Written by Rufus Mainwaring, OSU MECOP Intern, 2026
An Unexpected Introduction to Automation
When joining MECOP, I didn’t anticipate getting placed at an automation company. Along with friends, my expectation was that I’d end up doing mechanical engineering at a relatively standard manufacturing company with little chance for work with robots. This meant I was altogether surprised and excited when I discovered my placement at Concept Systems, a company whose entire business model is automation integration.
From Student Robotics to Industrial Automation
During my first year of high school, I joined the robotics team. Since that time, I’ve known I wanted to work in engineering. Whilst pursuing a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at Oregon State University, I’ve dedicated a majority of my time to the Mars Rover team. Late nights troubleshooting robot functionality is a hobby I’ve become accustomed to. Going into my fourth year as a student, I’ve gained a strong appreciation for observing others’ projects and asking questions.
Translating Education into Real-World Engineering
Although I’ve worked in CAD, documentation, and timelines before, working at Concept has allowed me to explore the functional use of these items more thoroughly. In addition, I’ve realized how standardizing file management, documentation templates, and project stages can be incredibly useful.
Experiencing the Variety of System Integration
My internship at Concept has entailed work on projects of different sizes (physical and budget), with a variety of work. I’ve had the opportunity to engage in pre-proposal conversations with customers and mechanical design feasibility discussions for large projects with ambitious scopes. I’ve QC’d electrical and mechanical systems and worked on assembling entire workcells. Of course, I’ve also gotten to complete a variety of part design and assembly that have stretched my existing design skills.
Learning From the People Around Me
Along the way, I’ve been greeted with generous hospitality, and alacrity in answering continuous queries. I’ve tried to take advantage of the opportunity to learn, and I’ve come away with better understanding of non-day-to-day engineering processes as a result. The welcoming environment across the whole company has been a nice bonus in making my involvement more seamless.
Finding the Fun in Troubleshooting
The parts of the internship I found most exciting were those that involved considerable problem solving. These were the moments where my impact was perceivable. I found the process of observation, taking measurements, and analyzing for any patterns in system error to be more exhilarating the more intractable a problem became. Thanks to my coworkers, I did get a better sense of when it’s a good idea to take a step back and re-establish.
Seeing a Different Side of Industry
One final item I really appreciated from working at Concept Systems was the industry insight I obtained through our customer relationships. Many interns I know have very limited scope of how different a company’s priorities are predicated on size and industry. I felt my eyes were open significantly to this nuance from our priorities as a contractor, but so too from viewing customers’ priorities through projects. This is valuable perspective that I feel has given me a leg-up in relative to my contemporaries at university.
Continuing Concept Systems’ Partnership with MECOP
Concept Systems’ partnership with MECOP gives engineering students like Rufus an opportunity to move beyond the classroom and contribute to real industrial automation projects while learning directly from experienced engineers.
The six-month internship format also lets Concept Systems meaningfully invest in each intern’s development. Interns join project teams, experience different phases of system integration, and gain exposure to the technical and professional skills required for an engineering career.
That investment has become an important part of Concept Systems’ approach to developing early-career talent. Many of the company’s engineers first came through the doors as MECOP interns and later returned as full-time employees after graduation. By continuing to partner with MECOP, Concept Systems can help develop the next generation of engineers while building relationships with talented students who may one day become part of the team.
