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Merve Arslan has always thought like an engineer. Since childhood, she wanted to figure out how things work, leading to an undergraduate degree in textile engineering at Marmara University in Turkey and the pursuit of a master’s in materials science and engineering at Drexel. With an interest in smart textiles, composites, and quantum dots, she’s finishing up her graduate co-op as a process engineering intern at Kordsa, a global composite technologies company, where she is helping to create astronaut suits with advanced fibers.

“I wanted to find a co-op that allows me to combine these two fields and apply my knowledge in a meaningful way,” Arslan said. “[Kordsa is] a large company with both a plant and office environment, and I work in both areas to gain a full understanding of the production process and its challenges.”

So far, her co-op has her spinning a lot of different plates. She’s figuring out how to increase the speed of textile machinery while maintaining material quality, analyzing production data, and creating machine instructions for new equipment to ensure proper operation and safety.

“One project I’m particularly proud of is my analysis of production data,” Arslan said. The analysis helped uncover inefficiencies, seasonal variations, and potential areas of improvement. After presenting her findings, the team knew how to improve.

As with many co-op opportunities, Arslan’s work at Kordsa both connects to and builds on knowledge gained on campus. Her co-op has created a sort of loop, connecting threads of classroom concepts and stitching together real-world knowledge.

“My work directly connects with what I’ve learned in the classroom,” she said. “My coursework on material properties and processing techniques has helped me understand how different factors affect production efficiency and production quality... At the same time, this job has given me hands-on experience that I can bring back to the classroom. Working on real-world process optimization, implementing 5S principles, and collaborating with different teams has deepened my understanding of manufacturing operations beyond theory.”

As her co-op wraps up, Arslan will be returning to campus this spring to finish her graduate degree. Since going through the graduate co-op process, she feels affirmed in her studies and her professional goals.

“Working in an aerospace materials company has allowed me to see firsthand how materials science and engineering play a critical role in high-performance applications,” she said. “It reinforced my interest in advanced materials, especially composites, and showed me how my skills can be applied in real-world manufacturing... [it] has given me a clearer vision of the type of industry and roles I want to pursue in the future.”