Tyler Weiss: How a Scientist Found His Voice at Volvo Group
When you spend most of your academic life looking through a microscope at cells or running chemical titrations, a manufacturing plant feels less like a workplace and more like another planet. Last summer, I went from lab work to steel-toed boots as part of my Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) internship with Volvo Group.
Going into the internship, I had this idea in my head that I had to be self-sufficient to show my worth. I viewed every task as something to be accomplished solo. I thought that if I asked too many questions, I would out myself as someone who was unfit for the job. This mindset, while rooted in a desire to be a good intern, became my biggest obstacle.
For the first few weeks, I was tasked with determining what environmental and safety regulations applied to our manufacturing plant. Because of this, I found myself buried in complex technical regulations. I sat at my desk for hours every day, cross-referencing internal documents, googling acronyms I didn't recognize, and trying to piece together if we were compliant. I was making progress, but it was slow, grueling, and honestly, a little lonely. I was so focused on being competent that I was completely isolating myself from help.
Everything changed when I finally got to regulations that I could not puzzle-piece my way out of: I had a list of questions about specific electrical and mechanical regulations that I couldn't answer by googling or looking at documentation. My supervisor suggested I reach out to Ben, the senior engineer of the remanufacturing plant.
I’ll be honest: I procrastinated sending that email for days. In my head, Ben was a busy professional with real engineering problems to solve, and here I was, the intern, about to bother him with questions that probably seemed elementary. I imagined him looking at his watch, frustrated that he had to explain the basics to someone, especially an intern, for a report that he was not responsible for.
When I finally summoned the courage to send the email to schedule a meeting, I nervously kept checking my email until he responded. A few hours later, Ben simply responded “Does 9:30 tomorrow work?”. All the nervousness about the email for Ben to not even write an email sign-off made me realize it was not a big deal. The next day, I met with Ben and told him the questions I was having, and he helped with the regulations without even having to look at notes or documentation. What was taking me hours of frustrated research and cross-referencing was accomplished in about thirty minutes of collaboration.
Ben didn't judge me for not knowing the technical nuances. In fact, Ben seemed happy to explain how the different systems worked and if they were compliant or not. Ben made sure I understood why we were compliant instead of just answering yes or no. We knocked out the requirements at a pace that made my previous weeks of solo work feel like it was moving in slow motion.
That afternoon was a turning point for my entire experience. I realized that reaching out to people you don’t know, especially those who seem intimidating because of their title or expertise, is significantly less scary than the version of the event you play in your head.
After working through the regulations, I got the chance to try and solve a logistical problem with our scrap metal dumpster. The dumpster was old and would leak oil onto the ground, especially on rainy days. Because of this, I had to come up with a plan to get a cover on the dumpster and prevent the oil from leaking.
To accomplish this, I started reaching out to different people at the plant to gather their ideas on how it could be done. I felt that the workers who used the dumpster would better understand how it could be remedied. The workers had some good ideas, but they also recommended that I reach out to the company who takes the dumpster for ideas as well.
I got in contact with our waste management company and scheduled an online meeting with my advisor, some of the people from the floor, and the people from the waste company. Before, I would have tried to tackle this challenge on my own, but I coordinated people to work on this problem together. In the end, we decided on adding a tarp cover and getting a new dumpster that has less holes in it. It took a few weeks of back and forth to figure out the logistics, but we succeeded in having a plan for the future.
If I could go back to that first Monday in June, I’d tell myself to stop trying to be the smartest person in the room and start being the most curious. The value of an experience like this isn't just in the lines you add to your CV or the technical regulations you memorize. It’s in the moment you realize that professionalism isn't about having all the answers, but it's about having the humility and the communication skills to find them together.
I’m still a science major, but I’m returning to my studies with a much louder voice. I’m not afraid of the Bens of the world, and I’m much more aware that no matter how it may feel, it’s always okay to ask for help.
Tyler is a Biology and Environmental Science major graduating in 2026. He plans on gaining experience for a year and going to graduate school in 2027.