This summer, I had the opportunity to intern as a Servo Engineering Intern at TAEC, where I worked on a series of diverse and challenging assignments that deepened my technical skills and broadened my understanding of engineering in a dynamic corporate environment.
My first assignment involved supporting my mentor, Eric, in a fast-paced and fluid project environment. I quickly learned to adapt to evolving objectives and shifting methodologies, thriving even when ambiguity was part of the process. I conducted expansive simulations and experiments, executed instructions with precision, and actively participated in weekly meetings where I presented status updates and discussed findings. One technical challenge I encountered involved an unresponsive hard drive—ironically, one I had inadvertently caused to fail during testing. Rather than seeing it as a setback, I treated it as a learning opportunity. I collaborated with the firmware team to diagnose the issue, restore the drive to working condition, and conduct a post-mortem analysis to identify the root cause. This experience taught me the value of resilience, accountability, and cross-functional teamwork in engineering problem-solving.
Following that, I worked on a source code refactoring project, where I contributed to improving the structure and maintainability of the codebase. My tasks included updating Makefiles and making incremental changes that helped streamline the build process. This experience gave me a deeper appreciation for the importance of clarity and consistency in code, especially in collaborative environments, and taught me the importance of clean code and efficient workflows in large-scale systems.
My final assignment was a 2x2 repeated measures ANOVA study, where I applied statistical analysis to uncover evidence supporting key engineering conclusions. This project not only reinforced my data analysis skills but also highlighted the power of quantitative reasoning in driving technical decisions.
Throughout the internship, I learned to embrace complexity, communicate effectively across teams, and approach problems with both curiosity and rigor. I’m grateful to my mentor Eric, my manager Feei, and the entire TAEC team for their guidance and support. This experience has been instrumental in shaping my growth as an engineer, and I look forward to applying these lessons in future endeavors.
Disclaimer
The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc.