Experience Matters - Grand Valley State University

Second Co-op Rotation

Dante
Major: Mechanical Engineering Small-scale production while investing in the improvement and changes in the production process while helping in the applications and quoting areas as well.

SoundOff Signal Winter ý24 Co-op

Jacob
Major: Mechanical Engineering Documentation, including project requirements documents, certification documents, and DFMEA. Continued to build experience with mechanical design and development validation testing. Worked with external suppliers and dealerships. Introduced to injection molded parts.

Working in L3's CAS department

Izik
Major: Electrical Engineering I learned quite a bit about the flight recorders that L3 makes along with some of their other product lines. I was tasked with a good mix of production issues and then improvement projects that helped the production line and test engineering department as well. The main task was updating documentation for a test station and building it from the documentation I made.

Magna Co-op 1st roataion

Daniel
Major: Mechanical Engineering At Magna, I performed a variety of tasks, these tasks usually included: taking measurements for mirrors and mirror components, building mirror subassemblies, measuring components to ensure everything was within tolerance, and cleaning mirrors. Aside from these more common tasks, I have participated in various small projects like performing gauge R&Rs on various tools we have at the plant, I have also utilized a thermal chamber to see if the mirrors color and bleach at acceptable speeds at extreme temperatures like 50 C or -30 C. I have also operated an Instron machine to perform some tests, like what the pull-off force for the wires is when connected to the solder of mirrors, another test I did was finding what force it takes to have a mirror pop off its mount, and if that force is within its target area.

EGR 390 - 2nd Co-op Rotation - Mechanical Design Intern

Kaylor
Major: Mechanical Engineering As an intern with little experience in the industry, I mostly do existing drawings based on "as-built" prints whenever possible. However I also have done load calculations for buildings, HVAC piping design, domestic plumbing design, demolition design, and some sheet metal design as well. I have also looked through specifications and cut sheets to calculate which mechanical equipment would be the best performance, as well as efficiency calculations based on utility bills for certain buildings. Every week I find myself doing something new for different projects based on what work needs to be done and who needs help at that time.

Axis Automation Co-op

Hannah
Major: Computer Engineering I was able to work on a few machines this semester which included PLC programming, HMI designing, electrical panel design and debugging, and creating design drawing packets.

Manufacturing Engineer Intern

Ryan
Major: Mechanical Engineering I have made multiple logs which help to monitor shop floor equipment. I created a powder coat recipe book to inform new operators of the proper settings to utilize depending on the parts painted. I have designed and quoted out multiple material transfer carts. I have designed and fabricated new CNC tapping tables. As well as the design, project organization, and fabrication of new window assembly tables.

Genie in a Bottle

Josh
Major: Mechanical Engineering Through this semester, I was tasked with the responsibility for several work centers and the capital equipment within these work centers used for production. These work centers included filling, assembly, pick and place applications, automated die punching, packaging, printing, bagging and inspection. Additionally, I was one of the CAD, 3D scanning, CNC programming and fabrication subject matter experts.

SoundOff Signal - Co-op II

Marcus
Major: Mechanical Engineering Over the semester I was tasked with 60% of my work being focused on a few larger projects, and 40% of my work being non-project work. The larger projects focused on product development, fixing recurring problems found in the field, updating products to match new and upcoming vehicle refreshes, and even working with other companies to develop new and innovative designs for future products. The smaller non-project work was focused on helping out other engineers and supporting them on their projects. I did a bunch of data collection, prototyping and building, running "errands'' to different outsourcing companies, and other supportive tasks. One of my larger projects was designing and building portable display boards for our Fire/EMS lighting. It was an incredible learning experience and I got to learn about our company's products, the design process, working with suppliers, working in a team, and seeing a project all the way through.

Second Rotation at RDI

Sean
Major: Mechanical Engineering A majority of my time was spent working on CAD files. I also cleaned and stored the casting tools after they were used, and I sent emails and filed paperwork for the engineering department. I also conducted some reverse-engineering on new parts that were transferred to the foundry.

Hudsonville Athletics

Naomi
Major: Sport Management I collaborated with the athletic director on various daily responsibilities, including ensuring referee presence at games, offering hospitality services, managing events and games, and conducting research of the competitive landscape within the OK Conference

Co-Op rotation 2

Benjamin
Major: Mechanical Engineering I was asked to program and integrate many different types of equipment such as robots, conveyors, motors, sensors, etc. and program a PLC to allow the machine to function as intended.

Trane Technologies Engineering Co-op Rotation 2

Matthew
Major: Biomedical Engineering I was in charge of keeping building graphics updated for the control projects, and creating or ordering new ones when they were needed. I also worked on a few projects to develop controls for buildings, and helped out the other engineers with drawings for their projects. Finally, I was in charge of handing the parts that came in for all of our projects and makings sure they were documented and stored correctly.

Co-op at Phase 1

Isabelle
Major: Electrical Engineering At Phase 1, I worked on GPS trackers, linear motors, PCB designs, and schematic capture. These all were huge applications to the projects I helped complete.

A Great Environment

Ian
Major: Electrical Engineering During my internship I was able to get an fpga program that runs MAPS (Modular active protection system) up and running. I got the same fpga with different firmware to send and receive data over TSN (time sensitive networking), and I designed a gui application from the ground up that would create configuration files for a bridged endpoint.

