AME Student, Sarah Ciccaglione, Reflects on Internship at Telsa

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For the past eight months, I have been working at Tesla's headquarters in Palo Alto, California as a part of their internship program.  During my time there I worked on the Hardware Development, Test and Analysis team, where I specialized in test development.  As a participant on this team, I had the opportunity to focus on three different areas of test development and execution: thermal systems, off-board charging and mechanical systems.  I worked to design and execute tests for each of these areas, many of which involved prototype components.  In order to do this, I used programs such as CATIA (CAD software), MATLAB, Python and LabVIEW.  I also used resources such as thermal chambers, humidity chambers, vibration tables and Ingress Protection testing in our Powertrain Test Lab.  

It was an extremely exciting time to be at Tesla! I had the opportunity to be a part of the launch of the Model 3 to the public, as well as the announcement of the Tesla semi-truck and Roadster 2.0.  I also had the opportunity to participate in full vehicle testing, as well as to interface with many Tesla customers. My time at Tesla was also extremely unique as I was in the heart of Silicon Valley.  I had the opportunity to participate in many development programs on Stanford's campus, as well as getting the chance to visit other tech companies, such as Facebook and LinkedIn. 

My biggest piece of advice to other students is to take advantage of internship/co-op opportunities that arise.  My time at Tesla helped me to grow in countless ways as an engineer and young professional, and also really helped affirm that I am on the right track in my selection of major.  It can be scary to contemplate taking a full year off of classes, but in the end I am so glad that I had the opportunity to be there for two full semesters, as it allowed for so much richer and immersive of an experience.  I also recommend that students take risks and try new things in their internship experiences.  Being pushed outside of my comfort bubble allowed me to grow in my confidence as an engineer and to also explore many other areas of the field.  

While I am sad that my time at Tesla this year has drawn to an end, I am more excited than ever to come back to my home at OU! This opportunity has infused so much drive into me to keep working hard on my schoolwork. It also helped me to further appreciate all of the amazing resources that the Gallogly College of Engineering has to offer.  The college has provided me with so many opportunities to grow as a young engineer, and also as an individual. While I came to OU with the beginning traits of some of these skills, the faculty, staff and programs here have helped and supported me in elevating them to a level that I could not previously have imagined.  I believe that my time as an OU engineering student will uniquely elevate me to be able to tackle so many different challenges in order to better our world.  I highly encourage every student to take advantage of the unbelievable opportunities found here - it's truly a remarkable place!


Majors: Mechanical Engineering and Vocal Performance
Minor: Professional Piloting
Year: rising junior
Hometown: Farmington, CT

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