Engineering Global Products
Shannon Kurtas hones his technical skills (and his Mandarin) in China
by M.C. Maxwell
While many engineering students never find the time to study abroad, Philadelphia native Shannon Kurtas has already managed two international stints during his three years at Drexel University. Drexel, located in Philadelphia, has a unique academic program that alternates between “co-ops” (full-time internships) and regular classes every six months. “Between freshman and senior year,” Kurtas says, “you’ll do three co-ops, either fall/winter or spring/summer. Most [students] get jobs in the tri-state area.”
Kurtas, a Computer Engineering major, spent his first co-op with New-Jersey-based Metrologic Instruments, Inc., which primarily makes optimal image capture and processing products. Kurtas explains that these range from handheld laser barcode readers (such as those at retail stores) to industrial holographic-based scanning tunnels (as used for shipping or airline security).
After three months in the Blackwood, N.J. office researching wireless technology issues, Kurtas spent his second three months at the Suzhou, China branch, where he designed the hardware circuits and embedded software to create a new wireless version of an existing handheld scanner.
Though consumers would likely recognize many of the products he worked with, he is bound by confidentiality agreements not to discuss specifics on products that have not yet hit the market.
In China, Kurtas was one of only a few Americans, and the only one staying for an extended period. After only two quarters of Mandarin classes, Kurtas had to communicate with co-workers and collaborate with senior engineers in Chinese. It helped that most of the technical terms were in English, since there were no Chinese equivalents. And there were two managers fluent in English if he got stuck. By the end of his three months, Kurtas says, “I was almost fluent. I was able to skip four or five classes here [at Drexel] when I got back.”
In the fall of 2004, Kurtas went abroad again, this time as a student. He studied in Hong Kong for a semester through the GE3 (Global Engineering Educational Exchange, www.iie.org/programs/global-e3/) program, which allows engineering and computer science students at U.S. and foreign member institutions to study abroad in one of 17 countries and receive credit toward their majors. This time, he lived in a dorm and took classes in English at Hong Kong University. “I took engineering classes—essentially the same as what I would have taken at Drexel,” Kurtas says.
Kurtas completed his second co-op at Intel, in Hudson, Mass., but he is considering heading back overseas for his third and final co-op. “There are a couple of companies in Ireland that may be possible,” he says. He is looking for more experience in the electronics industry, and Ireland combines opportunities in this area with the appeal of family roots.
After his June 2007 graduation date, Kurtas is looking ahead to law school or possibly an MBA. “I’m not sure how,” he says, “but I definitely intend to incorporate my Chinese skills into my career, whether traveling back and forth or working over there.” For now, he’s planning a shorter vacation to London and Prague, where he’s sure to bring his latest favorite gadget—his iPod.