Skip to content
Matthew Newman on the job at Mississippi Lime Company.

Matthew Newman

  Student Stories , ,  

Chemical and biomolecular engineering student Matthew Newman completed a co-op with Mississippi Lime Company. He wrote about his experience below.

I worked in Peerless Rotary Production alongside the process engineer for Peerless Rotary. The responsibilities of the department consisted of the day-to-day running of the kilns. This consisted of monitoring the kilns using live data feeds, gathering and running samples of fuel, stone, and lime, auto-sampler upkeep, anything involving refractory in the kilns, preheaters, and coolers. We also planned and ran stone trials and fuel trials as well as helping with stack testing. The day-to-day running of the kilns could include anything from increasing or decreasing loading on the kilns, a change in temperature settings, or changing some setting in the coal mills. I ran coal grinds and mill profiles to check how the coal mill was running with its current fuel blend and to check for leakage. I was tasked with sample collection for the stone and fuel trials as well as for the stack tests.

My projects included an airflow project to help provide data for a large-scale stone blending project, installing auto-samplers, and running a stone trial. The airflow project was designed to determine the effects in differential pressure across the preheater tower based on the stone blend. The project gave great insight into how the stone blend and the scalping screen affect the pressure. The lime auto-samplers for both kilns needed to be relocated due to a new lime handling system. The locations of the samplers were in hard-to-reach places and located away from each other. Working with maintenance and electricians we relocated the two auto-samplers to a more accessible area. The stone trial was designed to see how the stone blend affected the iron impurities in the lime. This trial gave us a much better understanding of the Code L balance (a kiln dust byproduct carrying out most of the impurities).

Getting real work experience has definitely been a great benefit. I have a better understanding of how to operate as an engineer in production as well as solidifying my interest in working in a production setting.

Eli Macon wears a hard hat while on the job.

Eli Macon

  Student Stories , ,  

Industrial engineering student Eli Macon completed a co-op with Facility Systems Consultants in summer 2021 and wrote about his experience below.

This past summer I worked for Facility Systems Consultants, LLC. My responsibilities were to assist the head engineer and designer by performing evaluations of drawings, load calculations, drawing sets ups, among my many tasks.

During the summer, I was challenged every week with a new project, so the first couple of weeks were a bit challenging but I was encouraged to be patient because with repetition, future projects would become easier. Soon I began to handle my projects like second nature, once I had a firm foundation of AutoCAD.

Learning AutoCAD was the greatest benefit I received this summer because the software can be used for many different jobs. I also was able to learn from my manager about what facility systems does and how the process of consulting works. I was also able to work with a lot of great people who helped me be successful and gave me great advice about my future career. Lastly, I was given the opportunity to go on site visits where I learned what the AutoCAD drawings look like in real life, helping me understand why we do what we do.

Ben Jones stands in a construction jobsite.

Ben Jones

  Student Stories , ,  

Mechanical engineering major Ben Jones completed a co-op with Brasfield & Gorrie (B&G) and wrote about his experience.

I worked with the Core and Shell Project Management team at the Asurion Headquarters. This team is physically on the job site and makes sure subcontractors are meeting schedule and performing work according to the project drawings, coordination issues are resolved, and the owner and architect are satisfied with the finished project. Throughout my term, I assisted the project managers and assistant project managers on site. During my co-op, I participated in the RFI and submittal process, took meeting minutes during Owner-Architect-Contractor meetings, scheduled activities and managed subcontractors in the site parking garage, and scheduled and priced a small retail store build out inside Asurion Headquarters.

I enjoyed working with B&G this semester. My supervisors pushed me and gave me plenty of work to do. B&G has a great corporate culture that promotes team work and always doing the right thing. This co-op term helped me build professional skills. Every day on the job site involved conversations with coworkers, the building owners, architects, and subcontractors. Effective communication was critical. I also participated in an oral presentation at the end of my term.

Meriah Senogle stands in front of a work area.

