Researching Electric Flight in Germany

Mechanical Engineering student Katerina Koukounaras ’22 completed a most interesting co-op this past semester as she not only had a chance to study aircrafts and the realm of electric flight, she had a chance to do it all in Germany. 

We spoke with Koukounaras to ask her more about her international co-op, including how she got it, advice she would offer others, and what she did in her downtime in Germany.  

Wentworth: Tell us more about your co-op. 

Koukounaras: My most recent co-op experience was at the University of Stuttgart in Stuttgart, Germany. I worked as a research intern as part of a research team that worked on electric flight. My major responsibility was researching different types of aircraft and analyzing different data on them that would be helpful in the team’s design of an electric motored glider aircraft.  

My other responsibilities consisted of completing calculations for any theoretical research and testing the motors in the wind tunnels. I worked closely to test one of the main engines of one modeled aircraft and it was really fun to see it get tested in a wind tunnel used for such large aircrafts.  

Wentworth: How did you find an international co-op? What was the process? 

Koukounaras: It was a long one, but it was worth the time and energy. Wentworth had sent an email out saying there was an international co-op fair hosted by MIT. I decided to go since I was always open to the idea of travelling abroad, even for a co-op opportunity.  

I talked with a representative from the University of Stuttgart. He was so pleasant and nice to talk to. He appreciated my love for airplanes, and he gave contact information to the university in hopes that I would be able to find a co-op.  

I had gotten an answer from the head of the Institute of Aircraft Design at the university. He told me about the research group, and I fell in love with all the work I would be doing. After our conversation, he let me know that I would be able to come and work with the group.  

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Wentworth: What did you do when you weren’t working? Were you able to travel? 

Koukounaras: In Stuttgart, there are so many things to do. I had met a couple people at the university and around the city and went all around. While in Stuttgart, I would go to a lot of cafes, English comedy shows, and German pubs to grab a bite with some friends.  

It was amazing to see the German culture and experience it as well. There were so many things that I learned about the social life in Germany. I remember one time where I gave a server a tip and the look on her face was unbelievable. People do not usually tip in Europe and the server would not take it because it is frowned upon to receive money from people, especially if you are a server at a restaurant. 

I was able to travel, and I made frequent trips on the weekends when I was not working at my co-op. I traveled to Amsterdam, Paris, Munich, Frankfurt, and Greece. There are not a lot of opportunities to travel to so many countries in North America. It felt so convenient that everything was close and reachable.  

Wentworth: Why did you choose to come to Wentworth? 

Koukounaras: I chose to come to Wentworth for many reasons. One of my top reasons was the opportunities that CO-OPS + CAREERS had to offer. Most schools that I was applying to did not have a center or a requirement to complete two semesters of Co-op. I wanted to be at a school where I could get experience in my field and, being at Wentworth for about three years now, I feel experienced in my field of study and happy that I did choose Wentworth.  

Another reason I chose Wentworth is the class sizes. It played a big role in my decision to pick a university because in small class sizes students can have a good relationship with the professor and other students. The small class sizes would help me get to know people better and make it easier to work together on team projects and assignments. I talk with friends who attend universities that have a 200-student lecture. They always tell me how they wish it were smaller because they feel distant from the professor. One thing I can say is all the professors I have had at Wentworth were so helpful and open to helping me with anything and having the class sizes so small was really helpful. 

Wentworth: What advice do you have for others considering an international co-op? Would you recommend this option?  

Koukounaras: I would say an international co-op is always a good idea. It is an opportunity to go and explore the world and discover new things. I have learned so many new things while in Germany and I am still learning if I am being honest.  

I know that travelling to another country might be scary because you are all alone and have no clue what to expect when you get there. I always would travel to Greece as a child to see my family and it always excited me. I got to experience the Greek culture and live in it as well. I like to think of living abroad as that. You are living in the country’s culture, and it is an amazing opportunity to be part of it.  

As for applying and where to look, I would attend any international job fairs if available and talk to as many people you can to find out if they have any opportunities for you. Another way to apply is to contact universities in other countries because they all have international offices, and they can connect you to any job opportunities that the university may offer.  

One piece of advice I would give is to start as early as possible because it took me about three to four months to get the opportunity in Stuttgart. It will take time, but it is worth it in the end. It gets hard to send email after email to people and not get responses, but just think of the positive outcome and it will happen.