Come work with a Japanese public multinational corporation involved in a range of industries
"Completing this internship, especially in light of my initial apprehensions, was a huge confidence boost. It made me realize that even if I started out less prepared than my peers, I could still gain a lot from the experience."
Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) is an enormous engineering company with multiple factories both within and outside of Japan, and with multiple specializations, ranging from large-scale gas turbines to industrial robots to jet skis.
Akashi Works is KHI’s flagship factory, and one of the largest. Within Akashi Works, the Thermal Systems Department handles the design of ventilation and thermal systems within a vehicle in order to maintain passenger comfort.
I helped in the design of the next generation of train cabins, by running simulations of different potential configurations and identifying any flaws.
My work was an enjoyable blend of both office-based and hands-on jobs; I walked from the office building to the experimental facility (or vice versa) almost daily, which (given the size of Akashi Works) provided some form of exercise J.
Although my internship was unrelated to my current major, my background in Mechanical Engineering certainly proved helpful in understanding concepts (for example, identifying what exactly the simulations I was running were trying to achieve) and identifying ways to improve the current design.