First Engineering Co-Op Rotation
Ryan
Experience Information
Employer: Active Inspection
Job Title: Computer Engineering Co-Op Student
Major: Computer Engineering
Received Credit: Yes
Paid: Yes
Abroad: No
Description of the Organization
Active Inspection produces inspection systems for industrial manufacturing. Materials are inspected for defects using high speed cameras, allowing manufacturers to discard bad material and identify ways to improve their production systems.
Description of the Tasks/Projects Completed
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.
Skills/Knowledge Gained Through The Experience
I learned how to program in C#, including topics such as multithreaded applications and inter-process communication. I also learned how to interact with databases using T-SQL, computer vision techniques, and how to communicate with PLC networks. Another valuable part of the experience was learning how to write code outside of a classroom environment where the answers can't be found in a textbook.
Favorite Part of the Experience
My favorite part of the experience was every time that I finished a project and was able to run a program and see everything come up on the screen like it was supposed to. I got pushed to learn many different types of computer programming, so it was quite satisfying every time I mastered a new subject. This was especially true for the times when the answers wouldn't come easy and I had to struggle to find a way to solve a problem.
How the Experience Influenced Future Career Goals
I started programming when I got my first graphing calculator in high school. I have spent a lot of time over the years writing games and other small programs just for fun. I really enjoyed being able to spend so much time programming this summer, and I got paid to do it! This internship was much more satisfying than any of the summer jobs I have had in the past. I'm not quite as comfortable with the inactivity that comes with desk jobs, but I'm sure I can find ways to make that less of an issue in the future.