Experience Matters - Grand Valley State University

Software Engineering at Dematic

Adam
Major: Computer Engineering My tasks consisted mainly of programming assignments and a little research and design for implementations of software solutions. All my tasks were pertinent to the construction of a new and improved software system which is intended to provide the foundation for a number of the application-specific materials handling systems, such as sorting and picking.

Working at viastore

Ivan
Major: Computer Engineering The work is not easy but the people that I worked with were awesome. They were really helpful. The worked requires traveling for extended periods of time, and not always to the most exciting places.

Configura Co-op 3

Alina
Major: Computer Engineering I worked on a tool the CET Designer software used for tessellating(repeating) patterns onto surfaces. This is useful for making wood floor patterns, patio brick floors, and tiled walls, to name a few examples. I developed aspects of the UI for this tool and dealt with the pattern repetition calculations, as well as graphical representations of patterns on surfaces. The code I wrote was meant to be an abstract tool, so I also made a brick floor example to show the tessellation tool in an application.

Performance Software Internship

Schuyler
Major: Computer Engineering My tasks varied significantly throughout my time spent at Performance Software. Often, I was running tests, writing perl scripts, writing test procedures, and interfacing with software and systems engineers at other companies on site. I was also fortunate enough to be involved with a new feature for the plane that I was working on that was developed in Grand Rapids.

L-3 Avionics Systems - Summer of 2013

Joe
Major: Computer Engineering I worked on an ARINC 429 monitoring tool throughout the duration of my first co-op semester. ARINC 429 is an aviation standard communication protocol for the transmission of messages throughout the subsystems of an aircraft. Measurements like pitch, roll, heading, airspeed, altitude, and many other sensory data and status words are communicated using the ARINC 429 bus and protocol. My software tool is designed to transmit, receive, and analyze ARINC 429 data for the purpose of test and qualification.

Investment in Students

Rob
Major: Computer Engineering I was able to do a very wide variety of different tasks throughout my co-op. I designed and built PCB's, wrote test software to validate the functionality of parts, provided electronics support for the entire test lab department, and developed verification procedures to verify the correct functionality of equipment. I also got to go to GHSP's Shanghai Lab to train technicians in the use of our test software and hardware and to diagnose problems with a test stand I designed that was sent over there.

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center - BETTII

Joe
Major: Computer Engineering I worked on a project called BETTII - Balloon Experimental Twin Telescope Infrared Interferometry. BETTII looks at star formation using far-infrared wavelength light and a twin telescope configuration. My specific tasks were writing computer software that allowed a very expensive camera to take pictures of stars, process the image to determine BETTII's position in space based of known star patterns, and return the position for analysis so that BETTII can be successfully moved and pointed in a specific direction.

Co-op 3

Dan
Major: Computer Engineering For this semester's co-op I was able to take on more responsibility for the layout of prints. Instead of correcting prints I was assigned to create layouts based on the customer's objective. Once a layout was established, I was delegated to locate and order the proper electrical components. Other tasks included testing out the feasibility of vision applications.

Free Learning

Otto
Major: Computer Engineering The last semester of co-op I worked basically fixing bugs in user interfaces that the company has for certain products or applications. I created one user interface where I had to learn jQuery, javascript and how to work with html.

Aircraft Simulation Team

Kyle
Major: Computer Engineering On this rotation I worked on the aircraft simulation team. We designed simulators for all of the aircraft we are currently working on. Ranging from the KC-46, which is a fighter jet refueling aircraft, to a basic Boeing 737 commercial jet. I designed and ran testing, designed processes to lean out the teams daily tasks, as well as designed and implemented customer needs into the simulator.

Engineering Co-op Semester 1

Kalee
Major: Computer Engineering I worked with the Roll Brake Machine software group. We write the software for the roll brake machines designed by Burke Porter Machinery to test the transmission and brakes in a car. I was able to debug and fix software problems on the machines while they were prepared to go to the plants and interact with customers from those plants when they came to learn about their new machines. I learned about the software for multiple car companies and multiple Roll Brake machines. I also wrote software of my own to fit into our current software.

First Engineering Co-Op Rotation

Ryan
Major: Computer Engineering I developed a wide variety of software applications in C#. These included new ways of visualizing inspection data in reports and live displays, communication between the inspection software and manufacturing systems, and new applications for the image processing software we use.

