Student Center

From School to Industry: Putting MATLAB to Work

• Alex Nielsen Senior Application Engineer, Robert Bosch Corporation
• Carl Klopstein Radar Systems Analyst/Engineer, ITT Gilfillan
• Tim Sodergren Project Engineer for a Geotechnical Consulting Firm

Alex Nielsen
Senior Application Engineer, Robert Bosch Corporation

“MATLAB made school projects more memorable because it allowed students to spend more time exploring simulations and systems.”

Alex Nielsen graduated from Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan in 1994 with a master's of science in systems engineering. Today, Alex is a senior application engineer for Robert Bosch Corporation.

In which college classes did you use MATLAB?
I learned MATLAB in the course, Signal and System Analysis. I also used MATLAB in other classes, such as Microcomputer-Based Control Systems.

Which other products did you learn in college?
I also learned Simulink during my time in college.

How do you use MATLAB in your work?
I take advantage of MATLAB as a tool to help calculate and run simulations of various engine control systems. I work on vehicle engine calibrations where we have to simulate complex systems to make sure they meet governmental requirements under varied operating conditions. This requires years of development testing in actual vehicles. I've found that our work is significantly reduced with MATLAB and its family of products.

How did college prepare you for this position?
MATLAB made school projects more memorable because it enabled the students to spend more time exploring simulations and systems.

What has been your most interesting project using MATLAB?
The most interesting project I've worked on using MATLAB took place while I was in school. I used MATLAB and Simulink to simulate systems before building them as part of the design stage. It was beneficial to simulate the operating system and have the ability to interactively change the setting of gains to monitor outcomes. I had the opportunity to design several control systems in school.

What is the best thing about MATLAB?
MATLAB is a great foundation tool. It is easy for engineers to use whether for quick calculations and demonstrations of data or for more intense calculations of system behavior and simulations of those systems.