My Product Design Internship in Austin by Emiko P. '25

Boy oh boy, what a summer it’s been so far. For the first time in my college career, I’m spending my summer working in the United States⁠01 Freshman year was Madrid, sophomore year was Tokyo – and where better to breathe in that sweet, American, summer air than in Austin, Texas? The land of cowboy boots, sweltering heat, and a city that took me no less than a week to fall in love with.

Austin is on top of an aquifer, meaning that it has a ton of rivers, lakes, and springs dotted all around the city. The one I frequent the most is called Barton Springs. It’s a sloping grassy hill that bottoms out into a narrow, deep river. It has an amazing view of Downtown Austin’s silver skyline, which looms beyond the dense trees crowding the river and parks. The spring is cold enough that I have to hype myself up to jump in. The initial plunge is an icy shock, like your eyes flying open and your body bolting awake after an all-too-realistic dream, but once you get used to it, the cool water washes the Austin heat away, and it becomes pretty soothing.

My roommate for the summer, Ottavia P. ‘25⁠02 an MIT volleyball player who’s won so many awards for being a stud at her sport that I’ve lost count, a sister in my sorority, and a fellow Course 2A , and I often go together. We bob around in the water for a bit, clamber up the slopes to read a book⁠03 some favorites I read this summer are: <em>The Name of the Wind</em>, <em>The Sword of Kaigen</em>, <em>Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow</em>, and <em>Failure is Not an Option</em> , get all overheated in the UV that is surely at least 13, then jump in all over again. 

One thing is always certain after spending an afternoon at the springs: you’re gonna be starving. Good thing Austin knows how to satisfy! I’ve tried juicy birria style tacos, thick Tex-Mex queso, and a burger from a Michelin star rated food truck that only sells one thing: Not A Damn Chance (NADC) Burger. I’ve eaten pizza slices the size of my face after a comedy show, tacos upon tacos after a night out on 6th street with the other MIT kids working in Austin this summer, and Vietnamese rice bowls with my coworkers. But not only have I been upping my foodie game this summer, I’ve also been upping my chef game.

Armed with some Airbnb-provided pots and pans, an air fryer, a trusty Zojirushi rice cooker, and an addiction to HEB⁠04 Texas’ ultra-affordable and endless grocery store , I have transformed from a helpless, microwave-dependent college student to a burgeoning rival to Gordon Ramsay. My easy go-to’s are the following, in case anyone needs some inspo:

• Salmon, rice, and sauteed mushrooms in soy sauce.
• Chicken⁠05 Which I dip in Chick-fil-a sauce. What? It’s classy. , rice, and roasted green beans and broccoli.
• Those swirly pasta noodles, diced tomatoes, corn, tuna⁠06 I ate this a TON in Madrid and it’s always fire, so trust me on this one. , all drizzled in olive oil⁠07 Does it make it sound better if I say drizzled? I think it does. .

I’ve been playing with a WPSL team this summer called Austin Rise, which is a semi-pro team. I have practice three times a week, so I always come home ravenous. There’s nothing better than scarfing down a home-made dinner while watching an episode of Ted Lasso with my roommate. We started the first season at the beginning of the summer and are about to finish season three soon⁠08 SPOILERS: Here are some quick thoughts about Ted Lasso. Nate the Great was my favorite character, then my least favorite, then a redeemed character. Jamie was so intolerable at first and is now a G. Higgins is THE BEST CHARACTER he’s been a homie from day one. He is so wholesome, an all-around great guy, and if anyone asked me who my favorite jazz band player is, I will forever say Leslie Higgins from Ted Lasso. The team is literally family, and I love them all with my whole entire heart. The end. .

And that’s life so far in Austin! It’s full of parks, rivers, new friends, cowboy boots (yes, of course I got some), wide open spaces, smiling strangers, and a good amount of traffic.

Austin city skyline overlooking Zilker Park <3

But that’s not all. I may be frolicking about Austin quite a bit, but I’m also working!

