Junior Fonkam, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Class of 2028

Where are you interning, and what is your role?

I am interning with Michels Corporation in Brownsville, Wisconsin, as an Engineering Equipment Design Intern in the Engineering Equipment Design Department.

What projects or assignments are you working on?

I am working on several projects including; Designing an automated control for mud pumps, detecting bearing failures in pipe rollers using vibration analysis, and writing rules for drill rig training models.

What does a typical day look like?

A typical workday can vary. Some days, I'll be in the office making drawing schematics on AutoCAD Electrical. Other days, I will be in the field collecting data on engines and pipe rollers or accompanying my supervisor on job sites, such as line 5 in Northern Wisconsin by Michigan.

What Rowan class or experience has helped you most?

The most helpful class for this type of work was, Embedded Systems. The course taught me how to draw schematics, integrate subsystems, plan for a project using an engineering notebook, and troubleshoot. It was especially helpful because I was assigned design tasks involving the integration of Wago cards to the engine which required drawing up a schematic, project planning, and troubleshooting.

What new technical or professional skill have you developed?

I was introduced to two software programs called Codeseys and Wago-IO-Check, which allows users to program Wago cards and PLC's to read in raw data and convert it to enums (more readable data). I also broadened my knowledge of Excel as I used it to calculate engine RPM (revolution per minute) so I could determine what gear was needed to produce a certain GPM (gallons per minute). Finally, I developed a deeper understanding of the complexity of HDD (horizontal directional drilling) and the amount of effort, and planning involved in the process.

What has surprised you about working in the electrical & computer engineering field?

I was surprised by the level of ingenuity it takes to run what may seem like a simple project. For example, for the vibration test, me and another intern were assigned the task of testing to see if vibration sensors could predict bearing failure. This project required us to come up with a test plan based on specific specification, test for different failing modes, quarry the different datas, and FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) into the frequency domain. The automated controls for the mud pump came as the result of trying to solve the problem of operators leaving the engine running when they weren't drilling because it would take too long to start it back up. The goal was to try to save the company millions a year on fuel by automating the engine to return to idle when it's not being used. This required being able to read data from the engine, being able to write to it, and being able to actuate the clutch solenoid in the engine using a relay.

How has a faculty member or mentor supported you?

A huge shoutout goes to Professor Trafford for introducing the use of an engineering notebook, Professor Michelle and Professor Karl for hiring me to work at the resource center and helping me with my personal projects. I would like to recognize my managers and coworkers at Michels, Austin Baeten, Kyle Gross, Dave Whilhelm, and Gavin Sell, for their support, guidance, and willingness to teach me about the engineering side of the equipment design industry. They have helped and challenged me with projects that have helped me grow professionally.

What advice would you give another student pursuing an internship?

An advice I would give to another student pursuing an internship is to show up to the career fair with an eagerness to learn more about the company.

Ask a lot of questions, it doesn't make you look dumb instead it shows your curiosity to know more which would make people more eager to teach you.

Most importantly work on projects, be it school projects or personal projects. The best way to learn is to dive straight in it and projects provide a hand on learning which tends to stick more.

Complete the sentence: “This summer, I am helping to…”

...power progress through engineering!