Coopersville Recreation Admin

Connor
Major: Sport Management I had to help set up equipment at the beginning of the season as well as help with any errands Matt needed help with. I also had to referee basketball games. We make suer that all events and practices are running smoothly.

Coopersville Rec

Diamond
Major: Sport Management While doing my internship for the Fall sports I started as an assistant coach for the 3rd and 4th grade girls' basketball team as well as a referee for the 1st and 2nd boys and girls' basketball teams. For Spring sports I helped with Soccer and Softball with setting up and assisting Matt in anything he needed. Last I also helped with TikTok by posting videos and showcasing the kids' talents.

Grand Rapids Gold Internship Experience

Sam
Major: Sport Management In this job, you are expected to complete game day related tasks. These tasks ranged from ticket sales, merchandise sales, security, team assistance, and promotional assistance. Along with this, interns helped support both operations and marketing teams during Grand Rapids Gold game days.

Service Engineer Co-op

Mark
Major: Electrical Engineering Over the entirety of my co-op rotation, I completed two main tasks. The first task I completed was programming for a machine that aided in the assembly of luxury car grills. The main thing I did was help use a LIN protocol to set the software for these car grills. The other task I completed was to provide service to various customers when a problem arose. This gave me a variety of experiences in problem-solving.

Events Intern at West Michigan Sports Commission

Alyssa
Major: Sport Management I worked on a variety of projects throughout my time as an intern. A lot of my projects included looking up information and putting it into Excel for my supervisors to use. I also updated our events website and the PlayEasy website to make sure they had all of our current events on them. I worked on the budget for March Madness bids, called companies, answered emails, tracked hotel information, marketed events, and worked with event directors to meet their needs. I created flyers on Canva to share information about events and posted about them on PlayEasy. I also revamped their volunteer network by contacting different groups and sharing sign-up information.

Koops Automation Mechanical Engineer Co-op Experience

Carter
Major: Electrical Engineering Throughout my co-op at Koops Automation Systems, I primarily worked on CAD, designing custom automation solutions. From adding fasteners to creating parts, I designed automated machines to increase production and lessen the manufacturing costs of various products.

GVSU Athletics Internship

Kenleigh
Major: Sport Management In this role, my main responsibilities include organizing contracts and inventory, assisting in fulfillment of contracts, and documentation of contracts fulfillment. Organizing contracts is taking the agreed upon terms and inputting them into the database. We later access this information to identify fulfillment tasks to be completed. Fulfilling the contracts includes everything at an athletic event with a partner logo on it. This may include signage, T-shirts, promotions, video board, roster cards, etc. New fulfillment is not needed every year for some things, such as signage that can be reused every year. Things like T-shirts for a specific giveaway or marketing campaigns for a sponsored event are made for that specific occasion. Lastly, documentation of contracts is provided to sponsors as a proof of performance. This process is important in communicating our team's effort of fulfilling the contract to the sponsor. Documentation efforts are also essential to ensuring a positive experience and relationship with sponsors, leading to a better opportunity for renewal. Although these are the big three responsibilities, I like to always be willing to assist in any other areas. For example, this fall I learned how to operate broadcasts for athletic events. This included setting up and feeding the livestream to Flosports while managing the cameras and score board during the game. Along with broadcasting, I will frequently assist in tasks in the marketing department, administration, or merchandising.

Social Media and Marketing

McKenzie
Major: Advertising & Public Relations -Assist in managing social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter -Create, publish and distribute social media content -Monitor and engage with the community by responding to comments/messages -Contribute to the planning, and execution of marketing campaigns to promote upcoming events. -Work closely with the marketing team to brainstorm ideas, and contribute to campaign planning. -Assist with scheduling of volunteers and communicate the responsibilities and duties - Faciliate various administrative tasks related to marketing and communications

AmeriCorps Internship!

Victoria
Major: Criminal Justice My primary task in volunteer services is to provide additional support to all programs and clients. I work with community partners, individual donors/volunteers and case managers to secure services and material goods for clients. I also do other community engagement tasks, such as grant writing and event planning.

BI Internship at VanData Consulting

Grace
Major: Computer Science a)VanData Blog: Spearheaded the development of the VanData Blog, establishing it as a prominent platform for sharing industry insights, thought leadership, and innovative solutions in the field of data science and analytics. b)VanData Onboarding Platform: Led the initiative to develop a new platform for streamlining the onboarding process of new interns and employees. Implemented a user-friendly interface and comprehensive resources to facilitate smooth integration into the company culture and workflows, ensuring a positive and productive start for newcomers. c)Database Migration and Warehousing for clients of VanData Consulting specializing in cold chain packaging and industrial insulation. d)Business Intelligence Training: Conducted comprehensive training sessions to equip new interns and employees with essential skills and knowledge in business intelligence tools and methodologies. These sessions covered topics such as data analysis, report generation, and dashboard development, empowering interns to contribute effectively to projects and initiatives within the organization. e)Onboarding New Employees and Interns: Led the onboarding process for incoming employees and interns, overseeing orientation sessions and providing guidance on company policies, procedures, and culture. Implemented strategies to ensure seamless integration into teams and projects, fostering a supportive and inclusive environment conducive to professional growth and development.