5/19/2022 Maddie Yang 2 min read
Written by Maddie Yang
MechSE alumna Katie Kosinski graduated with her bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in December 2019 and since then has been working at the Ford Motor Company in their rotational program. She is currently employed as a core restraints engineer, working on safety parts for the next-generation Mustang.
She is currently a steering wheel and driver airbag design and release engineer, taking conceptual designs to a manufactured reality. The design studio determines what the parts will look like and Kosinski works with the supply base to create those designs. A few cars are then built in order to diagnose any issues and go through functional testing. Once they’re approved, the cars are sent to the assembly line to be mass-produced. “My role is to assist in this whole product development process, diagnose any issues, and take my parts from cradle to grave,” said Kosinski.
Kosinski landed the job talking to Ford recruiters at a career fair at U of I. She is originally from Texas but came to UIUC because of the competitive engineering program and an opportunity to continue swimming competitively.
After incurring an injury, Kosinski took a break from swimming and began to look for other opportunities within MechSE and eventually started working for the Innovation Studio.
“Working there was really cool,” said Kosinski. “It really helped with my 3D printing knowledge. I learned how to set up prints, which I’m now able to use with Ford because I've been working on some patents with my group and I’ve been able to use my personal 3D printer, which really helped in the prototyping process.”
Kosinski also talked about how she learned a lot of time management and problem-solving skills at UIUC, juggling the responsibilities of being a Division I athlete and completing the MechSE curriculum, which really helped her at her current position. She said project classes such as ME 370 and ME 371 gave her crucial teamwork skills as well as the problem-solving attitude necessary in her line of work.
“Enjoy the process,” Kosinski said to current undergraduates. “Classes can be hard and stressful, but it will all be worth it.”