GE Aviation’s Edison Rotation Program

After a life-altering dirt biking accident, Irwin had the option to give up on his hobbies, goals, and engineering career. Instead, he refused to take "no" for an answer. When told he could no longer drive his car, he was featured on the Wall Street Journal for designing a NEW way to drive. Today, he works on projects with NASA and GE Aviation to innovate ground breaking technologies in the Edison Program. 

Disclaimer: Opinions expressed are solely my guest's and my own. They do not express the views or opinions of our employers.

If you enjoyed this episode let's connect:
Instagram
TikTok
LinkedIn

Transcript

00:00.00
sharonpak5
So hi Irwin welcome to tech exploited I'm so excited to have you on the show today because we went to college together at calsate fullerton and that's how we met while we were majoring in mechanical engineering I know that you're a first generation college student. And that you are super into cars and I'm assuming that's why you decided to go into mechanical engineering. Um you were featured on the wall street journal because you made a mechanical control system that allows you to control your car where hand controls using your left hand after you got into a dirt biking accident. Um, a couple years back and then I know that you also completely ah replace the front and rear suspension of your car which is incredible and I love to hear more about that as well and that you are a part of Ge 's edison program a very prestigious. 2 ah three year right is a three year rotational program while you're ah pursuing your master's degree at the university of cincinnati currently and so yeah, um I guess where we would want to start is why would you want why what made you want to go into mechanical engineering.

00:51.32
Irwin
Third year yeah

00:58.78
Irwin
Present.

01:10.61
sharonpak5
And what got you excited about it when did you know you wanted to be an engineer.

01:15.76
Irwin
I think well first off, thanks to introducing me. It was a wonderful introduction. Um I think since I was a kid like elementary school and begin before that I was taken apart the vcr back when we had Vcr tapes the Dvd player after my dad got.

01:20.82
sharonpak5
Um, yeah.

01:32.10
Irwin
Ah, Dvd player to replace a vcr that I took apart and then the vacuum cleaner my mom tear dryer the blender. Yeah I wanted to figure out how they worked.

01:37.67
sharonpak5
What you took all those things apart what you mean to call those things. Ah.

01:48.20
Irwin
And a lot of the I mean I had a lot of fun dumps are diving as a kid as well. Just like neighbors were moving out if we lived in an apartment complex so people when they move away. They'll they'll throw away old fans old microwaves old computers etc and I'll take them all apart and keep what I wanted to keep and throw away what I didn't want.

01:54.49
sharonpak5
Aha.

02:04.69
sharonpak5
What would you keep.

02:07.30
Irwin
Um I liked fans a lot So like the computer has like the motherboard and all the other stuff I would keep all the wiring and all the fans I didn't really care didn't really care for the motherboard. Um.

02:11.97
sharonpak5
Ah, okay.

02:18.80
sharonpak5
Huh Interesting That's like so telling too of your current job because you work with like turbines and like ah motors and engines stuff like that and they have like a fan looking thing that spins right.

02:30.47
Irwin
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah I like the stuff that I like the moving parts. So that's ever since I was a kid I've always known wanted to be a mechanic or engineer. Um.

02:33.74
sharonpak5
So it's like you still love the fan looking stuff.

02:44.39
sharonpak5
Okay.

02:48.24
Irwin
So yeah, and then the cars and Motorcycles just kind of amplified that taking it to the next level cars and motorcycles and stuff.

02:51.88
sharonpak5
How did she even get into that like because yeah because you were like pretty like deep into that world when I met you in college it wasn't just like a casual thing and I met you pretty early into college too.

03:04.35
Irwin
Yeah, yeah, so my dad was a mechanic so growing up just kind of working with him in the garage and cars and motorcycles and he and his family grew up riding Motorcycles and and that's all my dad's side of family so that just kind of.

03:08.50
sharonpak5
Okay.

03:19.75
sharonpak5
Um.

03:23.00
Irwin
As a kid just was like Wow This is so cool and that's kind of got into it and hasn't really left me since then. So yeah.

03:29.94
sharonpak5
Yeah, yeah, yeah, okay, and um, so your how does your mom feel about that like was your mom ever against that with you and your dad like bonding all over that stuff really.

03:36.28
Irwin
My mom was actually very supportive because like in Singapore's very common like in southeast asia in general people that ride motorcycles because they can't afford cars. So like it's just like another form of transportation.

03:46.30
sharonpak5
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

03:53.34
Irwin
In her eyes. Yeah, yeah, yeah, came here like in the early 90 s not yet, not yet. Ah, we want a goal in like a.

03:53.35
sharonpak5
Did you guys did your parents immigrate from Singapore Okay gotcha I didn't know that? yeah.

04:05.57
sharonpak5
Gotcha That's awesome. Have you ever been out there.

04:12.12
Irwin
Like a 2 or 3 week family trip in the future now that I'm done with college and my brother is working at dumb with college and working as well. Now we're in a spot where you could take that time off and financially do so as well.

04:14.88
sharonpak5
Ah, love you So much fun.

04:26.83
sharonpak5
You're not necessarily done with college. Yeah because you decided to go back to school again.

04:29.12
Irwin
Yeah, yeah, so ah and I'm like about halfway done with a master's degree Ms. degree in ah, mechanical engineering at University Cincinnati but that's like I don't know way more chill than I thought it'd be.

04:37.77
sharonpak5
Yeah.

04:48.79
sharonpak5
Um.

04:49.20
Irwin
Compared to undergrad and I the is because I'm taking the classes I want to take as I feels easier to me even though they're not.

04:56.67
sharonpak5
What made you want to because I know that it's not required for you to maybe you could talk a little bit about your program. Um Edison program and why you decided to get that master because I know it's not required.

05:01.36
Irwin
Yeah.

05:09.94
Irwin
Yeah, so Edison program inna give a bit of a long answer because it's ah it's kind of like you know moving from l a to Cincinnati you don't really hear that. Um so junior year. Yeah, since that of Ohio. Yeah.

05:11.25
sharonpak5
Go for it. Yeah Cincinnati ohio l a l a in California and to Cincinnati Ohio.

05:28.20
Irwin
Yeah, yeah, yeah, so um, junior year of college you know I remember 2019 Fall 2019 um about the time where people start looking for jobs and stuff and i. Quite ticky I wanted to go into propulsion some sort of propulsion whether it be automotive space or aircraft I started and then I started the near that down Moore I said okay I really like I really like combustion. Not you know.

05:47.48
sharonpak5
Ah.

05:52.57
sharonpak5
Um.

05:59.83
Irwin
Ah, electric your cars are awesome and they're really cool but they don't excite me as much as burning fuel. So then it kind of narrowed it down to well. Okay, automotive is going to electrification. So don't want to and don't really want to get into that just yet so that left me with 2 options aerospace or space.

06:05.70
sharonpak5
Um.

06:14.60
sharonpak5
But ah.

06:19.64
Irwin
Or like I guess airplanes or space and I started thinking about it more and more I'm like well Rocket engines. Yes, are really cool and everything but planes are what take people around you know, unless someone figures out a way to have it.

06:22.23
sharonpak5
And ah.

06:35.33
Irwin
Ah, rocket I can see 5 a of people take them pointed to point b with the same level of emissions at an aircraft kind of which I'm not sure that's possible. We'll see though I mean who knows but um aircraft after about take people point a to point b they will connect the world and I really like talking learning by other people.

06:38.43
sharonpak5
Yeah, yeah.

06:54.30
Irwin
And where they've been and where they want to go and growing up I didn't really travel much because it's expensive. My family couldn't afford it so I was like well Aircraft Engines have a lot of moving parts. Um, they have to be reliable ah up for obvious reasons and.

06:57.33
sharonpak5
Um, yeah.

07:10.33
sharonpak5
Yeah.

07:13.76
Irwin
They burn fuel so that led me to propulsion. So then I started googling who makes jet engine I didn't know at the time I thought boeing made the plane and the engine just like how tail that makes the car and the engine an Airbus same thing but I then learned okay, the 3 major players in the commercial aerospace.

07:26.60
sharonpak5
And ah her.