Meriah Senogles

  Student Stories , ,  

Mechanical engineering major Meriah Senogles completed a co-op with BSH Home Appliances and wrote about her experience below.

I worked for the quality department and was given responsibilities with data analysis and to help with new programs. I also helped with building and analyzing reports. I worked on many projects within and outside of my department. One project was based on CAD and is currently used as a part on the machine. I also did a project with a program new to the company and became the lead expert where I was tasked with teaching the other members of my team how to utilize it to the fullest. Also, an ongoing project required using Excel and Power BI to manually strip and update certain information from several sites to be used in a report. I have been able to expand all the knowledge I learned in my classes into a real-life work setting. Many of the skills I have greatly improved and will use to improve my chances for future careers.

Jessica Nelson stands in front of a blue speedboat.

Jessica Nelson

  Student Stories , ,  

Chemical engineering sophomore Jessica Nelson completed a year-long co-op with Malibu Boats. She wrote about her experience below.

I completed a year-long co-op in the process engineering department at Malibu Boats in Loudon, Tennessee. Some of the projects I worked on at Malibu include designing and maintaining fiberglass cutting programs in AutoCAD and PathWorks to decrease part build time and waste; developing work instruction books in lamination, small parts, and hole cut areas to standardize training procedures; and collaborating with production, product engineering, and management on model year changeovers and new model R&D builds.

Since this was my first engineering job experience, it taught me to be a more confident engineer in the workplace. Not only did I learn technical skills from my co-op, such as AutoCAD, I learned soft skills that are not easily taught in a classroom. By interacting with people of all backgrounds (engineers, production operators, etc.), I learned how to be a better communicator and develop solutions that work for all parties involved.

I have had operators thank me for creating lasting solutions to make their work faster and easier, which has been very rewarding for me.

My favorite part about working at Malibu was the culture—it is very authentic and down-to-earth, and the people who work there treat you like family. Coming out of this experience, I have gained invaluable skills that will make me a better engineer in any future positions I hold.

Cailey Willingham

  Student Stories , ,  

 

Cailey Willingham is a chemical engineering student who completed a co-op with Kimberly-Clark. She wrote about her experience below.

Last summer I was working with Kimberly-Clark in Neenah, Wisconsin, as part of a process optimization team. I obtained data and analyzed a few paper machine lines in order to report on the efficiency of the systems. With this data, I was able to recommend future projects others will work on to increase capability and performance. During this co-op, I was able to travel to three different paper mills across the US to get first-hand experience about how the lines ran. I was also given the opportunity to talk with Kimberly-Clark personnel in leadership roles about their own experiences during co-ops and moving forward in their careers.

This was my fourth semester co-op assignment and each semester gets me closer to my goals as I gain real-world experience.

Tyler Corum beside a large Pringles can.

Tyler Corum

  Student Stories , ,  

Tyler Corum is a mechanical engineering student who completed an internship with Kellogg’s this summer. He wrote about his experience below.

I have spent this summer working with Kellogg’s as a Manufacturing Reliability intern at their Pringles Facility in Jackson, Tennessee. My summer project has been to understand and improve the feedback system used by Pringle’s conveyor system to allow our team in Jackson to pack cans and single serve cups more efficiently.

This intern experience has allowed me to better develop my project management skills by acting as the point of contact for operations and maintenance to implement these system changes and provide data to confirm the improved conveyor system is operating efficiently. I have been able to refer to skills learned in my System Dynamics and Mechanical Vibration courses to help me better understand how to optimize a feedback system and reduce product losses.

It has been very rewarding as a mechanical engineering student to have the opportunity to apply concepts on the production floor that I have learned in the classroom. I have been able to display more of my technical skills this summer and my ability to make efficient improvements when given the opportunity.

Nicole Beautz.

Nicole Beautz

  Student Stories , ,  

Nicole Beautz is a biomedical engineering student who completed an internship with Boston Scientific. She wrote about her experience below.

