By Alexandra Sebben
Robin has always been interested in solving problems.
When she was in high school, she knew she wanted her university degree to be a hands-on experience. After a brief period of exploring the physics program, Robin became drawn to the electrical engineering program – fiber optics, cables, lights, and lasers… it all sounded so interesting. Today, she is completing her first co-op placement with Lumentum and is passionate about welcoming future engineering students to the Carleton through community building activities.
Robin Feeney, current electrical engineering student.
Learning by doing
This is what it’s like to be in the working world.
That’s what Robin thought to herself during one of the first labs she had the opportunity to take at Carleton. In one of her classes, Robin was expected to work on one project for the entire semester that consisted of smaller pieces she would have to develop each week. At first, she couldn’t see the vision for how all the different pieces she was working on would become something greater, but with the support of her professors and instructors she slowly started to piece everything together.
“As a Professor, I strive to relay the importance of the engineering equations and concepts learned by connecting them to students’ daily lives, through real-world examples, or highlighting their interconnection to society and public policy,” says Assistant Professor, Kristen Schell. “In one of the courses I teach, I emphasize the content through real-world engineering case studies and use past undergraduate summer research to give students concrete examples of the many ways they can use what they learn.”
It’s what she loves the most about her program, being able to do tangible things with her hands in a variety of areas. Robin also enjoys that for someone, like herself, who may not know what specific job she wants to pursue after university, she can explore software, hardware, and a mix of the two electrical engineering areas in her classes. Kind of like a test trial. Her professors and instructors are always encouraging students to get involved in their research or stop by their office hours to talk more about the vast opportunities available in the field. It’s often an area she highlights during welcome week for new students as one of the welcome committee facilitators.
A closer look at co-op
As a Project Manager at Lumentum, Robin works on a team of other co-op students, engineers, and high-and level executives to manage outgoing releases for products the company is working on. Unlike other roles, she can see the process of how a product is created, packaged, and marketed from start to finish. She finds that through this experience she has become interested in developing fiber optic hardware. It’s something Robin will be pursuing through her electives when she returns to class-work next semester.
The choice to study electrical engineering at Carleton helps Robin combine her interests with practical career options. Robin’s story is one of many current electrical engineering students at Carleton today!
Thursday, July 28, 2022 in Electrical, Experiential Learning, Feature Stories, Graduate, Lead Feature Story
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