07:32.44
Irwin
Our commercial jet engine industries rolls Royce Pratt Whitney and ge aviation out of those 3 I started googling what has a rotation program if I newly wanted to be in that field but I didn't really know what exactly I wanted to do in that field the ge program popped up on Google and then went on Reddit.

07:37.55
sharonpak5
Yep.

07:46.28
sharonpak5
Ah.

07:50.87
Irwin
But a bunch of stuff about it I oh this sounds awesome. It's prestigious. It's competitive. It's hard because you have to do the ge schooling as well. Something called a and b course part of Ace which is advanced courses in engineering ace. Um, so but put my eyes on that and then.

07:57.70
sharonpak5
Yeah.

08:10.68
Irwin
Um, like a few days after that a few friends from college Juan and Tim mentioned to me that they're going to go to the ship conference in Phoenix Arizona and then I was like ah well. Too late to sign up right now they get free admission and it's $400 or whatever and I have to help they get housing or a hotel there and whatever but ge was going to be there at the ship conference I'm like oh well. Okay, so the next day I legit skip class i.

08:33.60
sharonpak5
Yeah.

08:42.21
Irwin
Suck it up paid a $400 fee and then Tim and Juan they courted they get a hotel with me in the room as well and I drive 6 hours that morning the next morning from LA to phoenix and then when I ride there I think that the day after I arrive was when they have a career fair.

08:51.36
sharonpak5
Wow.

09:00.41
sharonpak5
Aha.

09:00.44
Irwin
Ah, talked to the recruiter which is I didn't know at the time I was going to be my edison manager I talked to the manager there and she was her and I just kind of clicked I was like Wow this this person's awesome. Um.

09:03.44
sharonpak5
Wow wow.

09:11.37
sharonpak5
Yeah.

09:14.84
Irwin
She's ah she is also a baha Essaye judge as well. So she understood like how much time and effort a formula as a student puts into their part. Yeah yeah, yep I led the power train team and a host of other.

09:21.65
sharonpak5
Yep because you were a formula essay student um in college. Yeah.

09:33.54
Irwin
Leadership stuff and very involvedd the team like as in the kid that sleeps I doesn't go to the kid that sleeps in this car because it's four a M and you don't want to drive home. So I've done that.

09:43.84
sharonpak5
I Felt like that was like the entire team though like all of you guys are like that I'm like you guys are crazy like hey yeah.

09:51.28
Irwin
I Think like half of us were like the ultra dedicated slash unhealthy I don't want to say that as like a good thing. It was honestly looking back at it kind of bad for our health and social life but whatever it happened? Um, but ah.

10:06.80
sharonpak5
Ah.

10:07.95
Irwin
And then yeah I got I she she loved me I loved her. Um and a month after that I pulled me out Thein incident outta Ohio November of 2019 a few days after think a few days before Thanksgiving and then I think at that time during the interview I'm like there is there's a 4 hour interview process I'm like okay I think I got the job and then.

10:27.64
sharonpak5
Wow.

10:27.86
Irwin
Next day I got the offer and I said I'm gonna I'm gonna do it I went to Cincinnati I'm at a city school like it's it's not like cornfields everywhere. It's actually like a little city. You know of course there are a bunch of cornfields out here. Not goingnna lie but but in the city school. The.

10:43.46
sharonpak5
Us? Yeah yeah.

10:45.40
Irwin
The place is cool. The Edison program sounds awesome. Um, so yeah I'm to be honest I'm not sure what the initial question was but I kind of gave that's the introduction to how I got into the edit program.

10:57.26
sharonpak5
Gotcha and I think that like your story is interesting because I know that you didn't share this but right after graduation I think you went to tesla for a little bit first initially you know? yeah.

11:02.93
Irwin
Oh yeah, yeah, so what happened was right after graduate. So I got the offer twenty Ninth may twenty nineteen then covid hit right? It really the school got shut down in March Twenty Twenty then I think I in August to 2020 so okay and I was supposed to start and joke I was supposed to start in June.

11:11.95
sharonpak5
Yep yep.

11:22.50
Irwin
2020 I think or July 2020 then they push to offer out the August Twenty Twenty just because of yeah because the aviation industry took a big hit from covid and then yeah, especially commercial.

11:23.20
sharonpak5
Ah.

11:27.40
sharonpak5
For Edison's program.

11:35.55
sharonpak5
Yep, Especially a commercial because you weren't allowed to fly anywhere. Yeah.

11:40.20
Irwin
Yeah, so nobody. Nobody's flying up so then um, what's it called? Ah so I said okay I'll chill home for another month or so then a few weeks after they push it out. They they said they're gonna push out again at January of 2021 so like I'm like oh now I have like this. Multiple months I'm gonna be doing nothing so then I start frantically looking for jobs. Um, and then one day on Linkedin I got a ah ah dm from ah a contracting agency asking. Do you want to work for an automotive company out in the South Bay area and I'm like oh.

12:18.29
sharonpak5
Ah.

12:18.73
Irwin
South Bay as in like bay area and I'm like okay there's only like 2 automotive people out there. The main ones Tesla and you also have like woou and stuff but the main ones Tesla and I said sure so I set me up with the harry manager like the next day and that's that same day I got the offer for ah contracting.

12:34.22
sharonpak5
While.

12:37.79
Irwin
Position so it wasn't like forever or just like this set up set amount of time and I lined up perfectly with my ge start date. So I went to tesla I worked there for like three and a half months or so and then from when I ended Tesla. Um. Only had like a day or 2 at home to pack up all my stuff get in the car me drove six days from l a to Cincinnati on a road trip with my dad visiting national parks and stuff and then came to Cincinnati and then a few days after that when me arrived then I then my first day was a g so yeah.

13:10.19
sharonpak5
Gotcha so you didn't it was like an awkward transition or anything either because you purposely picked up a contractor or once you were done. You just went over to ge and so you basically had like an internship type of job almost at Tesla before going over to ge for the Edison program.

13:20.69
Irwin
Kind of and that that job could have turned into full time. But I just I really wanted to do aerospace engine stuff although Teza was paying more but I said.

13:27.25
sharonpak5
Um, yeah.

13:35.40
sharonpak5
Yeah.

13:40.29
Irwin
This is what I want to do and happy I'm here now been 3 years almost happy.

13:43.22
sharonpak5
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, definitely and I think something else really interesting from your story is that you have a knack for getting ah interviews and a job offer the next day huh

13:55.28
Irwin
I guess I mean it told me I mean yeah, 2 for 2 I guess but ah been denied a lot of time I guess yeah, that's sure 2 points do make a like I don't have a strong art. Ah I don't have a strong argument against that.

14:01.21
sharonpak5
2 am I 2 points make a line though. No like ah.

14:12.80
Irwin
Um, but yeah I did get denied a few other plates that that um I mean looking back at it I Don't think it would have been as happy there anyways. So.

14:12.94
sharonpak5
Um, ok.

14:17.91
sharonpak5
Okay, what were like the hardest questions they asked you at both teslan for edison. Do you remember.

14:25.81
Irwin
So the Tesla was very straight to the point engineering questions. Um, because I was in a work I was in ah my job was working on a plastic injection molded interior parts for your car. For example, the be pillar which is like the plastic housing that.

14:35.34
sharonpak5
The.

14:42.71
Irwin
Surround your seatbelt high adjuster on the side of the car so're sitting here. Your head is here like that plastic beam that's called you like you? Yeah yeah, like the plastic housing around that whole thing. It's called the b pillar upper and you'll have a b pillar lowered. Most cards is 2 pieces one that's like the top half and.

14:44.28
sharonpak5
Yeah, yeah, and you move it up and down and it like adjust your position. Yeah.

15:01.55
sharonpak5
Okay.

15:02.70
Irwin
Like perhaps at the bottom half so stuff like that's as 1 example of the many ah interior parts but they're all plastic usually not all usually plastic injection molded like some sort of glass filled myylon plastic and I had experience with that working at a internship in college on office furniture. So office furniture.

15:13.12
sharonpak5
Okay.

