Here at GKinetic we love to support students as much as possible and over the years have taken on numerous interns, supported PhDs and masters studies and regularly participate in interviews for research etc. As much as possible we share our own work and findings to move towards the common goal of clean energy for all.
This Summer we have had the pleasure of having Pauline Leyrit join us for a 4 month internship and as she finishes up this week we asked her to share her experience:
Q. Tell us about yourself Pauline (background, studies, interests):
I am currently in my fourth year of higher education at the engineering school ENSTA Bretagne in France. After high school I attended 2 years of preparatory classes during which I followed intensive courses in mathematics and physics. After these two years, I followed a first year of general engineering courses, then I chose to specialize in naval and offshore architecture with the objective of working in marine and renewable energies. This year I was able to learn more about the naval architecture profession, for example about stability, fluid mechanics and computational fluid dynamics. Next year I will also have an option for offshore platforms and systems, and marine and renewable energy. I have always loved living near the sea, and I have long wanted to work in a field related to the respect and protection of the environment. Working on marine and renewable energy was a good compromise for me.
Q. What attracted you to GKinetic?
I was looking for a four-month internship in Europe as an assistant naval architect, and I was looking for a company focused on marine and renewable energy. An acquaintance from my school told me about several companies that might be of interest to me, including GKinetic. As Gkinetic is a company based around a marine renewable energy device, it was a perfect fit for me. Moreover, this technology being innovative, I thought that an internship in this company would be particularly rewarding. The fact that it was a small company also appealed to me because I thought it would be easier to have access to general knowledge about advances in work in general, rather than being confined to a specific sector.
Q. What were you hoping to gain from the internship?
I hoped to get a more solid knowledge of general naval architecture, especially CFD. Indeed, this internship is my first internship in this field. I would also like to see the model in action. I also wanted to improve my English, to know the life in a company, and the working habits of a mechanical engineer in the naval and marine/renewable energy field.
Q. What have been highlights of the internship for you?
All the people at GKinetic were very welcoming and kind from the moment I arrived. I really enjoyed working in this good atmosphere, especially with Gary Brennan who was always able to answer my questions and help me.
Amongst the things I was able to work on during this internship, I particularly enjoyed working on CFD, learning to use new software and analysing the results.
Q. Outside of the work, how did you enjoy Ireland? Did you get to do any activities, travel etc?
I have really enjoyed living in Ireland for the past 4 months, I have been able to visit several places with beautiful scenery and I have always found the people here welcoming. I got to see the Dingle peninsula, Killarney, Cork, Dublin, Galway, the cliffs of Moher, Connemara etc. It was my first time in Ireland, and I will keep very good memories of this stay. I was also able to sail with Vincent Mc Cormack which I really enjoyed.
Pauline and Vincent, winners at a weekend sailing regatta!
Q. Finally, what are your future plans?
I have 6 months left of school during which I will specialise in marine and renewable energies. After that, I will have to find a last 6-month internship to finish my studies. For this internship and in the future, I would like to work in a naval architecture company oriented towards marine and renewable energies, and if possible, in innovation.
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A big thank you to Pauline for her hard work over the past few months. All the team at GKinetic wish you the very best for your bright future ahead!