Internship sparks Leah Jones’ curiosity in robotics and automation

By David Pulgar
VCU College of Engineering

Engineering is a natural fit for Leah Jones. Her passion for building with LEGOs and a love of the movie "Hidden Figures" led to STEM summer camps and attending the Governor's STEM Academy at Landstown High School. When it was time to select a college, Jones chose the Virginia Commonwealth University College of Engineering for its focus on hands-on experiential learning.

"I decided on electrical and computer engineering because I love to learn how everything works internally, and most things that function need some source of power," said Jones, a junior. "Thanks to the experience gained through my major's coursework, I've been able to complete two internships working at data centers."

Working as a quality engineer intern for Eaton Corporation this summer, Jones sought to understand how cross-functional teams accomplish their goals by bringing together many areas of expertise. Her team of interns included engineers working in quality, testing, continuous improvement, manufacturing and strategic planning. Their goal was to increase the number of transformers Eaton could produce every day, explaining their discoveries and final recommendations to stakeholders at one of Eaton's rapid improvement events.

"My specific project was implementing a new quality inspection checklist across one of the static transfer switch production lines consisting of five subassembly lines," Jones said. "I created five new checklists for the quality inspectors to use for every single unit they inspect. That included specific questions like details on what needs to be inspected, visual aids and standards, so customers are aware of our reasoning for checking these specific things.

"I learned how every static transfer switch was put together from beginning to end and spent a lot of time on the production floor. By the end of my internship, I knew the name for every piece of a static transfer switch and what a working unit looks like versus how a defective unit appears."

Jones credits the College of Engineering's Circuits II class for preparing her for this internship. As Eaton mentors detailed transformer connections on the production floor, Jones had the knowledge to be an active participant in the work, confirming to her the value of the education she is receiving at VCU.

The cross-disciplinary experience at Eaton appealed to Jones, and she plans to look into a career in robotics and automation. The VCU College of Engineering recently launched a new Bachelor of Science in robotics and autonomous systems focused on the kind of cross-disciplinary education Jones received at Eaton.

"Future interns, make sure to take in all that information that comes your way, even if it doesn't pertain to what you're working on," Jones said. "The advice you get from coworkers can inform your future career decisions. While doing that, don't forget to speak up and share your own expertise and perspectives. You can teach them a few things too.

"I loved how open everyone in the company was and how willing they were to help me with my professional, academic and personal journey. The Eaton team made lasting impressions with me and I'm thankful for the opportunity to work with them."