Work Experience

Over the past four years, I’ve had the opportunity to co-op with Boeing Company for four industrial periods. During my time as a student employee, I worked with the flight test and evaluation group, the aeroelasticity group, the advanced digital design and manufacturing group, and the structural definition group.

Flight Test and Evaluation

This team was responsible for planning and conducting the laboratory, ground tests. My responsibilities included up-dating the Master Test Plan as requested by staff and customers, assisting a senior engineer in documenting the definition of measurement instrumentation placement, assisting in program review meetings by up-dating Power Point presentations, supporting efforts to get flight clearance for modified aircrafts by compiling the definition of modifications and their effects on the aircraft, escorting and working with employees of subcontractors and observing the process by which a plane is tested

Aeroelasticy

My responsibilities included assisting in developing a mathematical model by up-dating a database of previous test data and assisting in analyzing this data. After the model was completed, I worked to validate it by assisting in the execution of new tests and the collection of data for future analysis. During this industrial period, I was incorporated into the team and was able to rotate through the various team members’ assignments thus relieving the regular staff. During the Summer of 2006 I was invited to return to this group and help them run further test, but choose to pursue work in other areas of the company in order to broaden the scope of my experience.

Advanced Digital Design and Manufacturing Group

I developed knowledge and mastery of rapid prototyping technology, specifically stereolithography and fused deposition modeling (FDM). For these production methods, I designed parts with 3D modeling software, set-up support structures, loaded material, managed the machinery, post processed parts and delivered finished products to customers. In addition, I designed parts to be built utilizing the selective laser sintering process. Other assigned duties included: maintaining the team’s work schedule, assisting in development of cost estimate software, obtaining software licensing, and performing materials properties test.

Structural Definition

My responsibilities during this industrial period included up-dating the definition of an aircraft’s structure, incorporating existing changes into the definition of the aircraft and developing new changes with the intent of reducing cost and manufacturing time. This process involved revising information contained in both a 3 D and 2 D format. Through this experience I gained an appreciation for the enhanced creativity that is now possible due to computer based models.