15:18.69
sharonpak5
What.

15:21.75
Irwin
Yeah, like literally like office chairs like like her I mean I'm sure have you heard of Herman Miller those really is yeah very expensive. We were a company that stole almost as good ches for a fraction of price fraction of the price. In fact.

15:28.79
sharonpak5
Yep, everyone loves the Herman Miller chairs they're like stupid expensive. Yeah yeah, called what.

15:39.87
Irwin
It's called exemps or sit on it seating and I don't know if you know this Butals State Fuller Ten the entire Tsu had that that equipment the chairs, the chairs in the tsu. Um, yeah, all of yeah, so that's just a little fun fact.

15:42.86
sharonpak5
Okay, ah oh I didn't know that.

15:54.12
sharonpak5
Ah, ok.

15:57.56
Irwin
And I was just saw a few of my chairs at work a Ge over here. Yeah, so yeah, they are they are known in the commercial world. But anyways I worked for them and then they realized there's a lot of similarity between auto furniture and automotive interiors. Sorry my dog's being bad.

16:06.33
sharonpak5
So yeah.

16:14.43
sharonpak5
Ah, here where I'm a posit real quickly and actually didn't You're good hi.

16:17.32
Irwin
Ah, my girlfriend got it though. But yeah, there's a lot of yeah, there's a lot of similarity between office furniture and automotive interiors I mean like they both have to be ergina but comfortable not have sharp edges. Both made of plastic and both usually plastic injection molded but the same sort of nylon content or Glassf Nylon content so a lot of similarities and they also knew I was in cars because of formula essay and my other internship I've done. Um, so.

16:40.42
sharonpak5
Um, ah.

16:44.70
sharonpak5
Yeah, yeah.

16:50.12
Irwin
The theship is purely asked with technical questions on what I've done with plastic injection molding. What do I know about cars and what do what do I think Consumers want in a car interior because like stuff like that whereas the Ge interview was a bit more open-ended. They were like.

16:52.43
sharonpak5
And.

17:00.36
sharonpak5
Ah.

17:08.90
Irwin
4 and and that okay so the tes interview is about an hour on the phone just purely technical stuff like can you minutes? yeah because it was a contractor. So okay, so there's 1 interview with the with the with the with the contractor like the head hunter person that.

17:12.70
sharonpak5
Just one interview. Okay gotcha. Yeah.

17:24.65
Irwin
That was more so like what's your Gpa what's your availability can you move out there stuff like that. The actual hiring manager interview with the technical stuff. So a total about 2 hours interview the Ge in person interview is about 4 four and a half hours that interview is a bit more hu.

17:26.71
sharonpak5
Um, yeah Gotcha gotcha. Okay.

17:38.19
sharonpak5
Ok, a lot longer a lot longer. Okay about what.

17:43.42
Irwin
Yeah, and I had to give a presentation at the beginning as well out presentation on like why I want to work for Ge and how I make a good fit and it was timed as well in front of the audience of engineers and the hiring and manager.

17:53.69
sharonpak5
Okay.

18:03.30
Irwin
That I met at the conference but the ah the interview about four four hours long and they asked it was kind of open ended kind of explain your project explain what you've done explain what you didn't like what you liked what you could if you could go back and get more time and money what we do do do differently so a lot of the. My experience is based on the form I kind of just mostly talked about the formula essaye experience. So that's where I felt like I had more control over things than like my internship where manager just told me here here's this task to do it. Um, because yeah, so that's kind of what I talked about.

18:22.17
sharonpak5
Yeah.

18:39.49
Irwin
A lot and then they then the engineers even though they didn't really, they weren't per se car enthusiasts. They were good Engineers they're able to pick up and ask you questions? Okay, well if you designed it this way. What did you have this sort of implication. They're pretty sharp.

18:47.81
sharonpak5
App.

18:52.69
Irwin
And ask me questions keep me on my toes but it felt it was fun. It felt like a conversation. Not so much like an interview.

18:56.52
sharonpak5
Okay, so that's I knew you're a good fate right? You're like I found the right company I love it here and then what made you want to do the masters. Well once you got in with the Edison program. You said that there's an a and a b thing right? I forgot what? yeah.

19:08.83
Irwin
Yes, yes, so I'll explain this Edison Edison program I got hired in this 3 year program 3 rotation about a year long each and you have to do a and b course a course is like almost like a full school year you start August and you end in in may like a normal school. And it's 4 hours a week of homework 4 hours a week of lecture and about 10 to 20 hours a week not joking of homework. They're all based on like kind of like real life situations that are like watered down and making into a homework assignment. For example, like.

19:41.90
sharonpak5
Okay.

19:44.96
Irwin
This blade gets this hot find the heat transfer coefficient and then find how many what the mass vol of air is to cool to actually feed the the feed the cooling air for the blade and then yet the also balance. Okay, if you if you if you.

19:53.77
sharonpak5
Yeah.

20:01.73
Irwin
Pump too much air into the blade. Yeah, you're even to cool it more but stealing air from the engine reduces your fuel efficiency so you have to play that game and then just yeah and a lot of there's a lot of very interesting problems based around like Jet engines.

20:12.24
sharonpak5
Ah, ah.

20:18.20
sharonpak5
Ah.

20:18.74
Irwin
And then that was a course and then b course was more project based and we literally yeah that that was like part of you two your slash year three at the actual schooling that one started in August and ended in March it was a bit shorter than the school school year that one was I'd be more fun is more project based.

20:23.12
sharonpak5
Um, nothing here too.

20:27.68
sharonpak5
Okay.

20:38.28
Irwin
And we literally like had to do a three months project which was like quite literally a conceptual design review of a of a of a full ah compressor of of a full compressor of an engine and if we had a design to rotors. The rotors are what how is the the disks. Ah.

20:38.48
sharonpak5
Ah, ah.

20:43.42
sharonpak5
While.

20:55.54
sharonpak5
Yeah.

20:58.24
Irwin
Rotor is what houses the blades you have many blades on a disc that spins so we had it and it was quite literally an actual Cdr like we had to follow all design practices and like present to the engineers and it was a so it was a Cdr so it was that one took a lot of time. It was fun.

21:00.37
sharonpak5
Um, yeah.

21:17.50
Irwin
But.

21:17.24
sharonpak5
And just for people that don't know Cdr is critical design review. Um I don't think we really knew what that term was until we were seniors. Yeah.

21:24.85
Irwin
Oh oh so I would say critical. Yeah, it was critical designer to you for like formula and like other companies but ah ge our designer is go like this cdrs conceptual design review then Pdr's preliminary design review.

21:34.12
sharonpak5
And this.

21:38.73
Irwin
And then Ddr is your detailed design review. So this is like the last one the most critical one. So Cdr is the first one. So that's what we that's and I know other companies have different acronyms. Yeah yeah.

21:44.41
sharonpak5
Gotcha ok, every company is different and it's really annoying I wish they all had the exact same thing but it's like usually this 3 to 5 steps they call them all different stuff and yeah.

21:58.52
Irwin
Yeah, yeah, yeah, basically the first set design review basically ready to do that that was challenging but fun and then after the Edison program they they give you so I'll pack up a second.

22:02.25
sharonpak5
Just design reviews.

22:16.76
Irwin
That all that stuff counts for 10 credits towards a 30 credit masters of science degree and he so like cals state forton I think is 30 credits cal state will long beach of 30 credits and universal is university of Cincinnati is also like 30 credits for your master's degree and.

22:20.94
sharonpak5
Towards ah.

22:32.26
sharonpak5
Okay.

22:35.74
Irwin
That counts for 10 It should be a lot more I think it should be the entire master's degree but the schools obviously don't want you to. They don't want to give a master's degree without you. We're going to school there because then they don't get money. Um, yeah, so they give you 10 credits there just a lot I think for a transfer.

22:46.51
sharonpak5
No double dipping.

22:55.21
Irwin
Study for graduate degree said they they just look at it as past they just look at it as past their transfer credits so ten credits I mean that 20 credits left and energy is fully sponsoring that degree. So I said okay.

22:55.35
sharonpak5
Okay. Okay.

