Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1104607
52 PCB007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2019 which involves providing technical exper- tise and guidance rather than managing team members. I no longer deal with day-to-day items, such as running meetings; instead, I work more with our sponsors and assist with the technical challenges our members face. It has given me more time to work on my techni- cal work. Right now, we're trying to finish up the design of our next car's electric motors as quickly as possible so that we can start manu- facturing them and get them tested before our car needs to drive. I couldn't have asked for a better student group to become involved with. The insight I've gained into real-world applications has been extremely valuable. Being on the team gave me my first exposure to PCB design—a topic that I initially knew very little about. I don't know if there's another student group on college campuses that offers its students what solar vehicle teams can because it incorporates almost every discipline of engineering and business. Our team has aerospace engineers, mechanical engineers, computer engineers, chemical engineers, industrial engineers, and computer science majors as well as finance majors, marketing majors, and accounting ma- jors. It really is a team effort. It's probably the closest thing there is to running a business while you're a student except that you don't get paid and you don't have a budget (laughs). Dunn: As a student interested in entering this field, what types of networking and internship op- portunities have been available in the Minneapolis area? I know the medical field encourages a lot of job shadowing, so are there programs and opportunities like that available to help expose you to all the different facets of the electronics community? Olson: At this stage of our ca- reers, the primary resource for students would be something through the U of M. A lot of my classmates have received internships and co-ops through the career fairs. I had the privilege of partici- pating in the U of M's co-op program where I received five credits and was paid while work- ing. It's a great program, and the company that I matched with—PaR Systems—was a great fit. I thoroughly enjoyed working there and learned from some fantastic engineers. As far as internship and job opportunities go for students, career fairs are typically your best bet. I can't stress enough that opportunities present themselves to individuals who take the initiative to put themselves into situations that foster that kind of interaction. For example, last fall, I had a rough semester. I took a few classes at the same time that I should not have taken together. Therefore, I kind of wrote off job hunting given the time it typically takes, and instead, planned to find an internship in the spring. An alumnus of the team I knew from pre- vious interactions approached me toward the end of the fall semester and asked if I wanted to interview at his company for an internship. The internship was in the industry I wanted to be in and provided the type of experience Figure 6: Ross grinding insulation. (Source: U of M Solar Vehicle Project)