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northeastern-colettebiro · 8 years ago

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Spotlight Series: Joe G.

Hey there! My name is Joe and I’m a 5th year senior studying Mechanical Engineering at Northeastern. For me, my co-op experiences are some of the most defining features of my time as a Northeastern Student (outside of being a Husky Ambassador, of course!). I did three co-ops, each at different companies, and each was in a very different sector. While I knew from the time that I applied to Northeastern that I wanted to study mechanical engineering, I had no idea what I might want to do with my degree. ME is a very broad field and there are opportunities in many different areas, and co-op has helped me to define my career path throughout my college experience.

My first co-op position was as a Disposables Engineering Co-op at NxStage Medical, the first company to make it possible for hemodialysis patients to complete their treatments at home, rather than needing to visit a dialysis center several times per week. I was responsible for testing and evaluating the disposable parts of the system, such as needles and blood circuits, making it possible for patients to use this groundbreaking technology. I changed things up for my second co-op, working at a military and aerospace company called Amphenol PCD. I was an Engineering Co-op, and the most rewarding part of working on a small team within the company was that I was able to do all of the same tasks as the senior engineers, working directly with our customers to specify and design cable assemblies for a wide variety of applications. My third co-op was as an Engineering Co-op at a company called Coravin, which produces a device that allows the user to pour a glass of wine without removing the cork from the bottle! Working at a quickly growing startup, I helped with a wide variety of tasks throughout the company, helping to prepare for the launch of the Coravin Model One, a new, lower cost version of the company’s product.

Aside from co-op, being able to get involved as a student volunteer really helped my shape my Northeastern experience. During the summer after my second year, I was given the opportunity to travel with a group of students from the College of Engineering to Panama, working with an organization called Sustainable Harvest International to promote sustainable farming practices among farming families in Central America. Throughout the week in Panama, we worked to help build a water storage tank at the village school, construct aggregate water filters and fuel-efficient cooking stoves and families’ homes, and plant trees on a mountainside. At the end of the week, we were given the opportunity to meet up with a NU student on co-op with the Panama Canal Authority, receiving a tour of the Canal expansion, the world’s largest construction site! The following summer, I was given the honor to be the student leader for the trip, allowing me to share my previous experience with other students. That year, we traveled with SHI to Belize, constructing water tanks, earthworm-enhanced composting bins, and chicken coops, along with helping a 17 year old farmer to plant 200 coconut trees!

Through the co-op and volunteer opportunities I have been able to participate in thanks to NU, I am now ready to determine what I want to do with my career. I’m currently in the process of looking for a full-time job in either the aerospace or renewable energy fields, and I’m hoping that my job will bring me to a new adventure in either Seattle, WA, Portland, OR, or Denver, CO. I’m very grateful to Northeastern for the chance to experience three different co-ops, work with people half way across the globe, and share my experience with future Huskies as a Husky Ambassador.

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