23:06.22
sharonpak5
Awesome! So cool.

23:10.45
Irwin
Why not school is a twenty fifteen minute drive from home. It's on the way home from work. There's no reason why I shouldn't go for it and I kind of I think I like the masters more than like the undergrad.

23:17.16
sharonpak5
Um, and you love school.

23:29.93
Irwin
Actually some of the other classes we've taken in undergrad because I think the students care more and the professors know that you're there because you actually care I like the graduate classes more. But yeah.

23:30.26
sharonpak5
Okay, ah.

23:39.84
sharonpak5
Do you think you like it more too because like 1 you're not paying for it. So it's free to you kind of know how you're going to use it in your actual job now. So everything's like more interesting because it's more applicable. What do you mean.

23:53.60
Irwin
I Think it's a letter the ladder not I don't really think about the money is more so like the applicability and like how it's like genuinely fun to me. Um, so that's what I'm doing my master's um I have.

23:57.88
sharonpak5
Um, yeah.

24:09.31
Irwin
So far finished well I'm taking 2 classes now to end at the end of this semester I'll have 6 credits done I took 3 credits one summer ago so that's 9 plus ten from gs has nineteen so I have 11 credits left and I'm done. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

24:13.46
sharonpak5
Ok.

24:22.93
sharonpak5
You're like 66% on the way there 2 thirds? Yeah beautiful. Okay, and so um, yeah, it's awesome I think it's super cool that you're getting your master's degree out there and that is fully sponsored by ged. You think that you would have gotten a master's degree. Um, let's say you didn't you weren't a part of the Edison program and you're just working at Ge for a normal program. Do you think that or as a normal engineer. Um, do you think that you would have still pursued a master's degree or no.

24:53.71
Irwin
Um I I think so because they still give tuition reimbursement this Ge programs that Ace programs nice because you don't pay anything. They just this I don't even see the bill whereas like other companies. It's like or at the other if you're a direct hire not on the program you would have to do.

25:04.25
sharonpak5
Ah.

25:11.33
Irwin
Tuition reimbursement which means you pay and they pay you back? Um, which I still would have done but I be to take a question a step further if this company did not offer any sort of tuition reimbursement then no I would not have gone for my master's.

25:12.63
sharonpak5
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

25:24.35
sharonpak5
I Totally agree I Always tell people like I don't think that I always tell people I recommend you working in industry right? after you get your bachelor's and have your company pay for your master's degree or at least subsidize it versus trying to pay for your master's degree completely out of pocket because I'm just like what's the point right.

25:40.79
Irwin
Yeah I hunt hundred percent agree with you unless you know you want to get into the super niche field.

25:42.69
sharonpak5
Especially if you're an engineering student.

25:47.89
sharonpak5
But okay, here's here's my qualm people think that they know what they want to do until they actually start working on it and I think only like 50% of the people once they actually start working on their dream job actually like it and then the other half are like what is.

25:57.91
Irwin
Yeah, yeah, that that that's true I met both ends I have met a guy at work that did his masters up to did bachelors at Purdue does Masters at purdue.

26:03.87
sharonpak5
This This is nothing that I thought I was going to be.

26:14.54
Irwin
And it almost did a ph she would think got hired at Ge and to go work just on combusster design and that was twenty years ago and he's still doing it today and he is like ecstatic about it and also met a person so some people they know and then some people are like yeah I did that masters but don't really want to do that anymore.

26:19.60
sharonpak5
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, so I'm like some people they know right? But yeah continue.

26:34.20
Irwin
So that was kind of like me I knew I wanted to do jet and stuff wasn't really sure what. So yeah.

26:41.10
sharonpak5
Yeah, yeah, that was like me right when I graduated um or when I graduated I thought that I wanted to work on robots and robotic arms and then when I actually started working on robotic arms I had to Program. And I was like I hate programming I don't know my robotic arms had to deal with programming like this was my dream job and then I actually got my dream job I was like absolutely not so if I got to a master's degree in that and then actually started working in industry I think I would have just hated my life So I'm like be careful, you know like why? Not just.

26:59.27
Irwin
Um.

27:06.30
Irwin
With me.

27:16.81
sharonpak5
Um, work and then go for it. Not all know that's my two cents um yeah yeah, sure yeah Yeah, yeah,

27:18.18
Irwin
Yeah I guess it just that's it its very individual question. Someone really knows and it's almost like stubborn about it that that's a good sign. They should probably just do the masters first. But if they're like kind of on the fence then a hundred percent no like if it's not it for sure. Yes, then it's a no.

27:36.47
sharonpak5
I agree I agree and so then um, you've mentioned so both of us were in rotational programs and so at one point we're both in Ohio Crazy story or when and I were in a car accident.

27:44.80
Irwin
Yeah.

27:49.39
sharonpak5
In Ohio and um, we got we rear ended that we got rearended in my car and um, it's it. It was a crazy story iwin was earns a huge car guy obviously like he loves cars.

28:00.83
Irwin
Please.

28:03.74
sharonpak5
He was complimenting a mclaren that was in front of us and um, yeah, sure enough a couple minutes later we were inside of the mclaren hey.

28:10.86
Irwin
Um, yeah.

28:12.58
sharonpak5
And and then um, yeah, so we're both in Ohio at one point um for rotational programs and so my rotational program was a little bit different from yours right? My rotational program was 2 years ah 3 different rotations six months six months one year yours is a 3 year program with 3 rotations right? and so and it's all at the same site. So what type of rotations have you had so far.

28:38.43
Irwin
Yeah, so mine is at the same site. But if you wanted to go to other site you could. But I chose to stay here but ah, very rotations I've had so the first one you don't really have much say because it's like when I give you the offer versus when you start, it's usually about a year and then business.

28:52.72
sharonpak5
Earth earth.

28:55.24
Irwin
Needs change in a year so I got lucky because I wanted to do something very mechanical and very like I don't know moving parts ish and then Sarah like the hiring manager she played which is also like the edison manager she plays me in a role designing a gearbox for a hybrid electric.

29:02.19
sharonpak5
Yeah.

29:14.75
Irwin
Ah, demonstrator engine working with working with Nasa and ge together. It's called the power extraction program and I can say this because it's on Google it's on the public domain to someone wants to Google it you can and Nasa ge power extraction program. Um.

29:17.35
sharonpak5
Huh Oh wow.

29:25.39
sharonpak5
Okay.

29:34.80
Irwin
Basically, we're taking ah a jet engine and then a jet engine has two spols a high pressure and a low pressure spool. Um and we wanted to connect an electric motor to the high pressure and low pressure spool electric motor was than to be like a car hybrid system based essentially you could. Extract power from the combustion engine to generate electricity and then charge a battery and then many Eagles use the battery the power the motor to help spin the engine. Um, so every wanted to demonstrate that we could.

29:56.24
sharonpak5
That.

30:04.48
sharonpak5
Super cool.

30:09.46
Irwin
Ah, well, we're going to demonstrate it very soon testing's going to start soon but in early 2021 I was in charge of designing the high pressureure spol mounting system and gearbox I designed a gearbox and it was like legit design as an I was a guy in Nx which is like those of you don't know as it's a cat software like solo workss or Katia um.

30:21.77
sharonpak5
Wow! yeah.

30:29.44
Irwin
Designing the gearbox picking the number of bolts the thickness of the housing the material of the housing then where am I going to put the bearings where am I going to put the gears where am I going to put the oil squirters oilquiers or things that shoot oil at the barings and geels that keep keep them lubricated and then more importantly for heat heat pickup. Ah, keep the part cool. Um, so that was fun doing that very very mechanical I took that from basically a 2 d sketchup like we want to put a gearbox here to a preliminary design side I mentioned cdrpdrddrpdr is like you're like almost there with.

31:06.89
sharonpak5
Um I have.

31:07.12
Irwin
Detailed design. So I took it all if from nothing to that and that was fun. That was a lot of fun and it was since it's not a production product. You don't have to do a lot of the like Faa stuff which is very important but does take.

31:18.50
sharonpak5
Earth.

