Summer engineering student examines solutions with new tech at the Doaktown Sawmill

Students on work terms in the J.D. Irving, Limited Sawmills Division this summer are contributing to real world projects with big impact.

Laken McCarthy is an electrical engineering summer student at the Doaktown Sawmill working with cutting edge technology to improve processes at the mill.

“I never really had any practical experience before this, so it’s definitely neat to see how the things I’m learning in the classroom apply in the industrial world,” said Laken, who’s in her third year of electrical engineering at the University of New Brunswick Fredericton.

During her work term, Laken has been able to experiment with systems like 2D and 3D Machine Vision, which use advanced pattern recognition to help identify and reduce inefficiencies at the mill. Her learnings may be applied to minimize valuable product going to the mill’s waste stream.

The experience has given Laken the opportunity to really dig into a project, taking part in the process from start to completion. Part of this involved working with fellow summer engineering student Blake Curtis to install and connect sensors.

“I specifically enjoyed getting to see the whole process, whether it be statistics or actually figuring things out with the software,” Laken said. “I’m grateful to be part of this collaborative team, experiencing a bit of everything.”

Laken said she chose to pursue electrical engineering as a career because of its diverse applications.

“You get some of the electrical circuit side of everything, but you also get the software design and programming side,” she said.

As she heads back to the classroom in the fall, Laken said she will take back with her more than just a summer job experience.

“Having practical experience will allow me to approach classroom concepts with a deeper understanding and apply them more effectively through real world experience.”