Test Engineering

Travis
Major: Computer Engineering I was able to create a number of python scripts that data mine test information allowing it to be more easily searched and formatted into reports. I was also able to complete several programs to test new software. The largest task I was able to complete was a series of programs used to ensure the correct versions of software are being used during testing.

Computer Engineering Co-op at Dornerworks

Nicholas
Major: Computer Engineering During my semester I worked on projects relating to designing and building printed circuit boards. I also worked on internal projects that leaned more toward automation of different tools using the python programming language.

Configura: Round 2

Colin
Major: Computer Engineering I worked a tool for comparing XML files and merging user-selected parts of the files together. I also worked on smaller tasks for a few of our client's extensions on our software.

JR Automation Co-op 2

Nathan
Major: Computer Engineering While working as a controls engineer inter I did a little bit of PLC programming. I did a lot of HMI design. An HMI is touch screen by which an operator interfaces with a machine. I did quite a bit of vision work. The vision work was mainly me determining if we could identify certain qualities in a product using cameras.

Learning how to make computers see the obvious for us.

Ryan
Major: Computer Engineering Developed methods to extract useful information from a variety of materials such as plastic filaments and steel beams. Investigated and integrated new defect classification techniques using a variety of machine learning algorithms.

Integrating Avionics

Abigail
Major: Computer Engineering I supported the systems engineers in the development of test procedures and creation of test reports. I also created and maintained work instructions for the Foreign National Integration Lab. In addition to these tasks I developed scripts for automating processes for lab initialization and testing. I assisted in the debug of new lab equipment and the integration of that lab equipment. I supported systems engineers in document deliveries to customers as well as coordinated with product level engineers to debug their systems.

Co-op Semester 3

Kalee
Major: Computer Engineering I modified existing test software for our current test system and I wrote and validated new testing software for that system. I also worked on an application tied to the new system my company is working on that is written in C#.

Performance Software Spring 2015 CE Co-op

Jacob
Major: Computer Engineering I am working on a project with a large team of people from both Performance Software and GE Aviation. My team is responsible for validation and verification of the aircraft health monitoring system. The project utilizes agile software development because the software being tested is still under development. An application interface written in Java is used to prepare automated test scripts.

Working IT for JCI

Carlos
Major: Computer Engineering I was assigned three projects during this co-op experience. The first project entailed migrating our production scheduling system from a front-end/back-end Access database application to a front-end Access and back-end SQL Server database. The second project entailed follow-up meetings with all our interiors plants in North America where an IT Infrastructure Analysis was performed during my previous co-op at JCI. The last project involved documenting WEBHMI screens used at our interiors and seating plants, which report data from our PLCs; things such as throughput, customer broadcast information, downtime related events, etc.

Embedded Systems at DornerWorks

David
Major: Computer Engineering I developed R&D applications for Bluetooth, ran tests on an automated grill and gave feedback on its characteristics, test-drove a new auto-testing platform, and did some research into confidential classifications.

EGR 390 Co-op Semester

Kalee
Major: Computer Engineering I was able to work with more of our customers this semester besides GM, including Chrysler, Ford, Tesla, and other car plants where our machines are used. I helped customers directly diagnose and fix software problems, as well as helped our field service personnel from our company fix software issues for the customer. I worked with them either over the phone or through email, and I even worked with personnel from our field service offices in other countries. I was able to do a lot of my projects independently this semester with my boss or my coworkers in my software group checking my work when I was finished instead of helping me throughout the process. I also wrote a new test to perform on the cars that didn't previously exist.

Second Co-op at DornerWorks

Nicholas
Major: Computer Engineering During my semester I did a lot of testing different hardware. I also did research and testing involving wireless power transfer. Other work I did includes part generation using MentorGraphics PADS PCB development software. Schematic design and layout in PADS. Front end software development of internal tools. Platform support for the SEL4 open source microkernel.

Imagination at Work

Abigail
Major: Computer Engineering While at GE Aviation I completed support role type tasks. This included document review, Requirements capturing and review, and Interface Control Document design and error clean-up. Requirements are rules set out for the specific system that you are working on. Interface Control Documents are a combination of text, tables and XML sheets that define the interfaces between systems.