- July 21, 2017
“I switched from Mechanical Engineering to Computer Science, but with this experience I saw that I can do both in this line of work."
“The experience in Brazil made me think about my potential career paths”.
Alexis traveled to Santa Catarina state during Summer 2017 to intern at Pollux, a multifaceted industrial technology company that provides automation, robotics, and digital solutions to clients such as Ford, 3M, Honeywell, and Pfizer. With Pollux’s Digital team, he employed predictive analytics to detect when a robot will fail or need repair, decreasing maintenance costs and reducing the down-time of a machine and the assembly line. He was the second MIT-Brazil student to intern at Pollux.The Program’s connection with the Joinville-based company began in 2015 when MIT alumnus and Pollux Business Development Director Natanael Kaminski hosted MIT-Brazil intern Mitesh Agrawal.
Cedric Craze, Pollux's Director of Digital Solutions and Alexis's supervisor, sees the benefit of the MIT-Brazil internship for both the students and the company. "We are very pleased to host MIT students,” he said. “Beside the technical work [they contribute], the experience of hosting foreign students is very positive for the Pollux team."
For Alexis, the opportunity to intern with Pollux was also beneficial on multiple levels. He gained practical skills, communicated in a different language on a daily basis, and learned about Brazilian culture, making lasting friendships along the way. “My MIT-Brazil experience has been full of exciting challenges and thrilling triumphs,” he said. “Throughout my time here I learned to listen carefully. Brazilians are some of the friendliest and social people I have met and I am glad I was able to experience that first hand.”
Read more about Alexis’s experience here (in Portuguese)