Dayton Engineer
Cooperative Education initiative pays off for chemical engineering student
By Connor King, chemical engineering major
My time working in the engineering field as a University of Dayton School of Engineering cooperative education student significantly shaped my development as a student, engineer and professional.
The knowledge learned and experience gained has been invaluable in my studies and my pursuit of a full-time engineering position after college. I would highly recommend engaging in a co-op experience of any kind.
After working for Tate & Lyle at the Citric Acid Manufacturing plant in Dayton, Ohio, as a co-op student for three work terms, I recently accepted an offer for the Production Engineer position at the plant.
During the summer of 2019, I began my engineering co-op experience at Tate & Lyle and worked a double term, finishing in December 2019. I then returned to Tate & Lyle during the summer of 2021 for my third and final work term.
During my first two terms, I worked on projects related to equipment-performance tracking and cost-saving alternatives for utilities in the plant. My third work term consisted of projects in equipment replacement and day-to-day process issue solving. Throughout my entire time there, I gained valuable skills in the areas of project management, process engineering and operations.
Having this experience is a great way of getting ahead of the competition in applying for jobs, paying for college and learning if engineering is the right field for you!