What are you working on at Keysight?
I am working on the wet processes at Keysight's mesoscale manufacturing center: chemical milling and plating. I have been doing tests to optimize parameters on the machinery used in the chemical milling process and performing experiments to determine the electroplating rates of the plating baths and to determine the effect of plating on the surface roughness of electroplated parts.
How does your role at Keysight complement your major and vice versa?
While the root knowledge obtained from my classes has not played a big role during my time at Keysight, my intuitions about chemistry and chemical engineering have complemented my role immensely. When performing an experiment or a test for one of the engineers, I use my intuition to troubleshoot, make judgment calls, and ultimately make decisions autonomously and efficiently.
What do you like best about working with your team?
Other people in my team (and even in other teams unrelated to my specific projects) are very receptive to requests for assistance. My teammates have been very approachable, kind, and helpful for the duration of my internship.
Did you participate in any virtual Keysight social events/activities?
Yes, I enjoyed the virtual origami event the most despite the fact that it was one of the simplest events. It was fun to sit down virtually with a few of my colleagues and see how many origami animals we could make as we raced against the clock.
What’s something you’ve learned while at Keysight?
I've learned the importance of statistics and data handling in engineering. While hard technical knowledge is helpful for making decisions when the data is clear and concise, statistical analysis is key for communicating results and when working with ambiguous data.
If you could give one piece of advice to future interns, what would it be?
If you have the fortune of being on-site, try to get tours of as many facilities as possible. Keysight's assets are vast and getting a few tours can be helpful to you in discovering what technologies and processes interest you. I managed to get tours of most of the mesoscale manufacturing processes, and of the thin film fab.
How would you compare working at Keysight to working on your degree?
It is a lot more concise with few route tasks. Unlike normal schooling and coursework, most everything is done for a reason, as Keysight's goal is to deliver products to its customers.
Describe some of your favorite moments at Keysight.
I got pranked after I told my co-workers that I had a fear of worms: I came to work one day to find gummy worms strewn across my desk, which not only made for a good practical joke but also made for a nice guilty snack for the duration of that week.
What will you take from your experience with Keysight into your future endeavors?
Soft engineering skills and intuitions that are not directly related to hard technical knowledge. I have learned the importance of tools and methods such as MATLAB, R, DoE, SQL, Excel, and response surface methodology.
What has surprised you most about interning at Keysight?
I was surprised by the amount of work that I could do with the knowledge that I already have. When I first came to Keysight I was worried that I did not know enough to be useful to the company, but I have never had a slow day since the first week of getting oriented within the company.