31:24.42
Irwin
But more time and more and you have to be a bit more detailed than a little more scrutiny with your design. Ah second rotation that was about eight months I think nine months nine months second rotation was about like thirteen months that one I worked on an engine called the ge nine x.

31:28.00
sharonpak5
Yeah, definitely okay.

31:41.28
Irwin
Which is an engine is going to power the bowing triple 7 x in the future. It's ah it's a very big engine and broke the world record for the most powerful engine. Um, and I've mean big like it I've seen this engine next to a semitru and it makes the truck look small. Um like it is bigger than a seite truck.

31:43.58
sharonpak5
Oh well.

31:58.36
sharonpak5
Yeah.

32:00.21
Irwin
Like a lot bigger. Um this engine I were and I owned um the stage 2 high pressure turbine blade as well as the shroud and then they also gave me the shroud hanger to own that as well I was in charge of the blade was already designed. Wasn't much design worked on that part but I had there wasn't casted yet. We haven't actually like we designed it but we we only made like 1 or 2 casting. But we haven't actually started making production castings yet. So I had to go figure out casting issues and make our yield go from like.

32:33.51
sharonpak5
Um, yeah.

32:39.83
Irwin
Very low percentage to like 9100% yield ah yes yeah because they don't meet the drawing specification or any other system castings are very hard, especially when you have internal cooling passages.

32:43.18
sharonpak5
Well so that means that you keep all of them versus throwing them all away.

32:53.60
sharonpak5
Castings are hard. Yeah, for sure.

32:58.87
Irwin
This is not just a blade That's just a chunk of metal. It has a very intricate internal cooling passage. Um, and it's about like this big the blade I mean it's a big blade. Um, so and then I also had to do design a test fixture or test setup to ah measure.

33:03.47
sharonpak5
Yeah, yeah.

33:19.11
Irwin
Modal response on engine tests so we do We do care a lot about resonant frequencies. We're running the engine So we want to yeah that ah and resonant predicting these can drive high cycle fatigue and we don't want a high cycle fatigue.

33:22.93
sharonpak5
Okay, we don't want no Tacoma Narrows bridge. Yeah.

33:36.10
sharonpak5
Got me.

33:37.85
Irwin
Craft or failure. So that's I had to design a test fixture to go measure that response for the engine. So I'll just keep it at that. Not go too detailed.

33:46.62
sharonpak5
I Might that's like your dream job as a kid right? You're just working on a giant fan. Ah.

33:50.73
Irwin
Basically here and then third rotation was also a year a ish a bit thirteen months as well. I think that one was working with an existing engine off the show another demonstrator engine this time with Airbus and ge. It's called the um hydrogen zero e demonstrator with Airbus this is also like on the public domain so you can Google it. Um, it's ah a demonstration of hydrogen field flight. We want to take an existing engine that we have.

34:07.83
sharonpak5
Ah.

34:24.17
Irwin
Design a new combuster. So I'm not on the combuster team. There's a combuster team doing that they want to design a new combuster new fuel nozzles and then attach it to an a three eighty which is a very big airplane as like a flying test bed and essentially I may have another engine as well as going to be on the ground.

34:38.16
sharonpak5
Ah.

34:41.85
Irwin
Ah, ground test then so we have a ground test engine and a flight test engine. Both are identical and you want to demonstrate that we can do Hydrogen combustion on the ground as well as ah at Altitude conditions. My job is to make sure the entire high pressure turbine. So the blood this the blades nozzles and shrouds can.

34:51.93
sharonpak5
Ah.

35:00.96
sharonpak5
Ah.

35:01.73
Irwin
Um, I guess you could say tolerate and meet our life requirements with a new set of Combustion boundary conditions because when you burn feel. Yes, it creates heat. But I'll just say the distribution of heat is not the same.

35:12.12
sharonpak5
Gotcha.

35:19.30
Irwin
But Kerosene or or je a versus hydrogen that and then they keep it simple. Um your distribution of temperature when the ever you have a thermal gradient that drives compressive stress and compressive stress cracks and.

35:19.42
sharonpak5
Um, yep.

35:37.70
Irwin
Wolves like a fatigue failures are one of the main drivers for a component failure. So I had to go do I was a mechanical analysis guy taking an existing farwork. My requirement was to not go redesign Hardware use off- theshelf stuff.

35:42.19
sharonpak5
Okay.

35:49.42
sharonpak5
And.

35:53.68
Irwin
Make Sure it'll work and it doesn't work and negotiate with the systems engineers or requirements and how we're actually going to fly this thing and make so it was That's that was very fun because ah, kind of like you have this out of the box sort of thinking with like. Knee boundary condition but like you have to you're constrained with existing hardware which is sometimes harder than go of redesigning stuff because now you have something I want the design to do something do that other thing but you have to make it work. Um, so I did.

36:22.77
sharonpak5
Um, ah her and her.

36:24.98
Irwin
I did that and I and I graduated from the Edison program in June of this year so like thank you and then I rolled off rolling off just means you graduate and where you where you want to go into I rolled off into that third rotation role. So now I'm full time in that role and.

36:30.10
sharonpak5
Congratulations. Yeah.

36:41.20
sharonpak5
Gotcha.

36:43.36
Irwin
Just finished my design review actually two weeks ago which went well um, that was like a year and a half in the making for that design review. But ah yeah, I'm also like the systems guide right now too. But the.

36:47.15
sharonpak5
Um, awesome. Wow! wow.

36:56.42
Irwin
So now I set help set requirements help set how we're going to fly this thing negotiate like we call it the mission mix. However, like okay this much time at idle this much time on takeoff this much time at Climb What was our angle of attack a climb How quickly are we going to climb.

37:01.16
sharonpak5
Um, yeah, okay.

37:07.48
sharonpak5
The.

37:13.97
Irwin
How long are we going to cruise for disscent approach stuff like that. It's called the mission mix help negotiate that well because they not for a field consumption for meat making sure we don't burn up or destroy The the turbine is based on like cycle I be call it the cycle.

37:17.88
sharonpak5
Um, is a for life fuel consumption or a way that like.

37:29.52
sharonpak5
Ah, okay.

37:33.72
Irwin
Parameters of the engine. So and that's that's very fun because this's something that we haven't done before something burning a hundred percent of hydrogen in ah and an engine and I hope hydrogen takes off because doesn't produce carbon dioxide. That's gonna be awesome if someone can figure out how to store this thing on an airplane. That's that's not really.

37:35.35
sharonpak5
Gotcha.

37:45.21
sharonpak5
Yeah, yeah.

37:52.27
Irwin
I don't work on the storage problem that is like I think Airbus and saffron thing. But I just worked on the.

37:52.65
sharonpak5
Um, yeah.

37:59.45
sharonpak5
But it's super cool because your only byproduct is water right? So it's like super green. Um.

38:07.10
Irwin
Yeah stoic absloking metric combustion. It's water if you'd run it a bit lean. You still have k knocks especially when you're that when you're that hot so we're trying to work around the Knox ah issues right now. But ah yeah.

38:14.49
sharonpak5
Um, gotcha.

38:19.67
sharonpak5
Super duper cool. Yeah you it sounds like you've had some really really neat projects over the last three years so now I know why you love it out there so much because you're working on all the super neat stuff. You're a really big stakeholder sounds like in all these different projects. You have a lot of ownership in a lot of projects.

38:21.41
Irwin
Very cool stuff.

38:34.40
Irwin
Um, yeah, yeah, a lot of autonomy. Yeah, a lot of autonomy as well. Um I like how I don't need to speak the manager that much.

38:36.80
sharonpak5
Um, so I could totally see why you love working out there even though you're in Ohio and.

38:49.22
Irwin
That's its like our every our every like once every so often one on 1 where like 30 minutes just kind of touch point lot of autonomy I like that.

38:49.63
sharonpak5
Um, yeah, love lot. That's so cool. Um, so when you're applying for the Edison program. Obviously it sounds like you're like a perfect fit for like everything that they wanted right.

39:04.80
Irwin
And.

