Go, Team!

For the past three summers, MSE 3rd-year student Tiffiny has interned at Babcock & Wilcox — Nuclear Operations Group, in the following departments: Environmental, Health, and Safety, Materials Engineering, and Industrial Engineering/Manufacturing Management.

Here’s what she says about her experiences there.

Tiffiny has worked at B&W for the last three summers

Working at B&W has reinforced how important it is to work as a team. Everyone has their individual job working towards specific goals. Even though everyone is doing something different, it is so important to realize how your one job contributes to the overall success of the company. Nothing will get accomplished unless all departments can learn to work together in harmony. Whether you are a maintenance employee working to assure a machine gets running smoothly or an engineer working on designing the next fixture to be used, your role is crucial. No one job is more important than another; it does not matter if it involves a college education or technical skills, or if it is on the factory floor or in the office, every job is critical for smooth operation.

I have been able to narrow down what I want to do with my career from my experience. I am learning what I find intellectually stimulating and what I would hate doing for the rest of my life. From this, I hope to find a career I enjoy upon graduation.

There are a lot of fellow Buckeyes up at B&W facility in Euclid, Ohio. But my supervisor this summer was a Michigan fan. It’s funny to think that I would report to some who worships that “state up north”. But after working with him, I realized that maybe not all Michigan fans are crazy. Putting aside our Ohio State & Michigan rivalry, I have a great deal of respect for my supervisor.  I’m hoping maybe he’ll see the light and become a Buckeye fan.

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She won’t get foiled again!

MSE Senior Courtney, reporting on her co-op with PCC Airfoils.

Courtney is co-op'ing with PCC Airfoils

I am currently working at PCC Airfoils SMP plant in Wickliffe, Ohio.  In simple terms, we make pieces for jet engines. And any good materials scientist knows how hot jet engines get and how the pieces inside need to be able to withstand said high temperatures.

My co-op started in July and will continue until the end of the year. My official title is “process engineering co-op,” which means I work with a process engineer.  Unfortunately my mentor is a Michigan fan and we disagree on all things Ohio State! But I still wear my scarlet and gray on Fridays.

The coolest thing about my position is that get to work with GE Aviation and all of their partners.  For example, I help with the land-based engines for Nuovo Pignone which is a GE Italian partner.  I really like being able to “flex” my metallurgical muscles.  You don’t realize how helpful certain classes are until you are able to explain solidification to your office mates.

My biggest fear starting my co-op was that I wouldn’t deliver what they hired me to do. That feeling disappeared after day one. The most surprising thing for me was that I actually like working in an industrial plant atmosphere. Plant life is not very glamorous; however wearing jeans and steel toes everyday isn’t bad. And the people who work on the floor are absolutely amazing and I think I would miss that working in an office environment.

This has been an amazing experience for me, because I have learned so much about what it is like to be a real working engineer and I have gained so much confidence in myself as an engineer.

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