Fiat Chrysler Autmobiles - Auburn Hills, MI - Summer 2015

Having lived in Michigan my entire life, I grew up being very familiar with the automotive industry and the impact it has on Michigan. During the summer of 2015 I had the opportunity to join FCA and learn more about it.

As an intern, FCA placed a large emphasis on learning. Plant tours, vehicle demonstrations, corporate interactions and presentations were incorporated into our schedules to learn and grow in the industry.

Throughout the summer I took part in a variety of projects and activities. The first was assisting a co-worker on his DFSS (Design for Six Sigma) project tasked with improving the response of active safety features, specifically adaptive cruise control. I was able to drive cars with this feature and learn all of the details of it. My task was to design diagnostic scenarios and test cases to implement in cars and gather data. I gained a lot of hands on experience with car networks and diagnostic tools throughout this project, and it was also a lot of fun.

The next project I assisted on was documenting diagnostic information for upcoming vehicle functions. My role was to study the signals and architecture of the vehicle and write up failure modes and actions for different situations. This job proved to be the most educational and was very informative as to the inner workings of a vehicle.

Lastly, I noticed how my co-workers and supervisor would spend hours each week gathering data into Excel spreadsheets. Using Excel VBA, I automated a variety of tools and added functionality to help streamline a few spreadsheets.

The automobile industry is a rapidly changing place where innovation is present everywhere. Nearly every aspect of a vehicle is constantly updated and made more efficient, safer, smarter, and better. This internship, although brief, was an eye opening experience into the world of the automotive industry that I grew up so close to.