EMU Today

Marie Surur and Milo Lees, students in the Eastern Michigan University GameAbove College of Engineering and Technology, will get the chance to create and implement interior designs and engineering for aircraft during paid, 12-week internships with Textron Aviation, the general aviation business unit of the conglomerate Textron, which is home to the Cessna, Beechcraft and Hawker brands. 

Throughout the internships, Surur and Lees will work with the company’s interior design and engineering organization to help identify and implement engineering and interior designs for aircraft supporting Textron Aviation’s various product lines. 

“I’ve always been interested in residential and commercial design, but transportation design is something totally new to me,” said Surur. “I think what I’m most looking forward to is the hands-on, real industry experience that I’ll get at a time when we can’t necessarily get as much real-life experience in our classes given current COVID-19 lab restrictions.”

Surur and Lees will also receive opportunities to prototype their designed solutions and work with the Textron Aviation Development Shop to assist building the prototype.

“Besides the industry experience we’ll be receiving, I think the networking aspect of this opportunity will be extremely beneficial,” said Lees. “We’ll be traveling to Wichita, Kansas for the internship, where Textron Aviation is based, so it’s already an opportunity for me to expand my network beyond Michigan.”

In addition, both students will experience the business side of interior design and engineering firsthand in regard to the cost associated with implementing new design solutions versus the return on investment. 

“Textron Aviation’s close relationship with our customers makes this a very unique and challenging role,” said Chris Pinkerton, director, Interior Cabin Development for Textron Aviation. “The interior engineering and design discipline must satisfy not only regulation, cost and weight parameters, but also the requirements of our sophisticated customer base. Design, aesthetic and functionality add a layer of complexity that can be very challenging, but we know Marie and Milo are ready and eager to learn.”

Surur noted that the sophisticated clientele and luxury design is an aspect she’s looking forward to. “Aviation design is something totally new to me, but I look forward to bringing the luxurious elements found in a residential home or commercial building design to life in aircrafts.”

“We couldn’t be more thankful for the faculty in the GameAbove College of Engineering and Technology for helping to coordinate these internships,” said Lees on behalf of himself and Surur. “Without their help and support throughout the entire process, we wouldn’t have this opportunity and access to such invaluable internships.” 

Surur is a junior pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Interior Design and is slated to graduate in April 2022. Lees is a junior pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and is slated to graduate April, 2022. 

For more information about the EMU GameAbove College of Engineering and Technology, visit the college homepage.