Several people in front of a Branson building
Zukowski is interning this summer at Branson Ultrasonics in Shanghai, China, with fellow St. Cloud State students Alex Slagle, Jake Krezowski and Justin Onyenemezu.
The eight-week internship included sight-seeing opportunities as well as the internship.
Branson designs, develops and manufactures CNC ultrasonic welding equipment used for joining plastic parts. It is part of Emerson Industrial Automation.
Zukowski has been working on creating a program for an Excel spreadsheet. It’s a new skill for the mechanical engineering major, although not one that aligns well with his program at St. Cloud State and not likely a skill he will need in the future.
“This is something I have no experience doing, and programming is not covered in-depth in my major, so everything has been new to me,” he said.
Working at Branson is a lot like working in the United States, and the employees are nice and welcoming, he said.
It’s the cultural experience that’s been the most insightful for Zukowski.
“It has been a life changing experience,” he said. “Understanding how such a large country deals with basic things like clearing their dishes (or not), the way they eat with chopsticks and how often people smoke cigarettes in places I wouldn’t expect have all been new for me.”
He has learned to adapt to getting around without being able to stop someone for directions and his craving for Juicy Lucy and mashed potatoes.
“I didn’t expect to enjoy so many different dishes that I have tried while I’ve been here,” he said.
See Alex Slagle’s video of them exploring Shanghai:
