Today’s blog post comes to us from University of North Carolina at Charlotte student Christopher Dymond! He’s doing an internship abroad with API in Lisbon, Portugal. If you’re interested in adding global experience to your resume, applications for some of our spring 2020 internship placements are due September 1st!
“I am completing my internship at a robotics start-up in Lisbon.
The company focuses a lot of its effort in the research and development of applying robotics to education, entertainment, remote inspection and other services. It partners with businesses and universities from around the EU to find solutions on how to improve our lives through the integration of robots.
On a typical day, I come to work and focus on the internship-long project I was given responsibility for. The project is to design and build a 5-axis mechanical arm that programmers will use for research and testing for future projects. Once I finish designing the project with 3D CAD software, I will begin to manufacture it using both a 3-D printer and CNC machine.
Occasionally, I get assigned a side project on another ongoing project where I will design and manufacture a specific piece or system within the day. At my internship, I have been given a meaningful internship-long project that I will get to see pass through the various stages of conception, design, manufacturing, and testing. It’s an experience that is rare within most companies and I am very lucky to have gotten this opportunity.
I could see myself pursuing a future in the robotics field because it provides a challenging, yet quickly expanding market, which will allow me the opportunity to make a large impact in the communities around me. The opportunity for robotics is vast and growing every year as technology improves.
At my internship, I currently get to learn technical engineering skills, yet also gain knowledge about the emerging markets within robotics and the research being conducted around Europe.
The company I was placed with has made this knowledge accessible to me through guest speakers from research institutions and by working alongside two of the founders of the company each day. My internship has added value to me as an engineer and I hope my project will have a lasting impact for the company.
In my time in Lisbon, I have had the chance to explore some of the historic regions of Lisbon and many of the unique neighborhoods scattered around the city.
Additionally, I have had opportunities to travel to some of the surrounding regions. One of my favorite trips was visiting Sintra, with a fellow API Lisbon intern and a local student from Brazil. We were able to take a 40-minute train ride out to the old palaces of the Portuguese royal family and enjoy the incredible views and parks surrounding the area.”
Did you know each & every internship with API is customized & personalized for your career goals?
Visit the internship page on our website and chat with us about what you’re looking for. We can’t wait to take you abroad to gain valuable global experience!
