Hi everyone, Eleanor here! I'm already hard at work in my role as the new marketing intern and have been commissioned with the fun task of interviewing Bishop-Wisecarver’s first-ever engineering interns, Naasik Akkas and Shail Shah. Both attend UC Berkeley College of Engineering, both are in their junior year and both said they're very excited to work here for the summer. Even in the first couple weeks with us, the pair has put their engineering knowledge to the test by working hands-on with our LoPro linear actuators and learning about mechatronics in the process. I sat down with them for a bit to get to know more about their backgrounds and interests [ read past Q&A blog posts ].
Got some questions of your own? Feel free to ask them in the comment section!
Why did you want to study engineering?
N: I was good at math and physics in high school.
S: I liked taking things apart when I was young.
Who was your biggest influence in becoming an engineering student?
N: My dad. He was a mechanical engineer and I wanted to learn more about what he did and what mechanical engineering involved.
S: My dad as well. He encouraged me to study math and science in depth.
What kind of job experience did you have before joining the Bishop-Wisecarver team? What prompted you to apply to Bishop-Wisecarver specifically?
N: I worked as a student instructor at a community college, where I taught physics and math. I also had an internship in Bangladesh at Greenfield Automation Technologies, at which I specialized in industrial automation. I heard about BWC from my professor at Berkeley.
S: Last summer I interned at Boeing at its headquarters in Seattle. In my role there, I did a lot of materials testing and worked in labs. I heard about the BWC internship directly from Ali, BWC's VP of Engineering, who came to speak at UC Berkeley this spring.
Which areas of engineering interest you most?
N: Robotics and control.
S: Controls and green technologies.
What do you enjoy most about being an engineering student?
N: I enjoy being able to apply what I learn at university to everyday life.
S: Knowing how things around me work.
What extracurricular activities do you enjoy doing?
N: Flying RC Planes.
S: Soccer and running. I also volunteer at Richmond High school, where I help kids make electric bicycles.
What would be your dream engineering project?
N: Making a fully autonomous humanoid robot.
S: Making remote control toys and squirt guns.
S: My dad as well. He encouraged me to study math and science in depth.
What kind of job experience did you have before joining the Bishop-Wisecarver team? What prompted you to apply to Bishop-Wisecarver specifically?
N: I worked as a student instructor at a community college, where I taught physics and math. I also had an internship in Bangladesh at Greenfield Automation Technologies, at which I specialized in industrial automation. I heard about BWC from my professor at Berkeley.
S: Last summer I interned at Boeing at its headquarters in Seattle. In my role there, I did a lot of materials testing and worked in labs. I heard about the BWC internship directly from Ali, BWC's VP of Engineering, who came to speak at UC Berkeley this spring.
Which areas of engineering interest you most?
N: Robotics and control.
S: Controls and green technologies.
What do you enjoy most about being an engineering student?
N: I enjoy being able to apply what I learn at university to everyday life.
S: Knowing how things around me work.
What extracurricular activities do you enjoy doing?
N: Flying RC Planes.
S: Soccer and running. I also volunteer at Richmond High school, where I help kids make electric bicycles.
What would be your dream engineering project?
N: Making a fully autonomous humanoid robot.
S: Making remote control toys and squirt guns.
