Earlier this year, DMC welcomed members of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) from three Chicago-area universities for a one-day externship. Eight students from the University of Notre Dame, Northwestern University, and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign joined us over their winter breaks to explore DMC’s services, culture, and approach to engineering consulting.
The day began with a guided tour of DMC’s Chicago headquarters, where students visited each service area to hear directly from team members about their work, tools, clients, and favorite projects. The group also toured DMC’s fabrication studio to observe how custom control panels are designed and assembled, gaining insight into the hands-on manufacturing processes that support DMC’s automation solutions.
To give students meaningful technical exposure, DMC’s two largest service areas, Automation & Manufacturing Intelligence (Automation) and Test & Measurement Automation (T&M), each led an immersive lab experience modeled after real client projects. These activities showcased the distinct tools and workflows used by DMC engineers across disciplines. In the Automation lab, students worked with Siemens’ TIA Portal to program a PLC in Ladder Logic, designing and commissioning a two-way stoplight control system. The exercise reflected the complete project lifecycle followed by DMC automation engineers, from system design and code development to hardware integration and testing. Several externs described this activity as a highlight of the day, sharing that “I thought the activity was very engaging and fun, and I learned a lot about how PLCs work, ladder logic, and the process of problem-solving as a team.”
In the T&M lab, students were introduced to test automation and data acquisition tools that support DMC’s verification and validation projects. Using a NI cDAQ and LabVIEW with NI MAX, participants investigated a simulated stoplight malfunction, analyzed the system’s behavior, and identified the software as the source of the issue. Guided by DMC engineers, they implemented and verified code updates to restore proper function, gaining hands-on insight into DMC’s problem-solving process and collaborative engineering approach. One participant commented, “I liked the detective work and figuring out which lights corresponded to which outputs. The logic aspect was really fun—it felt like a puzzle to determine which output should connect to which light when we clicked the red or green light.”
Following the lab sessions, externs had the opportunity to connect with some of the women engineers at DMC over lunch for an open discussion about professional growth and experiences as women in STEM. These conversations provided valuable insight into the diverse career paths within engineering and fostered meaningful mentorship connections.
The afternoon continued with project highlights from DMC’s various service areas, including Automation & Manufacturing Intelligence, Application Development, Embedded Systems, and Test & Measurement Automation, showcasing the breadth of technical expertise across the company. One extern shared that they “loved seeing how DMC works on everything from large automatic overhead track systems to internal projects to test and measurement systems for the Artemis boosters,” adding that “each project was presented in a very engaging way.”
The event wrapped up with a Q&A session with DMC’s CEO, Frank Riordan, who shared his perspective on leadership, company culture, and the evolving engineering industry. Students were encouraged to ask questions about his career journey and the challenges and rewards of leading a growing engineering firm. One student shared, “I loved being able to meet Frank and hear his experience starting DMC and what direction he sees for the company in the future. I liked how open the Q&A session was, rather than a lecture.”
The externship was an engaging and rewarding experience for both the visiting students and DMC engineers. We were thrilled to share our work and culture with the next generation of engineers and look forward to hosting similar events in the future to continue connecting with emerging STEM talent.
Learn more about DMC’s company culture and check out our open positions!