39:07.18
sharonpak5
Um, how much does ge take Gpa into consideration when um I'm assuming you've helped recruit for thatison program as well. Um.

39:17.46
Irwin
Yeah, so um, the minimum requirement is 3 3.0 I think a lot of other companies have I've looked at also that minimum requirement ge prefers three point 5 and above I did not have a three point five or above but I had above 2 at above a 3

39:25.31
sharonpak5
Yep.

39:33.00
sharonpak5
What did you have if you don't mind sharing.

39:34.89
Irwin
Um, I think a 3 3 3 2 3 3 something like that. What made me stand out though was all of my project involved in it and how much ownership I had it wasn't just like a generic senior design project with a professor how gonna help do this.

39:40.90
sharonpak5
Okay.

39:53.35
Irwin
Here's a project you do when you do it and also like ah my internship experiences as well. My both my internships I had um a lot of autonomy and designing stuff so I had a portfolio of pictures that were I was allowed for the previous employer to show. Um the company.

40:06.65
sharonpak5
Um, and.

40:12.23
sharonpak5
That's really smart.

40:12.26
Irwin
Um, what I what I did yeah like I don't I don't I don't know if I talked about this interview but I worked at a porsche shop where we only worked on old porsche 9 11 the sports cars and I got that. Ah we had a design parts in-house and the machine shop was down the street.

40:26.40
sharonpak5
Ah, here.

40:31.17
Irwin
So I designed stuff for these for these cars and then machine it and then test it and make sure it'll work for the customer and it's very cool because a lot of these parts are like bespoke what that what that particular build of that car wanted what the customer wanted what they Envisioned. So sitting there in Salt workss most of the day designing just whatever, whatever was needed I Just go design. It go three D print it go machine it I didn't machine it but go Algle asked the guy down the street to machine it for me. Ah yeah, very fast pace very like no one to.

40:49.77
sharonpak5
Ah, her the her.

41:00.15
sharonpak5
Um, yeah.

41:08.37
Irwin
But yeah, that's I had permission from the owner to take pictures of some of the stuff I was working on as long as I wasn't showing it to competitors I was allowed to show it to like the recruiter and stuff. So so yeah I That's what kind of made me stand out.

41:20.39
sharonpak5
Okay, that's super cool. Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

41:26.89
Irwin
And I also told them just about like how much I love like I mean engines those grew up around engines I mean so yeah.

41:35.38
sharonpak5
And so then when you're a recruit for students now like how hard do you like emphasize that 3.5 because that's kind of high for engineering gpa right.

41:41.47
Irwin
Yeah, so I okay so I'll take let's take a step by I have helped recruit for internship not for the edison just because the timing of the event was like an internship event. Not a edison event but it's that kind of similar in terms of like Gpa it's very similar but ah i.

41:52.70
sharonpak5
Sure yeah.

42:00.69
Irwin
Look at just above a 3 personally and then I just start poking and ask them about their projects. How much ownership they did because I think you you know you have a student that maybe has a 4.0 and then is really good at following instructions and and thinks.

42:02.88
sharonpak5
Um, and.

42:09.10
sharonpak5
Ah.

42:14.45
sharonpak5
Ah.

42:19.16
Irwin
And does like the problem that they're assigned to do but then he has some of the symptom of notice with a lower Gpa that there's a lot more project based stuff where you're not given a problem statement. You have to create a problem statement that sometimes takes more effort than the rest of the project figuring out. What are you trying to solve.

42:19.20
sharonpak5
And.

42:30.91
sharonpak5
The.

42:38.50
Irwin
What are you going to do you know that sounds such a simple question. Yeah, it's hard sometimes find very difficult to answer I like looking for that and I have found a few 4.0 that were like awesome every aspect I'm like what the hell how do you have time to do this and you're a president of the rocket club and you designed this design them. Okay, you.

42:39.86
sharonpak5
Ah, ah.

42:44.82
sharonpak5
Ah.

42:57.69
Irwin
Wow. Okay, good for you. But I've also met some of the three point eight three point nine students that were just very so much in the box. This is what I this is what I've done and with not really a lot of like not as much like yeah or like outside the box sort of thinking.

43:00.30
sharonpak5
Aha.

43:09.42
sharonpak5
Project hands-on experience. Mm.

43:17.46
Irwin
Sometimes outside the boss kids like me but spend a lot of time in formula or whatever club or whatever they're doing and not as much time studying for the final and that's why the Gpa was an inside not cut. They didn't know how to do the stuff. It's because if you just prioritize 1 thing over the other so I don't look at it as like a student is.

43:25.41
sharonpak5
Earth.

43:31.33
sharonpak5
Sure sure.

43:36.55
Irwin
Not smart or lazy just like ah how you prioritize your time So that's the way I kind of look for it.

43:41.53
sharonpak5
Okay, um, what are the so the main things you look for are students that have a lot of like projects and a lot of ownership. So um, just being a part of like essay for example, doesn't mean that you have a lot of ownership and essay right.

43:56.55
Irwin
That's correct. That's correct. Yeah I want to I want to I ask why I poke and ask them What did you do not like what the team did what did you do? That's so different for you could be on the team and not do anything. So yeah.

43:57.51
sharonpak5
Her.

44:03.77
sharonpak5
Yep Yep! ah.

44:11.21
Irwin
And that just and that's that goes for anything. Not just I say by the way just that's just that's just my example. That's what I've done.

44:17.50
sharonpak5
I Heard some bitterness when he said that right there you can be on the team and not do anything. Ah.

44:20.25
Irwin
Yeah, yeah, I'll just I'll just keep I'll just ah, keep it at that I't want to go into that.

44:27.00
sharonpak5
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, okay, and so ah, your current role. Um, what percentage you think you use of your undergraduate like coursework um in your job or even from your inter internships like. Percentage you think you've learned from your internships that you've actually applied at your job and what percentage of your coursework. Do you feel like you've actually applied to your jobs because you've had like 3 different jobs technically but then ge right? yeah.

44:50.22
Irwin
Um, huh Yeah I think I'll put the question the coursework versus like experience so coursework I think a combustion class I've used.

45:02.70
sharonpak5
Sure.

45:09.52
Irwin
I Literally had to go balance equations the other day like I'm not even joking because some of the engines. We don't measure a parameter at the exhaust that I needed to go find out what is like the percent molar content of this thing in the exhaust so that I go like make the balance equation because.

45:13.60
sharonpak5
Ah.

45:25.77
sharonpak5
Ah.

45:28.80
Irwin
We don't have sensors we that's not something we used to care about for that particular thing I need to go measure how you they go get the answer via Balance Equations Combustion class I think mechanics and materials are yeah.

45:43.31
sharonpak5
Yeah, that's a good one? Yep yep.

45:46.95
Irwin
Yeah, like stress strain curves Yield stress open tensile strength a little cycle of T has life of fatigue I use that every day like literally um ah what? oh. Combustion All error Aerodynamics I took just because for my particular job I need to have a basic understanding I'm not the aerodamic person like I don't do Cfd all day but I have to understand the results and what they mean and if someone does the results wrong or they do their analysis wrong I need to be able to poke at it and say did you assume the.

46:08.17
sharonpak5
Ah.

46:19.30
Irwin
Correct things or correct boundary conditions, etc. Um, and then ah heat transfer you see transfer a lot as well Convection Conduct radiation stuff like that I use that a lot. Um.

46:20.20
sharonpak5
Sure.

46:29.80
sharonpak5
Okay, okay.

46:37.18
Irwin
I Don't really use fluids that much but I would if I was working in the fuel system side of things then those guys do fluids all day. Um, controls We had to think controls right? Yeah I did I don't really use that.

46:41.71
sharonpak5
Ahead.

46:52.36
sharonpak5
Yep.

46:55.18
Irwin
That's this for my job but there is a fool controls team that does controls and does send linkk and mat lab stuff all day like I have a friend who's his entire job is that um and and he he loves I mean this guy loves it which is good I mean you want a guy that loves it doing the work. Ah.

47:04.40
sharonpak5
I hated MatlabI.

47:11.23
sharonpak5
Yeah, for sure I'm like kudos to him. Why? ok.