My responsibilities included:

  • Identifying and implementing effective process control systems to support the development, qualification, and on-going manufacturing of products to meet or exceed internal and external requirements
  • Leading in the implementation of assurances, process controls, and CAPA systems designed to meet or exceed internal and external requirements
  • Acting as an effective leader and team member in supporting quality disciplines, decisions, and practices
  • Applying sound, systematic problem-solving methodologies in identifying, prioritizing, communicating, and resolving quality issues
  • Assisting in the development and execution of streamlined business systems which effectively identify and resolve quality issues

This internship was my first real world experience with the medical device field outside of my biomedical engineering classes. I benefited greatly from networking with employees from different divisions other than manufacturing like marketing, sales, R&D, PD, and clinical. Working and having these networking opportunities within a medical device company enlightened me on the many career paths a biomedical engineer can have. There are so many options I was unaware of that my exposure onsite has shown me for my future. Understanding your work function is important, but also knowing how the company works as a whole truly helps you further your career plans.

Savannah Roth.

Savannah Roth

  Student Stories , ,  

Hey, I’m Savannah Roth! I am a junior majoring in Biosystems Engineering and dual minoring in Geographic Information Science and Watersheds.

I just completed my second summer as a Pathways Student Engineer with the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Tennessee’s Area 2. From surveying over 50 conservation projects to designing multiple streambank stabilization structures, I loved assisting the engineering team in helping landowners conserve Tennessee’s wonderful natural resources.

In the above photo, I’m inspecting the construction of a grassed waterway in Lascassas in Rutherford County, Tennessee. Rutherford County was one of the 26 counties in Middle Tennessee that the Area 2 engineering team provided technical assistance too.

I learned a variety of technical skills that you don’t typically learn in class, unless you take technical electives in that subject. It felt very valuable to be able to know how to use Civil 3D, design a streambank stabilization structure, put together the design reports for the package, and finally send it off for it to get built. I never thought something with my name on it would be built when I am only nineteen years old. I also found the leadership and mentorship I had to learn to give to the new employees an invaluable experience. It really made me more confident in the skills I was using and strengthened a bond between me and the other UT students who were interns at my job. I hope we will be able to continue those friendships when we get back to campus.

Boxin Xu

  Student Stories , ,  
Boxin Hu works on-site at BSH.

Boxin Hu stands in front of his PLC programming panel in the R600-A charging room. The room is used to fill refrigerant into the refrigerators, and he programmed the PLC program for the alert system for this room to avoid a catastrophic gas leak accident.

Boxin Xu is an electrical engineering PhD student who completed a co-op with BSH this past summer. He wrote about his experience below.

My key responsibilities and projects were to assist in performing several testing include:

  • Energy test, leakage current, electric strength, moisture resistance, mechanical stability, construction and heat & fire resistance based on UL 60335-1 and UL 60335-2 on prototype model
  • Expand EMC testing room by setting up acoustic insulation material and TestLab software to perform radiated & conducted emissions and immunity testing
  • Conduct PLC programming with Siemens TIA portal to setup alarm system for R600-a testing room to prevent catastrophic gas leak accident
  • Program LabVIEW software to integrate electrical testing instrument to perform UL testing
  • Handle different power tools to facilitate hands-on tasks.

It is very helpful for my understanding of how the compliance works and learned a lot of electrical knowledge. I have gained a lot of knowledge on how company works and what compliance engineering does. I also have learned a lot about the UL (underwriters laboratories) testing standard, plus how to interpret the electrical wiring layout of European standards and to master the LAD (ladder logic) language.

Boxin Hu works on-site at BSH.

Boxin Hu stands in the EMC (electromagnetic compatibility) room that he helped finish. He performed craftsmanship with the ferrite cutting and software setup. This room is a highly specialized piece of test equipment used in the testing of electronic devices against regulatory standards concerning both radiated and conducted radio frequency (RF) emissions and immunity.

The flagship campus of the University of Tennessee System and partner in the Tennessee Transfer Pathway.

View our Privacy Policy.