a more comprehensive overview of the turbine start-up times. It was a fun yet intense job – one that has built my self-confidence.

Clearly, my co-op at GE Power helped me grow as a professional. I was given the responsibility of a full-time employee, and my results were held to high standards. Pete Eisenzopf '90 was a great mentor. He encouraged me to use my own creativity and judgment to solve problems and instilled in me the importance of focusing on the goal and persisting until it was accomplished. Most importantly, he helped me develop skills to influence and persuade seasoned engineers. My performance during my co-op has helped me secure a three-month internship with GE during the summer of 2004 in turbine/generator design. I also have a guaranteed interview for a full-time position with GE in August.

Procter & Gamble
Eric Davis '04 (Chemical Engineering)
Through my co-op experience at Procter & Gamble, I was able to gain not just technical skills but real world business know-how as well. The longer work term of the co-op (as opposed to a summer internship) gave me the chance to take my project through several stages of product development, from initial exploratory work, to small and medium scale consumer testing, and finally to full-scale plant production trials. I found myself fully integrated into the project team, and my work was important to and respected by management and my co-workers. I was surprised with the freedom I was allowed to pursue different pieces of the project as it progressed down the path toward launch.

My co-op term has provided invaluable direction as I complete my undergraduate education and decide on a career path. It gave me the chance to see and experience different aspects of the business that I otherwise wouldn't have had the time to be a part of. And, it provided me with great experience as I enter the job market.

If you are interested in becoming a corporate partner or want to learn more about the Cooperative Education Program, please e-mail career@clarkson.edu.