47:15.20
Irwin
Um, yeah, yeah, um, so I think I'm trying to think what of this course Coursework Calculus Not really math. Not really, um, just in general math or that I use like excel I just I wanted to do some math that is open up like excel.

47:31.56
sharonpak5
Yep, you just like drag that corner down right? and you have it like pattern all your data Basically hey.

47:33.45
Irwin
All and then if I needed I have a complex math equation just fire out wolf from Alpha have it do it for me but I need to know what's happening Obviously I Just don't want to take the pen and paper out and do it. So I think that.

47:44.24
sharonpak5
Um, yeah, yeah, yeah for sure now.

47:53.28
Irwin
To think of more buck also'll go back to that. So the internship though a first internship with the p portorsche place that company is very small, 3 people literally big shop working on many cars and many different things and wear a lot of hats and and some some days I go to work liver with. Like a 10 hour shift and not even talk to the boss which is he's running off doing other stuff so a lot a lot of autonomy I'll learned a lot about autonomy and making decisions. This is a small company making a prototype like you say the prototype part out of 1 of the one that I design the cost a machine to prototype but like twelve hundred bucks but it may not sound a lot.

48:14.40
sharonpak5
Safe.

48:27.38
sharonpak5
Oh my God for a college student. That's a lot.

48:30.12
Irwin
Um, like a lot to a like a major company but to a small part for a college student is a lot especially to a small company with only 3 employees $1200 a lot of money. So I like triple check on and measurements before I go and this part's like this big. It's not a tiny part. It's like this big this wide like this thick.

48:37.20
sharonpak5
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

48:45.92
sharonpak5
I think.

48:49.53
Irwin
Um, and then ah when it came um I did not create the pocket deep Now. So I had some interference and so I had to like react on the fly. Oh shit like okay, what am I gonna do to make this and make this work So Then the easy solution was I use some paint. Paint the part and then and put this new part on it. Whatever it interferes with is gonna leave the paint residue on it. So then I'm like okay think of as the Ma machine is go extrude this hole out more or not exrude cut up remove and then.

49:14.30
sharonpak5
Earth.

49:20.93
sharonpak5
Remove? yeah.

49:25.98
Irwin
Modify the drawing that way that you can start mass production and not have this problem. So just a stuffler.

49:29.60
sharonpak5
That's really smart actually though that you like decided to put the paint on there and then like tell them like hey can you remove some material there at least shouldn't do the opposite problem was like too little material then you're screwed right.

49:40.67
Irwin
Yeah, yeah, that that just like 1 of the things and it's like a lot of just like thinking on my feet like what are we gonna do to make this work if it doesn't fit right? The first time. Um, so ah, that's where I learned a lot about autonomy and just thinking on my feet is doing random designs and stuff.

49:43.80
sharonpak5
Earth.

49:49.25
sharonpak5
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

49:56.45
sharonpak5
Okay.

49:58.16
Irwin
Second rotation. It was more like ah, an actual like like not actual I don't say but like a bigger business a more solidified business making this office furniture not as much creative freedom but a lot more like following standard practices doing design work.

50:04.22
sharonpak5
Um, yeah.

50:06.75
sharonpak5
Yeah.

50:16.66
Irwin
Have to set up. You're sick with testing environment. Do the testing make sure the parts are good then you send it off for mass production and mass production for office furniture is order mannitude more of these custom porsche parts that are only making like maybe fifteen a year fifteen a year versus like.

50:19.71
sharonpak5
Ah, ah.

50:22.91
sharonpak5
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

50:29.72
sharonpak5
Oh for sure. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

50:34.86
Irwin
I think 15 every minute very different scale and then I also learned this plastic injection molding which has a few similarity to casting actually which I didn't I didn't realize until coming the ge or trying to help me. Um, so you're just because you're both pouring in mold.

50:49.68
sharonpak5
Ah.

50:53.77
Irwin
Liquefied material. That's going to cool off and harden. So yeah I think I use a lot of that and then following the sky and then at Tesa I learned a lot about dair fast paceced timeline and getting stuff done quickly. Ah.

50:55.67
sharonpak5
Um, yeah.

51:11.80
Irwin
And sometimes you didn't have all the time they go do a full test North just kind of like okay well this is what we're going to do is how we're going to fit it up this in this rig. Not like a full scale test and then can we use results from this and interpret it and say that Okay, the full scale thing would work stuff like that.

51:29.44
sharonpak5
Um, okay.

51:30.47
Irwin
Very fast-paced short timelines and not the not the greatest like guidance because everyone else is running around like crazy.

51:40.70
sharonpak5
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, very autonomous what you love Anyways, right? Yeah, okay, that's awesome and so I know obviously that you have a very successful career both um in your career right? now you've also had very successful hobbies I'd say right? like doing all the crazy things that you do.

51:42.32
Irwin
Yet.

51:58.65
sharonpak5
What attributes and qualities you feel like you possess that helped you get to where you are today.

52:05.10
Irwin
Um I like diving into a problem and I don't really care if people say it's gonna take a lot of time or it's too hard I think like ah for example, working on a car like your car or whatever what I'll just say oh I'd I'd rather just take it to a mechanic because I don't want to spend.

52:08.00
sharonpak5
Um, and.

52:13.12
sharonpak5
Ah.

52:22.23
Irwin
Time to diagnose the problem figure out what tools I need. How am I going to do it. How am I going to put about together correctly and not have an accident but because something fails stuff like that and a lot of it's like very hard like manual labor to working on a car I do.

52:31.27
sharonpak5
But.

52:37.77
sharonpak5
I have.

52:40.35
Irwin
Like sometimes I'm like more sore than I hit a my song gym session working on the car like literally so like but then I don't really care about like what people like say how like you's easier to take it to a Mcchan has done if 50 times or 50 years versus just doing your first time.

52:44.11
sharonpak5
Says this.

52:58.19
sharonpak5
Her.

52:58.56
Irwin
Kind of like the challenge and then growing up and and have be didn't have a lot of money so we had to do a lot of I guess janky solutions and working on cars and motorcycles like 1 example is we had to modify and on ah a muffler that was the design for that pipe that fits onto it.

53:09.30
sharonpak5
Ah.

53:18.10
Irwin
So this muffler had a larger inner diameter quite a lot bigger like inner diameter versus the outer diameter of this pipe. So there's a gap when it fits and then exhaust gases were leaking around it. The correct solution would just be to get the adapter flange that fits.

53:18.38
sharonpak5
Ah.

53:27.26
sharonpak5
Um, yeah, yeah.

53:34.53
Irwin
Ah, Chief solution is they get a bunch of aluminum cans like soda cans cut aluminum out and then mayally mate like sheets of aluminum and wrap that around the end of the pipe that make it a larger diameter and then shove the pipe. Ah yeah, it's a cheap eating solution and then Aluminum is great because it's soft.

53:45.44
sharonpak5
What? yeah. Yeah.

53:54.25
Irwin
So when you when you bolt the muffler on you have the clamp you start torking down the clamp you form an airtight seal and it worked great and it's but it works I mean it works and it was free and it worked very well like.

54:01.00
sharonpak5
That is the most jank thing I've ever heard of my life. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

54:13.21
Irwin
Yeah I know that? Ah yeah, like it didn't leak I put like four thousand miles on it. That's fine stuff like that is like cenk and I think that's helped me a lot at work because especially this current rotic. This current role is using existing stuff is not design. To work with a new set of boundary conditions but you got to make it work and you can't really just sit there and be like ah this that you know sometimes some of the times I have to violate a design practice or sometimes argue that doesn't make sense for this application.

54:34.20
sharonpak5
Ah.

54:47.69
sharonpak5
And left. Ah.

54:48.70
Irwin
It's a lot of what I've did just growing up like it's kind of arguing with myself or arguing with the elders manual or arguing with like the manual it says you have to do this do that. But I I don't have this through that So I use a lot of that. It's kind of on the spot thinking. How am I going to do it as sometimes the few Jk Jk mindset stuff kick in.

54:53.97
sharonpak5
Ha.

