Experience Snapshot

  • Experience type: Internship
  • Organization: Ontic Engineering and Manufacturing
  • Program: Rural Works Internship Program
  • Date range: May 6, 2024 – July 27, 2024
  • Average hours/week: 40
  • Supervisor: Rafael Ramos, Engineering Manager

Context and Scope

I joined the Continuous Improvement team with two fellow interns to improve efficiency and reduce waste in a product line. My manager proposed an ambitious concept: a machine-learning vision system for automated part inspection.

My Role and Contributions

  • Led feasibility research for machine-vision adoption
  • Evaluated multiple vendor/system options across cost, speed, and expected accuracy
  • Produced a detailed feasibility study comparing automated inspection against full-time manual inspection cost
  • Presented recommendations to senior management, including the branch General Manager

Challenge and Setback

After leadership approved an onsite vendor demonstration, the system underperformed in practice. It required highly precise part alignment and did not match advertised efficiency or reliability during live evaluation.

Reflection and Learning

This setback was a defining growth moment. I learned that strong research must be paired with rigorous real-world validation before broad rollout expectations are set. The experience strengthened my resilience, humility, and ability to recover professionally after visible project disappointment.

Skills Gained

  • Technical analysis: structured feasibility evaluation and evidence-based recommendation writing
  • Communication: recurring presentations of technical findings to cross-level stakeholders
  • Team collaboration: working through ambiguity with interns, production teams, and leadership
  • Professional maturity: navigating setbacks, managing expectations, and adapting plans

Career Impact

This internship clarified aerospace industry realities, improved my confidence in technical communication, and provided mentorship and professional references that support my long-term engineering path.

Reflection

During my internship at Ontic Engineering and Manufacturing, I led feasibility analysis for a machine-vision inspection system intended to reduce waste and improve throughput. Although the final live demonstration exposed practical limitations that prevented deployment, the experience strengthened my research discipline, resilience, and communication with senior stakeholders. This shifted how I evaluate engineering solutions: I now prioritize real-world validation and expectation management as much as initial technical promise.

Ontic Engineering and Manufacturing