We’ve completed internship week five. A main focus of work this week was the continuation of the quality investigation of supplier material. Initially, I was told that the project was of secondary importance, but it turns out that this issue affects thousands of units and therefore is costly and relevant to engineers at other sites. The majority of my team is involved, and on Thursday we met with an engineer at Boston Scientific headquarters in Boston by phone. In preparation for the meeting, I collected data and made summary graphs.
As I reflected on the process of obtaining data and making my graphs, I thought of some reasons engineers and scientists value graphs so highly. Well-made graphs:
- Convey large amounts of data quickly
- Are readable and can stand alone without explanation
- Contain traceability to facilitate source checks and connections to related information
- Start with data, which can take a long time to obtain (I had this experience recently!)
- Complement text as a method of communication; this helps people with different learning styles or those who need a new perspective
All these attributes of strong graphs also contribute to the fact that graphs can take a long time to prepare. Paradoxically, some graphs are so clear and succinct that with just a glance, decisions are made and in the blink of an eye, the graph’s job is already done! Luckily, my graphs were not too quickly dismissed and were understood by everyone present. I can tell my lab experience helped me to develop these skills and habits, and I’m grateful that I can adapt that experience to my current job!
In addition to the supplier investigation meeting, I attended meetings of various lengths and numbers of attendees:
- A sitewide mid-year update – 2 hours
- The normal weekly process development meeting – 45 minutes
- Assorted smaller meetings of three people or fewer – 30 minutes
Here are my thoughts on meeting types. While small meetings are more personal and applicable to the technical project at hand, large meetings are beneficial for communication between levels and departments. For example, in the two biggest meetings, I heard about current events and important updates occurring in another department that had the potential to affect the entire plant. It seems that information trickles up to supervisors and then back down to everyone by way of meetings. In this respect, it’s advantageous to attend as many meetings as possible.
What goes up must come down – true for rock climbers and for good communication between departments at Boston Scientific
The contrasting aspect of this relates to personal time management. A manager in the process development meeting stressed the importance of each person strategically choosing which meetings to attend or skip. He encouraged us to use our time in the most efficient way possible and to remember that being invited to a meeting doesn’t always require attendance. This advice was a good reminder. I will certainly remember it for days, perhaps during the GMI program or later in my career, when I can’t be in more than one place at a time.
And now for this weekend’s adventures! It was a weekend of exploring the neighborhood. I went rock climbing at a local gym and met some interesting members of the community. Then, I spent Sunday afternoon with Denice, a friend from the design course. Topics like cultural exchange, hearing others’ stories and perspectives, and reflecting on the past and future of Costa Rican culture made for great conversations.