Ashley Moore at GE Transportation Aircraft Engines

Ashley MooreGraduated spring 2007 Magna Cum Laude in Materials Science and Engineering. This is her report from final co-op rotations at GE Transportation Aircraft Engines, Rotating Parts MAE, Airfoils MAE  

"GE is a multi billion-dollar company specializing in various things from Health Care, Transportation, Consumer and Finance, Commercial Finance, NBC Universal Studios and other great organizations. GE offers a wide range of services and opportunities that lead the way for innovative ideas that continuously change the way we live. GE Transportation Aircraft Engines in Evendale, OH is where my co-op 3 rd and 4 th work sessions were completed. GE Transportation Aircraft Engines is the world's leading manufacturer of large jet aircraft engines. GE offers products and services for commercial, corporate, military and marine applications that offer the performance and reliability those customers expect.

Being selected to become one of thirty or so Materials Science and Engineering co-ops at GE Transportation Aircraft Engines was awesome. GE chooses the best students across the country and from top ranked schools. When you sign on for a co-op rotation at GE, they not only bestow great responsibility on you but the expectation level for your performance is high. Coming back this year I felt more comfortable with my work responsibilities and what it takes to grow within the company. As part of my efforts during my third rotation in combination with my interview, I was awarded the GE Corporate Student Intern and Co-op Award. I was selected as 1 of 9 students who won the award at GE Aviation out of a couple hundred students.  

GE offers a wide variety of opportunities to expand not only one's academia but also helps build communication and interpersonal skills. As a co-op GE assigns you to a group of about 6-7 engineers as well as a group technician. Therefore, it is quite possible to be supporting all 6 or 7 engineers with their workload. It is quite common for the engineers to be busy with other projects and they do not always explain why your work is important to the overall project. However, this rotation has taught me that the amount of mentoring given is a function of the group atmosphere. While in Rotating Parts and Turbine airfoils, I received weekly and sometimes daily mentoring. I felt as though in the MAE groups have a broader scope of what's going on in the field and on a larger scale. Therefore it is easier to explain the projects relevance. If you are not quite sure how to do something or you want to background information, nine of ten times they either sit down with you on the spot or setup another time to over the details.

Another avenue for improving communication skills are through the report-out presentations at the end of the co-op rotation. GE requires their materials co-ops to present a pitch that lasts about 15 minutes to the head of the department and all the organization leaders within the department. This allows you to present one or two of the projects you were assigned during your rotation and be questioned on what you learned. During the co-op pitches the management is looking for potential eEDP candidates. EEDP is the Edison Engineering Program where GE brings in 5-6 college graduates a year to begin a career with GE rotating through different assignments and pursuing a master's degree. The EEDP program is the training mechanism for the next leaders of the department or company.

At GE there are so many topics in materials that are not taught in a textbook. Here they are dealing with innovative new developments with the help of basic materials knowledge. Last year when I was here I felt as though being a junior hadn't really allowed me to get into my core classes at UK . Last year I was able to understand the basics but detailed information concerning corrosion, failure analysis, materials characterization, mechanical properties, etc I don't know because I hadn't had those classes. Being in school for a whole year before coming back again this summer allowed me to catch up on majority of the topics covered here. I did not learn everything I need to know for GE Aviation, but I feel as though I have a foundation to build upon. I have been able to understand more of the technical aspect, and I have gained an understanding of how the basics are connect with real life application.

Working full time, waking up at 6am, battling traffic, and working for 8-10 hours a day has really opened my eyes to what is in store after college. They expect you to be working casual overtime. College carries with it a lot of responsibilities but none more than working a full time job and seeing that your work is completed without someone hovering over your desk making sure you are doing your job and planning your every move. They pretty much assign me a project and ask for updates every few weeks and expect me to stay on top of my assignments and submit my results when I am finished. People in the industry do not go home right when their 8 hours are up for the day. Usually I am here an additional hour or two to complete work.

Before wrapping up the day I write out a list of things I wish to accomplish the next day."

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