Tartan Careers - Matt Karee

Sport: Men's Cross Country, Men's Track and Field

Class Year 20-21: Senior

Major: Mechanical Engineering

Bio: See Matt's cross country bio; see Matt's track and field bio

Internship Year, Title, and Company
Summer 2020, Mechanical Engineering Intern, Aerotech, Inc.

Application process: I applied in early fall, had a phone interview then on-site interview in October, then received an offer in late November and signed my offer letter before winter break.

Why did this internship interest you: I'm interested in mechatronics, and Aerotech specializes in making high precision machines that rely on mechatronics. I was also interested in having lots of independence, and the job posting, as well as what I had heard during interviewing, showed that this was the experience I was looking for.

How did you complete the internship - remotely or on-site: Remotely.

Description of internship: I worked on a main project independently, but also assisted some of the senior engineers in my group with other projects and tasks. Aerotech makes precision actuators. I worked on designing a prototype for a new version of an existing product. I used a lot of the skills and intuition I've learned from the MechE curriculum so far to identify the problem and find ways to solve it efficiently. The problem was very open-ended which was daunting, but gave me lots of great experience as an engineer.

How it could have been different if not remote: To be honest, I think I would have enjoyed the experience more had I been in person. But I was thankful to still have a job during this pandemic and it was still very rewarding.

How did this internship shape your next move: I am pursuing another internship for summer 2021 before completing my master's next fall. I enjoyed the experience this summer, but I think I will put more effort into finding a position that better aligns with my interests. There are lots of opportunities to be discovered.