Co-op Ambassador:
Mandy Turner
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Graduation Date: Spring 2018
Co-op Company: JR Automation
Why did you decide to co-op?
I decided to co-op because I wanted to ensure that mechanical engineering is something I want to do the rest of my life. After my co-op experience I am certain I’m in a field I love. I chose to co-op with JR automation because I love working with robotics and I could still live in Clemson while on my rotations.
What types of projects did you work on?
I primarily worked as a controls engineer but I was given opportunities to cross train throughout my rotations. As a controls engineer I designed electrical control panels, wrote ladder logic code for robots and configured pneumatics systems.
Describe your relationship with your mentor(s) and other colleagues:
My mentors and colleagues have been the greatest resource throughout my co-op experience. It’s amazing how you can learn new something from anyone. I thought it would mostly be the senior engineers teaching me new things but I have learned so much from the welders, technicians and fellow co-op students.
What aspect of your co-op assignment do you feel will be the most beneficial after you graduate?
The network I have made through JR Automation will be the most beneficial to me after I graduate. Working for JR I got to visit customer companies all over the southeast. In engineering who you know can be just as important as what you know.
Describe how you feel you changed/grew as a person and student as a result of your co-op.
I’m not as scared of failure as a result of my co-op. On my first rotation I was so scared I was going to do something wrong and immediately get fired. I’ve realized work is a constant learning process, guys who have been doing this for 30 years still make mistakes. The most important thing is learning from your mistakes.
Describe an instance where you applied something from your coursework to your co-op assignment, or vice versa?
I’ve learned a lot about hydraulics and pneumatics in my coursework. It’s something I’ve always found interesting so I volunteered to work on a robot with 350 pneumatic suction cups for BMW. I learned so much from doing that project JR considers me their pneumatics expert.
