Name: Pulkit Parolia

 

Birthplace: Kolkata, India

 

AAE Major/Minor Concentration: Design/Aerodynamics

 

Student Classification: Senior

 

Name and location of company: Rockwell Collins, Inc. Cedar Rapids, IA

 

Job duties: My major responsibilities have included capturing operational requirements with the customer, working with functional domain teams to ensure correct requirements flow, integrating the functional applications on a simulation rig and developing and executing systems tests to verify that the system meets its requirements and certification standards.

 

Why did you want to do this co-op/internship? During my interview for the position, I was told that a big part of this job involved testing aircraft systems on a simulation rig. (The simulation rigs are essentially true-to-life mock-ups of the real aircraft). As a Design major in AAE and a private pilot, this role seemed to satisfy my desire to pursue Systems Engineering while realizing my passion for flying. 

 

Over the five sessions that I have spent at Rockwell Collins, systems testing has been my major responsibility and I have had the opportunity to spend countless hours in the cockpit of the simulation rig.

 

I am part of the Systems Engineering team for the Mitsubishi Regional Jet that is being built in Japan. From a very young age, I have been fascinated by Japanese engineering and their attention to detail. Since this is the first commercial aircraft being built by the country in over 50 years, I realized that this would be the best opportunity for me to delve into their culture and gain an insight into their engineering knowledge.    

 

What do you hope to gain from the experience? Through my co-op experience, I hope to further my knowledge of Systems Engineering. Spending four years on the program has helped me analyze the different phases of design and understand the value that each phase holds to the end product. My department has also allowed me to work in a very cosmopolitan environment which ensures that I am that much closer to being a globally cognizant engineer.  

 

Have you done other co-ops/internships as an AAE student? All 5 of my co-op sessions were spent at Rockwell Collins as a Systems Engineer on the Mitsubishi Regional jet. 

 

What are you ultimate career goals? My ultimate career goal is to make flying more accessible for more people. The path I am on today, puts me on track to realize this goal by allowing me to be flexible between engineering and management. 

 

photo (l to r): Pulkit Parolia with Dr. Tom Shih, the J. William Uhrig and Anastasia Vournas Head and Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics