This week I began my internship as a Quality and Process Development(QAPD) Engineer at Boston Scientific. I would describe the environment at the QAPD department as friendly, cohesive and extremely welcoming. Everyone in the QAPD department eats lunch together, and they make sure to save me a seat. Someone is always willing to give me directions to a certain part of the building, translate words in English, or show me where the coffee pot is located. I’ve noticed my coworkers make a significant effort to speak in English if I’m part of a meeting, and I’m very appreciative of this.

I’ve been assigned two projects. One project is smaller, with an achievable outcome after my 6 short weeks here in Coyol. This goal involves manipulation of metal processes to achieve a certain color that Boston Scientific’s clients prefer in a certain medical device. Imagine I’ve been given the objective to make the world’s best raspberry dark chocolate cake (something I’m craving at the moment)- I know my desired outcome and my main ingredients, but I don’t have access to the recipe. I need to know certain factors such as quantity of ingredients, the order of the recipe, baking temperature, and time. What I just explained is essentially the role of a Processing Engineer. I’m enjoying the “reverse engineering” aspect of my role in this project, and feel like I’m a detective about to crack a code.

My other project is more extensive and will continue to run beyond my short 6 weeks here. There have been several complaints about a certain medical device, and I’ve been assigned to help resolve this complaint. It is believed the problem originates in the manufacturing line before the device is sterilized. Other than that, the definition of the problem is very broad. My challenge is to specifically determine the root cause of the problem and create a way to determine which devices are defective. Trying to solve a problem with little definition is engineering in its purest form, and I’m ready for the challenge.

I appreciate working with multiple projects with varying scopes, as it gives me the opportunity to experience different perspectives of QAPD. I’m excited to see the progress I make in the future!

***Side note- on the topic of cakes, I’ve come across an amazing recipe. It’s called 321 cake and it’ll change your life. All you need is packaged cake mix, water, a coffee mug, and frosting (optional to some, but not to me). Mix 3 tbs cake mix and 2 tbs water in the mug and microwave for 1 minute. Top with frosting and it is delicious. It’s a great way to end the day after working hard at Boston Scientific!