The Interns of the ERL
The internship program at the Electronics Research Laboratory is a crucial part of not only its successful projects, but also its vibrant work environment.
Internships last anywhere from a three month summer away from university, all the way up to a year long experience spanning multiple projects. Interns come from all over the globe to work at the ERL and many have found permanent positions as full time engineers after their internships have completed.
There are several key ingredients that make the internship program successful at the ERL: the projects that each intern works on under the guidance of his or her mentor, the intern events that help bring interns and engineers together and the real world knowledge interns take back with them upon returning to their studies.
Interns at the ERL enjoy a special opportunity in finding large amounts of project responsibility. The ERL stresses independence and ownership of projects for interns; the result is that interns have tangible projects that they have completed and can add to their own portfolios.
As a priceless resource, each intern is assigned a mentor – usually an engineer working on a related project – to answer any questions they may have about projects, education, and even career plans.
Interns have provided a critical role in publicly viewed projects such as the Cross Coupe Cabrio (shown at the Los Angeles International Auto Show), and Stanley and Junior (two self-driving vehicles entered into the Grand Challenge and Urban Challenge). In addition, countless hours have been logged to make sure that proprietary, advanced HVAC systems, HMI testing and industrial design projects reach completion.
But it’s not all work and no play. Twice a year, the intern coordinators (engineers from each of the teams who take some time to make sure the intern program runs smoothly) plan an intern event for interns, mentors, and other engineers at the ERL. The intern events are meant to build camaraderie, enhance team work, and give the interns (many of which are foreign) a chance to experience a true American leisure outing.
The first ever intern event was a trip to a San Francisco Giants game, where we all ate some hot dogs, had some infamous garlic fries, and just happened to witness history as Barry Bonds managed to break a certain home run record – hitting number 756 out into the cool evening sky.
The second intern event of the year took place at HP Pavilion where the playoff bound San Jose Sharks battled the Calgary Flames. Though not as historic as the baseball game earlier in the year, the hockey experience was one that was enjoyed by all.
The real world knowledge gained by the interns of the ERL is priceless. ERL interns have gone on to pursue advanced degrees, work in foreign countries, continue to work within the Volkswagen group, and even work at the ERL as full time engineers. Their time as an intern though is truly special; one current intern puts it very well, “Being an intern at the ERL is more than just a job. I’ve learned so much about work and about Californian culture.” And when asked if he’d recommend the internship program to anyone else, he puts it quite succinctly: “Hell yes!”
