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Engineering solutions: home and abroad
July 5, 2007

Being an engineering student is what you make of it.

Northeastern University sophomore Lucas Johnson really makes the most of the skills he’s learning as an intern with the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA) and as the VP of the school’s chapter of the nonprofit organization Engineers Without Borders (EWB).

The mechanical engineering major spent the last six months as an intern in the MBTA’s mechanical department, working on the commuter rail. “Basically, stuff comes in and we work on perpetual problems,” said Johnson. “We find solutions for persistent problems, like losing power to cars.”

“One problem I spent a lot of time on was inspection of Bi-Level coach disc brakes," said Johnson. “The problem was that in order to inspect them, someone had to go down underneath the coach into a pit and look at them, so what if you wanted to check them when you didn't have a pit?  I worked with people from two other companies.  One was an engineer from Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad (MBCR) and the others belonged to WinTron Technologies.  Using ideas from WinTron's other products, I drew AutoCAD representations of a handheld tool that would use a camera that would comfortably reach under the coach when the user was standing upright.  A small LCD monitor showed clearly what was going on under there.  At the time I left, we had just done revisions to the third prototype, and the final one is coming soon.  We did extensive testing of all the prototypes in between and came up with solutions for their shortcomings.  Weight, materials, center-of-gravity, and battery pack location are examples of some of the things we changed along the way to make it as usable as possible.”

Johnson’s internship with the MBTA is through Northeastern’s cooperative education program, which provides class credit to students who spend six months working a fulltime job. “I think co-op complements my education,” said Johnson. “You learn it in the classroom, but you wouldn’t understand how it applies. It brings theory to reality.”

Johnson also pointed out the important role co-op plays in making students’ transition into the working world easier. “I think it’s a really good idea,” said Johnson. “It puts people in situations where they can use their education. Co-op gives you connections with companies and a better idea of life after school, so it isn’t a shock.”

The Seattle, WA, native also dedicates much of his time to EWB. Last April, he traveled to Honduras with the group and is in the process of dividing work among members for another trip in December. “We stayed in El Rosario with a group of doctors from the Americans Caring, Teaching, and Sharing (ACTS) group,” said Johnson. “It was a half-hour pick-up ride every morning to our village.”

Once the group’s design is implemented, it is up to the people of the village to construct everything, so the group can return to implement the next phase. The people work sunrise to sunset to dig the trenches and build the structures that will bring water to their village. “It’s hard to contact the people, so we can’t be sure if the pipeline is dug and ready to go yet,” said Johnson, “but the people are really amazing.”

Fundraising is an important part of a nonprofit group, so it is a process that never stops for Johnson. It can be a lot of responsibility to keep up with school and help to run the group, but the rewards outweigh the responsibility. “I’ve been heavy into fundraising for the past few years, but I’ve also worked with the design committee,” said Johnson. “I call it my second life because my entire focus is on getting through school and getting these projects done.”

Posted by Jessica MacNeil on July 5, 2007 | Comments (0)