Who are you?

Thuong Phan Senior in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Who is your employer?

Skretting-Nutreco Internationa
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

How did you learn about your internship?

I was referred to apply for this internship through a friend currently working at the company. 

What was the application process like?

The entire application process was online. For the application, I submitted my resume (CV) and cover letter. Then I was contacted later for a phone interview.

What were your major tasks or projects at this internship?

My main task was to analyze and identify process and formulation changes to reduce the dust, water permeability and durability indexes of feed pellets, specifically by looking at the changes in processing parameters (grinding time, extrusion temperature, throughput...), as well as the feed composition (crude fat content, oil, gluten...).
My second project was to develop and monitor experiments on the effect of passive storage.
I also put together introductory presentations on the production process of all their active facilities. 

Do you have any recommendations for Georgia Tech students looking to intern in the same company or country?

Generally, you will need to know both English and Vietnamese. English is commonly used in Quality Control/Quality Assurance. However, you will need to know Vietnamese to be able to converse with people working in Production.
FYI: There's a huge food sharing culture in the workplace! Don't be surprised when your co-workers offer little snacks, fruits, or even homemade dishes to you everyday for lunch. Do try to bring something the next day though. 

Where did you live? Did you find accomodations independently or with your company's help?

It really doesn't matter where you live in the city since the company have free shuttles that take you to all of their production sites outside the city. Since Vietnam is my home country, I lived with my parents during the time I was there. 

How has this internship influenced your career path?

Previously, I had only involved myself in biotech laboratories and not in any production facility so this was a entirely new and exciting experience for me. I never thought of myself as a quality engineer in Animal Nutrition until I started working here; this job enabled me to incorporate what I learned in the production line to my research in the laboratory and vice versa. It definitely makes me want to explore all the options available out there and learn more about the different fields where my skills can be applied.