Abby Karnes began her Olsträd journey as an automation intern, and has since become an indispensable full-time Mechatronics Engineer. Her career journey has been rooted in learning, discovery, and a constant commitment to problem solving.
From Intern to Full-Time
Abby’s passion for STEM subjects started early. “Growing up, I loved doing science projects and playing with Legos. I’ve always been interested in problem solving and how things were made,” she shared.
She began her Olsträd internship in April of 2022, with initial hopes of fulfilling a requirement for her Bachelor’s Degree in Mechatronics, Robotics, and Automation Engineering from Kent State University.
Soon, however, she began to find a home in the people, the atmosphere, and the unique company infrastructure. “Everyone gets to talk to everyone. If I have an electrical question, I can ask our electrical engineer. If I have a PLC question, I can ask our PLC programmer. Everyone’s cool. We joke a lot. I like the chill atmosphere.”
Since her KSU graduation in May 2023, Abby’s been promoted to a full-time position as a Mechatronics Engineer. In addition to longer hours, her new role comes with greater responsibly. “I manage the interns now. Since I’ve been there myself, I can see both sides. It’s really cool to experience.”
Her favorite part of her job is her colleagues. “Getting to work with the people here is amazing. We joke around, but still get the work done. It makes the day go by faster. Sometimes, it goes by too quickly!”
Director of Automation and fellow Mechatronics Engineer Jenna Glasure said “I admire Abby for her intelligence, dependability, and sense of humor. She is a true team player, whether we are working an all-nighter or trying to survive the river on a kayaking trip. I can always count on her to share a knowing glance or an espresso. The transition from intern to full-time couldn’t have come soon enough, as she is a highly valued part of our team.”
Daily Trial & Error
Though her immediate responsibilities can shift from day to day, Abby’s typical morning kicks off with one-on-one meetings with each of her interns to discuss daily goals. Then, she meets with Olsträd’s Director of Automation, Jenna Glasure.
Currently, Abby’s working hard to finalize a customer work cell that involves a trio of robots. “I’m working with Kevin Donahue, our PLC programmer, to program those robots. It’s a lot of testing and de-bugging. I’m adding new programs as I go.”
Abby recently volunteered for an engineering event for 3rd through 8th grade girls, hosted by Saturdays Are for STEM Girls. The non-profit co-founded by Jenna Glasure and Abbey Glasure is committed to teaching young girls that a future in STEM is for them. “It was a really cool experience to be a part of that. I always did those kinds of events as a kid. It was cool to see Jenna and Abbey plan it. A lot of work went into it. As a teacher, it was cool to see the kids problem solving and working together!”
One challenging aspect of engineering is that “there is more than one right answer. It’s just a matter of how you get there. Once you find a solution, you might be able to see a shorter or less expensive route in retrospect. In the field, it’s a lot of trial and error. It will never go full to plan the first time. There’s a lot of testing involved.”
Abby’s proudest career accomplishment is a project she designed from start to finish during her internship. “I designed a whole system for an Olsträd client. I visited the company, saw their problem, and was able to solve it from there. I quoted the whole project, including all of the equipment we needed. They loved the idea.”
She enjoys working in Kent, OH, and recommends checking out Mike’s Place. “It’s a super unique restaurant! There are different rooms, like the beach room, or the actual full bus that you can eat in. There’s a huge menu with different crazy foods, and good drinks, too!”
Opportunities in Automation
In the coming months, Abby’s looking forward to visiting career fairs, selecting new interns, and attending the Heat Treat 2023 trade show.
“Trade shows are exciting! There are so many cool new inventions and new projects. A trade show I attended last year had so many different types of robots, from FANUC to ABB to Universal. There were so many things I’ve never seen before.”
One thing Abby wishes others knew is that automation stretches beyond robotics alone. “When people think of automation, they go straight to robots. It’s not always robots! It could be a conveyor belt, or different scanning systems that help the process.”
She added that there’s room for automation in unexpected places. “At a trade show, we showed a robot picking up and placing magnetic parts. One company owner was interested in automation, but said they didn’t use metal or magnetic parts. I showed him a gripper that we can apply to the robotic arm, and demonstrated the different tools that could be used in place of the magnet. He had no idea! There’s always some solution.”
To all the aspiring engineers out there, Abby advises that “it’s okay if you don’t know everything! I felt like I didn’t know anything at all coming here. Don’t be afraid to look things up. I look things up every day at work. That’s how you have to learn!”
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