55:06.25
Irwin
And I create a solution at work that actually works and it's an elegant solution to the problem and it's cheap. It's easy. And yeah, it's not the most prettiest thing but it'll work.

55:07.32
sharonpak5
Um, yeah, wow.

55:17.11
sharonpak5
Wow, something that also like I don't know if I've ever told you this but something that a quality that you have that I really admire um is how you're always so like positive about like everything right? Even when you got into like your huge accident. Ah, years back when we're in college where I I guess we didn't talk about this at all but Erwin got into a dirt biking accident. Um, many years ago now and what year was that that accident happened I don't know if you just want to talk about what happened? Um, you probably.

55:42.90
Irwin
2017

55:49.63
Irwin
Yeah I'll just briefly briefly go over it had a mishap on the dirtiteke track and I ended up getting launched about twenty feet in the air landed on my butt and that fractured one of my lower vertebra on my back. Ah so I ended up using still using a a manual wheelchair to get around.

55:51.50
sharonpak5
Yeah.

56:02.48
sharonpak5
Ah.

56:07.33
Irwin
Um, so it's called paraplegia. Um, but I figured well okay, this is like these are the cards that I'm dealt with and I have like 2 options either a to sit around be sad rely on the government benefit. Not go back to school and just kind of deteriorate over time.

56:26.96
Irwin
Both mentally and physically or B just deal with it and try to find ways to make life more accessible and keep moving forward and still do the things I want to do later in life. So I chose that route and.

56:41.30
sharonpak5
Ah, her.

56:44.84
Irwin
To me. The decision was quite simple in that moment that just make the most of it. Um, so yeah I think.

56:50.32
sharonpak5
But like you like came back So positive I'm like this guy is like and so you were like popping wheelies on curves in your wheelchair and I was like oh what are you doing.

56:58.89
Irwin
Well the cur the Curb wheels are necessary sometimes there isn't a curb cost. You just have to do a wheelie to get on or off that's just like ah that's just because some places are inaccessible which I'm now realizing is more and more common, especially in older buildings older cities but ah.

57:14.91
sharonpak5
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

57:17.70
Irwin
Yeah, the pilot is just because I needed you just kind of need to be otherwise to kind of find yourself in a slump and I think at work that kind of helps as well, especially when you have other engineers are born pessimistic saying oh this won't work. This won't work and I'm like okay I hear you.

57:28.50
sharonpak5
And.

57:32.99
Irwin
You know if they're in a design mini kind of chat how to be polite I say Okay okay I hear your concerns I'll look back at it and then I come back a few months later and say well um, here's the what I did here's how it's going to work like.

57:41.75
sharonpak5
I Love that I love that? Yeah, so you don't really take no for an answer right.

57:48.56
Irwin
Yeah, I'm very stubborn fair. My mom always tells me that very stubborn.

57:53.36
sharonpak5
Okay, how do you know like when to like quote unquote stop or you just not stop until like until you know for a fact like it's a no.

58:02.44
Irwin
When do oh Okay, you're asking me when do I When do I realize that the no is true like it is really a no.

58:12.66
sharonpak5
Yeah, yeah, yeah cause I feel like just knowing you I'm like you're super positive super motivated work very hard right? Um, and then again because you're stubborn. You're like I'm not going to take no far answer right? So then at what point do you decide like.

58:25.35
Irwin
Um.

58:27.62
sharonpak5
Maybe I should or like maybe like whatever.

58:28.83
Irwin
Oh okay I guess I'll separate that and life and then work I mean life when it's like the risk reward ratio is not favorable like for example, racing a motorcycle again. Not a good idea.

58:32.51
sharonpak5
Okay.

58:39.26
sharonpak5
Ah.

58:44.70
Irwin
Right? That is not like although I want love to do it again. But I don't think it's gonna be a good if I fall again that could be really bad. Relatively lucky how I turned out compared to other friends who've had similar or other friends I met at the Rehab Center that have had less severe accident in terms of how it happened and.

58:45.22
sharonpak5
Ah, yeah, yeah.

59:04.15
Irwin
Whatever and then but a more severe outcome. Um, so don't want to do that again. But um so I to tell myself? no I wanted to do it I don't get me on I really wanted to and I have virgin andmors like you know again, but ah ah, it's not a good idea.

59:08.16
sharonpak5
Ah.

59:17.54
sharonpak5
Yeah, yeah.

59:24.17
Irwin
Ah, but cars. Okay, well you know once they get a house once I get a house the garage out here I can fool around with the car and do that on a race truck at least I'm in a metal cage. So um, but at work I think I will let the analysis.

59:32.21
sharonpak5
Yeah.

59:43.32
sharonpak5
And.

59:43.42
Irwin
Or testing tell me no I will keep moving until I realize im oh this physical this like physically will not work or or like if the analysis says it will work but the testing says it won't'm like ah okay, well, something's wrong with my analysis then.

59:53.31
sharonpak5
Um, okay.

01:00:02.70
sharonpak5
Um, ok I like that It's a very solid like stopping point. So the logic checks out on both ends right? So ok.

01:00:02.90
Irwin
And I'll you know own up to that? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

01:00:14.48
sharonpak5
Um, and I guess my last question for you is as actually 2 questions. Um, if you're to go back to college right now is there anything you would have done differently and do you have any words of wisdom for current college students.

01:00:27.66
Irwin
Yeah, that it go back in time I think I would have relied less on write my professors for like easy class and that would have taken stuff that really sounded interesting to me and maybe were a bit harder. Ah I can't think of the name of the professor. The name of the class I knew it and involved like.

01:00:40.34
sharonpak5
Ah.

01:00:45.56
Irwin
Ao acoustics or acoustics or whatever taught and I really should have taken that class but I backed away because although the professor I heard is very nice and caring and heard the class was kind of challenging and like well why would I.

01:00:57.60
sharonpak5
You know it's funny. We were in the same class I remember seeing you in that class and both of us dropped out I know exactly what you're talking about. We're there on the first day together and we're both like nah it was like acoustics and like sounds I forgot it was a woman teacher Weiss Hope Weiss yeah we both went in.

01:01:10.27
Irwin
Hope Ah hope wise hope wise Yeah I should I should have stuck out with it should so that's one piece if I just take the classes that interest you and even though as long as a professor like if a professor is objectively bad then okay, don't.

01:01:15.31
sharonpak5
And we both left.

01:01:21.10
sharonpak5
Ha.

01:01:27.40
Irwin
Take it unless you want to do a lot of self teaching which is also fine I had a few classes like that stuck and I found it interesting Even the professor wasn't the greatest but take classes that genuinely interest you and forget about like it as any me hard or knock have you really like it. You won't really mind the extra.

01:01:39.20
sharonpak5
Ah, her.

01:01:45.43
Irwin
Time it takes um and I always the second question you asked.

01:01:47.15
sharonpak5
Um, if you were to have any words of wisdom for current college students.

01:01:53.10
Irwin
Oh I Guess I think I guess I kind of answered that I think just like oh okay, yeah, So so you know ah, piggybacking off that is kind of like um, don't just Stay. Don't just go to class and go home. Get involved with something I don't care what it is if you want to go work on a robot. Okay Rocket Formula car. Whatever even in goal you want to do your own project or you want to do something just test it or get involved with some research. Do. It.

01:02:13.90
sharonpak5
That's a good one.

01:02:28.96
Irwin
You'll find what you like And more importantly, you'll find what you don't like finding what you don't like I think is much more powerful than finding what you like because you may like a lot of things all a few things. But then you may not like these things and I think even if you kind of like it. You'd be happier working on the job that you kind of like versus what you don't like.

01:02:32.52
sharonpak5
Ah, her.

01:02:48.47
sharonpak5
Ah, her ah her.

01:02:48.62
Irwin
So yeah, those are my words it was um.

01:02:52.49
sharonpak5
Okay, perfect I think those this great pieces of advice and thank you so much erwin. This was so much fun. Ah I appreciate your time. Yeah, so let me stop it right now.

01:02:57.68
Irwin
Yeah, is all the fun. Yeah.