Controls Intern Review

I underestimated the lack of Electronics that happens in Rolls-Royce and as an Electrical Engineering student this is my main area of interest. The project was interesting, although my aspect was a little focussed. The project took the full 13 weeks to complete and was challenging.

My colleagues were supportive and held my views in high regard in particular with regards to LabVIEW where I ended up being the team "expert" when another member of different team was not around.

Management were supportive throughout and were approachable. To my detriment I should have approached them earlier on some issues particularly with regards to potential future placements. Managers were not fully aware of the issues I faced as they were managing multiple projects and so this was not to be expected.

Time management was left down to myself to sort. Particularly towards the end of my placement I was finding my time very busy. The first three weeks were very relaxed however and I found myself at times with little to do due to waiting on resources.

The project I was assigned was a required objective of the Rolls-Royce ASTRAEA contribution. Impact on future ASTRAEA development (a potential ASTRAEA 2) was possible and with cursory supervision it was left down to me to meet the goals and make recomendations that impact future development work, not only on the ASTRAEA project I was working on but also Controls simluation system testing in general.

During my internship I learnt MATLAB/Simulink for the first time, my university expects me to magically know it without teaching, and additionally learnt National Instruments' LabVIEW graphical programming. Such tools are used widely in industry, such as on the LHC at CERN.

During my internship a restructuring was announced. Even before this there was some dischord and unease in the office, with many suggesting that although they enjoyed their jobs they were not all that happy. In a more intimate office (I had two) the mood was similar but jovial and pleasant with good banter being passed amongst colleagues.

A well structured process from application to starting. A review midway through by the scheme organisers was welcome although a further review with them at the end of the internship would also be welcome. An organised event say a week in at local sites for interns, year long or summer, would be greatly appreciated to help integration.

I went on a conference as part of the internship and some limited training was given on LabVIEW.

The current dept. I was with is undergoing a merger to form a joint venture, the structure and integration with the company is currently unclear. It was implied to me that reapplication for a further summers' internship and beyond is a substantially more trivial process having undertaken one already. Potentially I can see myself there although possibly in a different department.

E-mails being used as a messenging service aside the other interns had a good social scene, however as someone who lived in the city (most were staying in the University Halls) in private accomodation I found it harder to mix socially, although not that hard!

At work, during lunch, prohobitive if purchasing at the canteen. Bristol as a whole is generally quite good if you follow the student nights/offers. Cost of living was already factored in as I study here, but at £11 or £12 a night in Uni halls it may not be the cheapest for the others.

Closer to town great. Where work is situated appalling!