This summer, I’m doing an internship with a company called M3 Design, a product design and development consultancy. It’s a team of about 30 people that houses an industrial design team and a mechanical engineering team, as well as business and marketing teams. I’m on the mechanical engineering team as an intern! This company helps clients with any step of the product design process, which could be concept development, prototyping, strategy, user research, mechanical and electrical architecture, or design for manufacturing.

Usually focusing on medical, lifestyle, and commercial products, their clients range from medical giants to visionary startups. This means that some projects can take anywhere from five months to five years to complete. Since I started in early June, I’ve been put on six different projects. One of them is my intern project, where I am building a small, portable light that bridges the gap between convenience and luxury. This project has been a sprint from the beginning, and I have learned so much.

Don’t get me wrong, though, the start of a road to learning something new is always bumpy. Learning SolidWorks as a beginner from one of my mentors had me feeling like a kid learning to ride a bike for the first time. I was wobbling, even toppling over at times (Press this button here… No, not that one, the other one!). But over the course of my first week or so, I found my balance, settled my feet on the pedals – right foot, left foot – and slowly started to bike. Now, eight weeks later, I can hop on the bike, and it takes me most places I want. I still swerve a bit at times (Why aren’t these two parts connecting the way I want?), or I make some wrong turns (Uh… I think I forgot to save that part before I closed out), but I’ve learned how to right myself, to backtrack, to solve problems, and to continue on my way.

I’ve learned other skills, too, like how to do proper user need analysis to figure out what features a customer actually cares about. I’ve made little prototypes out of foam, then later 3D printed them. I’ve learned how to incorporate electronics, how to work with manufacturers, and how to make sure the thing I’m designing on my screen can actually be manufactured in real-life. My time at M3 Design has nurtured that little kernel in my brain that’s always asking why.

For example: 

Why do I have to squeeze my detergent bottle cap like this to twist it off?

Hm, probably so the cap isn’t easily removed by little kids.

Why is my car key shaped so funky?

Oh, look, when you curl your hand around it, it fits perfectly.

How does this battery cover stay locked in without screws?

Aha! Because a little part of it hooks and wedges itself in. You know… I may incorporate that into my own project.

There’s something powerful in self-sufficiency and confidence – in knowing that you have the skills, or at least the knowledge of how to acquire them, to give a project a shot. M3 Design has gifted me a taste of that feeling. It’s like they’ve given me the materials, the wood, to start building a house.

And what’s funny is that, if M3 Design has given me the wood, then MIT has given me the screws, or the fasteners, to put it all together. 

For example:

I need to see if this pin will be able to handle this much force on it.

Go back to your 2.001⁠09 Mechanics and Materials I notes and find the beam bending equations.

How can we try and make the lights dim?

Maybe we can use PWM. I learned that in 2.004⁠10 Dynamics and Controls II . I also can use what I remember from 6.0001⁠11 Fundamentals of Programming, also known as 6.101A  to code that.

How many hours is this battery going to last us?

I took 2.678⁠12 Electronics for Mechanical Systems , I can figure that out.

With the real-life experience of M3 Design (along with all my past internships), and the theoretical knowledge of MIT filling in the gaps, I’ve built something incredible: a foundation. I can say that I have a solid foundation as an engineer, a steady base that I can continue to build on and grow as I pursue what I want in the future.

Upon this foundation, I may add the creativity of a product designer, the tenacity of a flight operations engineer, the guidance of a leader, the dreams of a writer, the logic of a researcher, and who knows what else. Sky’s the limit.

What’s important for you to remember is that this foundation was built from scratch, starting my freshman year at MIT. I did not come into college knowing what I wanted to major in or what skills I wanted to gain. All I had was my ferocious desire to learn – and it’s incredible what that and a healthy dose of determination can amount to. 

So, don’t be afraid to dive into an unknown world, because before you know it, you will have built the foundation that a million different futures can rest upon.